Even our exclusive Superdelegate Tracker must admit that with Hillary Clinton’s announcement that she’s ending her campaign and endorsing Barack Obama, it’s getting tougher to see how she secures the nomination.  As “Saturday Night Live” used to joke:

Generallissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.  Despite Franco’s death and an expected burial tomorrow, doctors say the dictator’s health has taken a turn for the worse.

Against that backdrop, our Superdelegate Tracker sends this last gasp note:

Now that they no longer can argue delegate count or popular vote, the Clinton campaign is now focusing on new metric to determine the Democratic nominee that has Hillary winning outright:

Major league baseball teams:

Clinton won States which have 17 teams;
Obama won States which have 13 teams

Clinton: SF Giants, Oak A’s, CA Angels, SD Padres, LA Dodgers, AZ D’Backs,
TB Rays, FL Marlins, Det Tigers, CL Indians, Cin Reds, Phillies, Pirates, NY Yanks, MY Mets, Bos Red Soix, Hou Astros, TX Rangers.

Obama:  Bal O’s, Chi Sox, Chi Cubs, KC Royals, StL Cards, MN Twins, Seat Mariners, Atl Braves, CO Rockies, Mil Brewers, Wash Nationals, Toronto (Democrats Abroad).

This special report from our exclusive Superdelegate Tracker, reporting live from the field:

Here’s the Superdelegate Tracker’s numbers, as of May 26, 2008:

Obama 320.5
Clinton 282.5
Undeclared 163
Add-Ons To Be Named 29
Vacancies 3

Bottom line:

The latest from Extreme Mortman’s exclusive Superdelegate Tracker, reporting live from the field:

Barack Obama 286; Hillary Clinton 275.

There are 193 named undecided superdelegates remaining, of which 21 are either prohibited
by DNC or state party rules from endorsing candidates prior to the convention or
are unlikely to endorse for political reasons (i.e. a House Frontline member).

NOTE: there are 44 superdelegates yet unnamed who will be selected by their state
conventions or state parties in the next month or so.

Our exclusive Superdelegate Tracker reports from the field that “Hillary Clinton’s path to the Democratic nomination is all the more simplified after yesterday’s results.  Going forward, she must receive 85% of the votes in each of the remaining six primaries to pull even with the pledged delegate count of Barack Obama.  Yes, that’s right: 85% of the votes in each of the remaining six primaries.”

Here’s how the numbers are derived …

Here’s USA Today yesterday:

For weeks, the figure that the Associated Press, political reporters and the Democratic presidential campaigns have been citing as the minimum number of convention delegates needed to be the party’s presidential nominee has been 2,025.

This morning, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign made the case that the goal line needs to be moved further back and that the real “magic number” is 2,209.

Now, here’s a field report from Extreme Mortman’s exclusive Superdelegate Tracker:

To win the Democratic nomination it’s always been understood that it took 2025 total delegates.

That is until Hillary Clinton moved the goal posts to 2209 delegates, which includes Florida and Michigan.

Look closely at the photo to see Senator Clinton and her most loyal supporters moving the goal posts.  That’s Hillary, fourth from the left.

Yeas & Nays:

Concerned that the Democratic Party’s complex nominating process might cost its candidate in the fall, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said superdelegates like himself should not have a “decisive role” in choosing the nominee, even if it means stripping them of their votes.

Speaking to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast, the powerful Financial Services Committee chairman said, “Some of us superdelegates will have their feelings hurt, but if they don’t give us a vote maybe they can give us a cape instead, so we can feel super.”

And just in case the Democrats don’t even give Frank a cape, here’s one from his fans at Extreme Mortman.

Extreme Mortman’s exclusive Superdelegate Tracker files this report, live from the field:

OK,OK, so Rocky beat Apollo Creed yesterday, 55-45.

No big deal, actually, since there’s no way Rocky can catch Creed in pledged delegates.

How do we know this? Check out CNN’s “Democratic delegate calculator” here.

Assume that Rocky wins each of the remaining nine title fights by the same 10-point margin, 55-45, as the results of the “Thrilla in Phila.”

Even then, according to CNN’s calculator, she would be behind, 1895 to 1811, in total earned pledged delegates.

That leaves Rocky needing to convince 70 percent (214 total) of the 311 undecided superdelegates that she beats Creed on points in order to get to the 2024 total delegates needed to call herself ‘champ.’

Apollo Creed, meet Tonya Harding.

Our exclusive Superdelegate Tracker sends these new numbers …
As of April 21, 2008:

Hillary Clinton … 265
Barack Obama … 239
Undecided … 262

Which means …

Extreme Mortman’s exclusive Superdelegate Tracker (brace yourself for the logo)…

…  reports:

Minnesota’s new U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s endorsement today of Barack Obama and the news this weekend that Obama actually won the Texas primacaucus, 99 to 94, delegate-wise, is proof that Hillary Clinton faces an uphill mountain climb to her entitlement of the democratic nomination.

By that we mean a Mt. Everest mountain climb.

For a campaign dependent on the wisdom of the remaining 250 or so superdelegates, Jackie Calmes’ WSJ article today is dismal news:

“Since the ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries on Feb. 5, Sen. Obama has won commitments from 64 superdelegates and Sen. Clinton has gotten nine. Sen. Obama has a total of 217 superdelegates in his camp while Sen. Clinton has 250, and her margin has been shrinking with each week. Sen. Clinton would have several more in her tally, but they’re from Michigan, and delegates from Michigan and Florida won’t be seated — at least for now — because both states defied party rules and held their primaries earlier than permitted.”

Look, up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superdelegate.

Actually Superdelegate Tracker.  Straight from the Justice League of America, Extreme Mortman’s very own Superdelegate Tracker –  from our very own esteemed and eponymous superdelegate tracker.

Look for this logo sent up by searchlight up in the sky.  It will mean only one thing: This is a call for SUPERDELEGATE TRACKER.