Obama prepares to throw first pitch at All-Star game

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Lifetime sports fan (and occasional president) Barack Obama has been chosen to throw the ceremonial first pitch in tonight’s All-Star game in St. Louis. Obama wont be the first sitting president to have the honor, however. Every president since Howard Taft has tossed the first pitch at least once during his term.

The president has already confessed that he’s a little nervous, and rightfully so -- former President George W. Bush is a tough act to follow. Here he is throwing the first pitch at a Nationals game in 2008.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney didn’t fare too poorly either, although he was far from a crowd-pleaser.

Let’s just hope the president has a better arm that Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. This one’s not even close.

Albert Pujols, who will be on hand to catch the pitch, had a few words of advice for the president. “Lob it up there. Don’t try to be a perfect throw,” Pujols said. “The worst thing, if you throw any first pitch, you don’t want to bounce it. That’s the advice that I’m going to give. Make sure that you don’t bounce it.”

In preparation for the game, Obama reminisced about the first pitch he threw at a Chicago White Sox game in 2005. “I just wanted to keep it high,” Obama joked. “Now, there was no clock on it, I don’t know how fast it went. If it exceeded 30 miles per hour, I’d be surprised. But it did clear the plate.”

Let’s hope this one clears the plate too.

-- Brendan Bigelow