Notes from the Campaign Trail (Solution)

by Charles Steinhardt

Each of the diary entries describes the Washington Nationals Presidents Race held on that date in one of the past six years from the point of view of Teddy Roosevelt, with the following eventual winners:

9/1/2007: George

4/26/2008: George
6/21/2008: Abe
6/27/2008: George

6/7/2009: George
6/23/2009: Abe
9/30/2009: George

6/10/2010: George
9/10/2010: George
9/26/2010: Tom

7/5/2011: Abe
8/3/2011: Tom

6/16/2012: Abe
7/19/2012: Tom
9/24/2012: George

The Presidents wear jersey numbers 1 (George), 3 (Tom), 16 (Abe), and 26 (Teddy), corresponding to the order of their Presidency. Taking the sum of the winning jersey numbers by year yields 1,18,18,5,19,20, or ARREST.