Yesterday was one of the craziest days in the history of the United State House of Representatives. On the agenda were votes on 26 amendments to an appropriations bill that had been put off from the night before to allow Members of Congress to play the 48th annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. This summer Washington tradition pits the Democrats against Republicans in a fast pitch, real baseball game under the lights at the Washington Nationals Stadium. It’s supposed to be a friendly but competitive game that gives lawmakers a chance to blow off some steam. And for the first time in nine years the Democrats beat the Republicans 15-10.

So they all went back to work yesterday to vote on those 26 amendments to a bill that would fund the departments of Commerce, State, and Justice and the impeachment of a federal judge already in jail for sexual harassment and abuse of power.

Having 26 votes in a row is nearly unprecedented. Each vote takes five minutes for all 465 members even with the use of electronic voting cards. That meant at least two straight hours of roll calls plus the time in between to announce each amendment. Meanwhile committee hearings and other meetings had to be delayed or postponed. Secretary Geithner’s scheduled testimony before the banking committee on the Obama Administration’s big changes to the Federal Reserve System set back three hours as the House stopped all regular business.

The day’s underlying buzz was about the ongoing negotiators to get an agreement on climate change legislation before an artificial deadline set by the Speaker of the House. And at the same time, lawmakers were trying to wrap their heads about the potential Obama health care plan.

Republicans were also upset because they had hoped to offer 102 amendments to the bill on the floor, but only a handful were accepted by Democrats. At some point the frustrations of working in the minority (or it could have been losing the game the night before) caused Republicans to unleash what few weapons they had in their parliamentary quivers. So under the rules of the House, they were able to force re-votes on nearly every single amendment, further causing delays in the day’s schedule. In the end, a record 53 votes were called.

By the late afternoon, Democrats realized they had lost a full day’s work which critically hamstringed their efforts to bring the climate change bill to the floor next week. Democratic leaders threatened to make up the time with votes next weekend but that’s unlikely so close to the Fourth of July district work period. The delays and the loss of control has jeopardized the ambitious House agenda to move climate change and health care legislation by August.