March 17, 2008
President Bush to Throw First Pitch at Nationals Park
As has been mentioned in comments earlier this morning, the Nationals invited President Bush to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the team's season opener against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on March 30. Being a huge baseball fan and having nothing better to do lately, the president naturally accepted.
There is some precedent for this. Bush also threw the first pitch on April 14, 2005, when the Nationals played their first game at RFK (pictured left). Still, we can't help feeling that this is a poor call on the part of the Nationals. Given his early and fierce opposition to the stadium deal in the first place, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty might naturally not be at the top of the list for the team. But surely there was someone else. Someone who, oh, say, will still be living here this time next year.
Then again, we're having trouble coming up with the perfect alternative. Chuck Brown? Tim Russert? Harry Reid? Vincent Gray? None of those quite satisfy us, either. Who would you have liked to see toss out the first pitch?
White House photo by Eric Draper
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Are things going that badly for the Nats already??
Teddy R. should throw out the first pitch, at least if they're not gonna let him win a race just once.
Um, Bush is the President. This is Washington, DC. What is there not to understand about the President throwing out a ceremonial pitch in Washington?
Did you seriously just link to a Maureen Dowd op-ed? ewwwwwwwwwwww
Yeah, having the President throw the first pitch is a tradition going back to FDR's time. Pretty much goes along with the job description. That and pardoning felons.
Clearly the guy who brought the Nats and a new stadium - Anthony Williams.
I think Monkeyrotica should have thrown the first pitch, him or the Pope.
The tradition of having the President throw out the first pitch at a Washington baseball team home opener goes back to William Howard Taft (who was kinda shaped like a baseball) in 1910.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/baseball/photoessay/02.html
two words.
bob. saget.
cosign Anthony Williams...he should be throwing out the opening day pitch. Not this clown. He's got better things to do like watch the u.s. economy enter a depression.......
Let’s see, the President, regardless of party or popularity, has been invited to throw out the first pitch in professional baseball at the closest pro stadium to the White House, since... long before any of us were born? Now, DCist is proposing that the first pitch and professional baseball be politicized. Brilliant!
Let the Pope do it. Benny's got a wicked curveball. Learned it from Jesus' older brother. The one with the pitchfork.
I'd throw the first pitch on one condition: no ball, only feces. But I would sign it and donate it to an auction for "fallen women."
Linda Cropp. Just to see what would be thron AT her.
I just find it odd that the reason you have for objecting to Bush throwing out the first pitch is that he won't live here next year. Uhh, I think the more salient point is that it will inspire a really awkward few minutes as people boo him.
I think we'll be blessed/cursed with inviting the current president to throw out the first pitch for as long as the capital is here. Whether he/she ought to take the Nats up on the offer and submit themselves to a loud instapoll is a matter of their own judgement.
Little known fact: the first ball of the 1936 season was thrown by a visiting dignitary and former paperhanger know as Adolf Hitler. He even went so far as to strike out Jesse Owens, proving once and for all the superiority of the Aryan race. The things you learn from restaurant placemats.
Marion Barry can throw out a speedball.
But seriously, the tradition is for the Prez to throw out the first pitch when DC has had a baseball team. No need to change that now. And, like I did when he threw out the first pitch at the first Nats game at RFK, I will applaud politely while my wife boos.
But, if a total tool like Alberto Gonzalez returns to toss out the first pitch, I, like I did at another RFK game where he tossed out the pitch, will join with the thousands of others in booing his ass.
Nancy. Pelosi.
She's fierce and i'm betting she can throw a mean fastball.
i'm as big a g.w. bush hater as the next guy, but he is the president, and the president traditionally threw out the first pitch at senators games for years. what if he was wildly popular, but this was still his last year? would you advocate against him throwing out the first pitch then?
let him do it. it's a tradition that should be revived...
break a leg! no seriously, break both legs...
since we are at war, i think it's inappropriate for the president to engage in traditions such as this. a far better idea would be to have a soldier, recently returned from iraq, throw out the first pitch.
I can't believe no one suggested the obvious choice: Butterstick!
Seriously, though, only someone fairly clueless (about DC baseball history) could find anything objectionable about having Bush throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
It should be viewed as a wonderful opportunity for a loud chorus of booing, gradually rising in volume until the pitch is thrown, and only terminating once he's out of sight. It has to be really obvious so as to avoid any confusion/manipulation from the media (remember the article about Cheney receiving "boos AND cheers" when during the replay it was clearly all boos).
"It's tradition!" is not a very convincing argument. Feudalism was a tradition too. The guy didn't even get 10% of the vote in DC in the last election - why should he get to represent OUR hometown team.
The precedent may be that the President throws out the first pitch, but it is also a precedent for a sitting president to have better than 25% approval rating.
Stupid, illogical arguments are also a tradition, as registeringsucks amply demonstrates.
Let him pitch.
Everybody boos.
We all go home smug and contented.
And I agree with registeringsucks: BRING BACK FEUDALISM! Every home a castle! Every child and dog a serf!
maybe instead of the first pitch we can give him the first at-bat instead. then, we can raffle off the opportunity to throw the first pitch to him. would raise a couple mil off of people who would love to send an up-and-in fastball his way.
I agree with IMGoph. I'm a huge ol' Bush-hater, but he is the President of the United States, and as such he is supposed to throw out the first pitch and I'm fine with that. As an native Baltimorean, I know that for the many years when there was no DC baseball team, the President often threw out the first pitch at the Orioles' opening day, or at other opening days around the country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_first_pitch
I agree that it would be a nice gesture to have an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran throwing out an first pitch though... perhaps for the All-Star game or during the World Series?
For what it's worth, that's a picture of Dubya throwing out the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game.
Blackcloud - what exactly did I say that was illogical?
I was at the Cheney opener, and I didn't hear ANY cheers. Someone did, however, yell, "DUCK!"
Please no Tim Russert.. he would throw out the first pitch and then write a book about how his dad was the best pitcher in the history of baseball but didn't have time for the MLB.
I'm content with W. on the mound. He's like a little kid with this stuff.
George Will throws like a girl.
Interesting coincidence- Bush owned part of the Rangers, which I believe is one of the names the Nats used to go by. So, this'll pr'oly be something of nostalgic a coming home party for him.
downtown rez: you've got your history a little messed up.
bush used to own the rangers, yeah, but the nats never went by that name. that was a different franchise that was here in DC and was the second version of the senators. that franchise moved to texas and became the rangers.
the only thing our nats were ever called was the expos, when they were in montreal.