On Monday, there will be a new presidential tradition that has been around for 100 years. That’s right, in less than a week, President Barack Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Washington Nationals host the Philadelphia Phillies.
This tradition dates back to 1910, when President William Howard Taft, the heaviest president we have ever had, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a base-ball match sporting event. Now, a black, gangling president will throw out the pitch. My how times have changed. As they did 100 years ago, the press will be critiquing the president’s form and trying to interpret what his throw could mean should the Russians and the Japanese choose to tear up the Treaty of Portsmouth.