He Can Pitch, Too (Sort of)

Will throw first toss at tonight's game in St. Louis

(NEWSER) - President Obama is getting ready to toss out the first pitch at tonight’s All-Star Game in St. Louis, Fox News reports, and is relying on the experience from his previous such gig, for the White Sox in 2005. “My general strategy the last time I threw a pitch was at the American League championship series, and I just wanted to keep it high,” he said today. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama will toss the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game on July 14, Major League Baseball announced yesterday. He’ll be the fourth president to do so, following John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, and the seventh to attend the game. He’s also got some first-pitch experience; he did the honors for his beloved Chicago White Sox during the 2005 playoffs. More»

Papelbon says parties beat prez at game

(NEWSER) - Red Sox hurler Jonathan Papelbon says having the president around at the All-Star Game was “fun”—but not as fun as Playboy's hospitality, Subway Squawkers reports. “I enjoyed the parties more than the president, to be honest with you,” the skin mag's shindig being his favorite, Papelbon told a Florida radio station. Still, Obama helped “to kind of rejuvenate the midsummer game classic.” More»

(NEWSER) - After a 12th consecutive All-Star Game loss last night, even “Charlie Brown thinks the National League stinks,” writes Jeff Passan for Yahoo Sports. And in the 2002 tie that interrupted that streak, the senior circuit blew a 4-0 lead. If indeed the teams are evenly matched, and each has a coin-flip’s chance of winning, the likelihood of such a skid is .000244140625, Passan calculates. More»

Cooper Stone's father fell trying to catch a ball

(NEWSER) - Nice moment before the Texas Rangers' playoff opener yesterday: 6-year-old Cooper Stone threw out the first pitch to his favorite player, Josh Hamilton. In July, Cooper watched his father, Shannon, fall to his death at Rangers Ballpark while reaching for a ball—tossed up by Hamilton. Rangers fans were on their feet for the emotional ceremony, notes AP , though they had little to cheer for later: The Rangers got routed by Tampa, 9-0. More»