Lefty Obama Invited To Throw First Pitch
White Sox wants to keep favorite son all to itself
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Then-Sen. Barack Obama threw out the first pitch during the Sox run to the World Series in 2005.
It's no secret that President Obama is an ardent White Sox fan. He threw out the first pitch the 2005 playoffs.
His semi-negative comments about the Cubs during his 2008 campaign -- a question most politicians would have answered with some rote "I root for everybody" response -- were real and honest. His White Sox hat has caused a rise in sales. The South Siders are planning a charitable Obama cap featuring his logo. Everybody knows all this stuff; it's part of the President's local lore.
So it's no wonder the White Sox want to continue the love. Their next inquest? Getting the President to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day at U.S. Cellular Field.
It would be a slight break from tradition -- the President usually throws out the first pitch of his presidency in Baltimore or Washington. (Speaking of which, how furious must you be if you're Baltimore. The new Nationals are totally bogarting Opening Day presidential attention. Not cool.) George W. Bush pitched in a variety of places, including Cincinnati and, in perhaps the symbolic highlight of his presidency, at the 2001 World Series in Yankee Stadium.
Then again, Obama's about change, and change would be deciding that the White Sox are the country's new national baseball franchise. At the very least, an Opening Day appearance couldn't hurt. The next question: How to get a ticket.
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Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 6:41 PM CST
