"If I had a whole inning, I'm telling you, I would have cleaned up"

[babylonsister]

:spray:

President opens season with Nationals

Associated Press


WASHINGTON -- A hundred years after President William Howard Taft started a baseball tradition with a low ceremonial first pitch, President Barack Obama went in the other direction Monday, sailing a high, wide toss at the Washington Nationals' home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Just as Taft's toss forced pitcher Walter Johnson to make an athletic play, Obama's required Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to lunge to prevent a wild pitch.

Barack Obama

AP Photo/Evan VucciPresident Obama delivers the season-opening pitch at Monday's Washington Nationals game.

"I was a little disappointed with the pitch. It was high and outside," Obama said during a stint in the booth during the Nationals' television broadcast, joking that he was going for an intentional walk. "Fortunately, Zimmerman has a tall reach."

The president suggested his accuracy would have improved with a longer outing.

"If I had a whole inning, I'm telling you, I would have cleaned up," he said.

Zimmerman was more charitable, calling the pitch "OK. It was a little high and outside, but other than that, he got it there in the air."

He said that after the pitch, the president told him, "I wasn't going to bounce it."

Obama received a loud ovation from the packed crowd, with a few boos scattered in. Earlier, a video montage of presidential pitches in Washington elicited boos when it showed former President George W. Bush.

more...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5057336

[Skink]

1. the bench clearing brawl that followed was cool.

[Captain Hilts]

2. I enjoyed his inning in the broadcast booth. nt

[zbdent]

3. I know that Bush didn't get a few warm-up pitches in the Bullpen

before he was doing his opening pitch, either ...

At least an ML pitcher gets to warm up ...

[tallahasseedem]

4. LOL!

"joking that he was going for an intentional walk"

That is just...awesome! :D

I just kind of groaned after he threw it knowing that it was not going to be good. I'm glad Zimmerman was able to get it!

[asphalt.jungle]

5. he was cheered until he went looking for the boos by putting on his sox cap on the mound *n/m

[Forkboy]

6. Don't tempt the Nats. Obama would probably make the starting rotation.

:)

[Dappleganger]

7. President Obama throws like a girlie man!

There, I said it.

:rofl:

[Phx_Dem]

8. Who cares. He looks like a handsome man and acts like a real man.

He kicks ass in basketball, is smarter than the vast majority, has the patience and temperment of Job, the tenacity and determination unmatched by anyone, and is at least equal to, if not more, politically savvy than Bill Clinton.

I think we can live without the "pitcher" status.

[Dappleganger]

10. Ooooh, I think you missed

the sarcasm in my post.

Too bad. :(

[Phx_Dem]

11. No. It was meant in jest.

The points were true but I meant them in a fun prodding way. My bad that I didn't make that clear.

:fistbump:

[4lbs]

9. I had the same problem, until I got glasses.

:D