On Wednesday’s CBS Early Show co-host Russ Mitchell described President Obama’s lackluster first pitch at Tuesday night’s All-Star game in St. Louis: "And it appears President Obama has a wicked sinker." Mitchell referred to his colleagues in studio: "Somebody’s laughing over there, I’m not going to mention any names."
At the top of the show, even Obama fan co-host Harry Smith acknowledged the President’s poor performance: "Oh, golly. Talk about a pitch that’s going to be repeated over and over and over again." Smith did try to defend Obama, sounding a little like the father of an uncoordinated little league player: "He got it there. That's what counts."
Following Mitchell’s news brief, Smith pointed out the fact that one odd camera angle seemed to be more favorable to the pitcher-in-chief: "I would suggest it depends on the angle. It's all about the perspective from which you see that pitch...Now if you see it from back there at [St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert] Pujols' angle, it doesn't look so bad. From the other way, it doesn’t look so good." NewsBusters’ Tim Graham took note of the bizarre camera position chosen by Fox Sports.
Mitchell then repeated Smith’s earlier defense of the throw: "As you pointed out earlier, though, it made it all the way to the plate." Weatherman Dave Price added: "And presidents past have not been so fortunate." Price went on to declare: "He's just happy because he was wearing a [Chicago White] Sox jacket. And the Sox are represented well."
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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"And it appears President
July 15, 2009 - 16:53 ET by Richard Romano"And it appears President Obama has a wicked sinker."
Hmm, let's compare, shall we?:
http://www.youtube.c...
Not even close, you morons in the MSM.
Richard... Thank YOU for
July 15, 2009 - 17:17 ET by bigtimerRichard...
Thank YOU for having this here, that was great, I remember it well, my eyes even misted over...and listen to the cheers....the real cheers.
There is NO COMPARISON!
The SRM are out of their minds with this...and they have the audacity to think the rest of us are too...this is something they cannot repeat enough to try to instill into mind-dead robots...with this video, that wouldn't work...no way...no how.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Yes, it is startling isn't
July 15, 2009 - 17:31 ET by Richard RomanoYes, it is startling isn't it? Bush was much celebrated and loved, but the poisonous attacks on his character by the left and the media eroded his high approval ratings at the time.
Now the media is doing the opposite -- they are shilling for Obama at every turn...it really is quite shameless.
Richard... Shameless is
July 15, 2009 - 17:46 ET by bigtimerRichard...
Shameless is putting it kindly.
You summed it up with what the msm did with Bush for years and years....I remember he was lucky if the msm would have any of the speeches he was giving somewhere on television, and if they did, they usually cut it off sooner rather than later...and didn't have any commentary about any of the topic, maybe a word or two, then it was ignored, lucky if it was even mentioned in the Nightly News...Oil comes to mind, Education, on and on...
As disappointed I was at times with him, I will always have respect for him, and I know one thing, I sure as hell miss him a heck of a lot now.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Reuters has a better video
July 15, 2009 - 18:54 ET by motherbeltIf you look at this other video from a different angle, you can see home plate, and you can also see that the catcher is not in his usual position, but actually in front of home plate. (h/t The Anchoress)
Now frankly, I don't care if the President throws like a girl, or can throw a hard strike.
But the MSM making him out to throw "a wicked sinker" is pathetic.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
This video doesn't seem to
July 15, 2009 - 20:33 ET by ex buff e-dubThis video doesn't seem to load...hmmm...wonder why?
he looked like...
July 15, 2009 - 16:56 ET by PA Conservativea) the kid who always got picked last
b) a guy who never played any sports because they were too "rough"
c) an effete liberal elite who thinks sports are for the "less intellectual" in society.
In other words, his throw was a complete embarrassment. For God's sake, my grandmother could have thrown harder than that!
PAC
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends,
it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new government...
Why do you even care.
July 15, 2009 - 17:50 ET by balboaWhy do you even care.
→ Good question bal.
July 15, 2009 - 17:55 ET by Cool ArrowI'm kinda lost on this one too.
I can still throw a baseball but the President would make a fool of me on the basketball court.
I doubt Merlin Olson would have been a very good jockey, and I'm pretty sure Roger Federer could beat Mia Hamm in tennis.
Leave troll.
July 15, 2009 - 19:35 ET by PA ConservativeWho are you again?
PAC
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends,
it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new government...
Nice explanation. It's
July 15, 2009 - 20:02 ET by balboaNice explanation. It's always impressive when you judge someone in politics on how they throw a baseball.
Well then.......
July 15, 2009 - 19:55 ET by NC Copwhy do you even care that we care?
balboa
July 15, 2009 - 21:12 ET by well99Just for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5abf6y1IzQ
well99, link doesn't work.
July 15, 2009 - 22:10 ET by balboawell99, link doesn't work.
balboa
July 15, 2009 - 22:30 ET by well99It has been removed by user for some reason.The music was cool which went with it.Maybe it was a Homeland Security crackdown....J/K I need to go buy another Catcher In The Rye book.
Why do we care?
July 16, 2009 - 10:04 ET by Meredith1966G'day, Bal -
I'd say we care only because the media is once again trying to spin something that flys against all evidence. Frankly, I don't care if the guy can throw a baseball or hit a three-pointer, but when the media starts trying to persuade me that my eyes didn't see what they saw, then I care. I care because I don't like being lied to. Anyone who saw it didn't see the President throw a 'wicked sinker'--they saw a guy who looked like he had no idea how to throw a baseball and proved it with a lame toss that barely made it to home plate. Now, maybe the media was just trying to be polite, but me and a lot of other conservatives are dubious about the media's objectivity when it comes to Democrats in general and this president in particular, so when they claim his pitch was one thing when clearly it was not, we on the political right tend to get our backs up. It's the whole 'Don't pee down my leg and tell me it's raining' thing, kind of puts one in a questioning state of mind.
And, you and Cool Arrow are right--in the grand scheme of things, Obama's prowess as a first-pitch-thrower-outer matters not, so I'll agree with you, who cares? On to other topics...
Have a good one, Bal.
"The words of a President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately." - Calvin Coolidge
Meredith, Thanks for your
July 16, 2009 - 12:41 ET by balboaMeredith,
Thanks for your response. I can understand the concern with the way the throw looked vs. how it's spun (which was a non-issue since everyone's seen the footage of the throw landing somewhere near home plate), but I can't understand the need to get so angry about it (PAC). So he didn't throw a strike like Bush. Who. Cares.
He threw it like a
July 15, 2009 - 18:46 ET by Gat New YorkHe threw it like a girl.
That was the WORST first pitch by any President I've seen.
I agree PC... It was
July 15, 2009 - 19:39 ET by bigtimerI agree PC...
It was pathetic...and I've got a couple step-daughters that could throw harder than that too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
What Was That?
July 16, 2009 - 06:38 ET by sic721What was that string hanging out of his sleeve? What? Oh, sorry.
That was his arm!!! heh heh heh heh
"The human race divides itself politically into those who want to be controlled, and those who have no such desire."-Robert A. Heinlein
Pujols had to reach for it
July 15, 2009 - 17:01 ET by RukusAnd he was already straddling the plate!
Damn that global warming, er, change, crisis, whatever!
He also inherited that bad pitch, Bush didn't leave him a good one.
And TOTUS wasn't there to tell him where to throw it.
Does that about cover it? I bet he didn't even read it before he threw either! : )
Gary
I want my country back!
He could of had
July 15, 2009 - 19:40 ET by general companyA pitching czar teach him how to throw a baseball,
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
gc... He should have
July 15, 2009 - 19:44 ET by bigtimergc...
He should have called GW for that job....then if he threw like he did last night, it would've been Bush's fault... again.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Yea BT
July 15, 2009 - 19:58 ET by general companyI bet GW would love to throw some baseballs at Obama. : ]
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
LOL...yeah gc...much better
July 15, 2009 - 20:04 ET by bigtimerLOL...yeah gc...much better than dodging those shoes any old day...and he can hit the target too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Here's the next story.
July 15, 2009 - 17:46 ET by pbthinkerThis pitch was so fine, the New York Yankees have asked that, should they get into the World Series this year, they would like President Obama to be a relief pitcher because of his amazing ability to get the ephus pitch over the plate. They have never seen such amazing ability in all their days. This story according to the AP.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
LOL..., this just in
July 15, 2009 - 18:14 ET by CarlosSThe Administration has just named a Baseball Czar, Geither is working up plans to take ownership of all Professional baseball..., and the first order of business will be to change the strike zone to..., 6 inches in front of the plate and two inches above the ground
< sarc off>
Carlos
July 15, 2009 - 18:27 ET by well99Dont give them any ideas.
LOL w99... You beat me to
July 15, 2009 - 18:29 ET by bigtimerLOL w99...
You beat me to it!
That was my very first thought too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
What cracked me up was that
July 15, 2009 - 18:53 ET by Gat New YorkWhat cracked me up was that on live TV Obama made sure the FoxSports camera did NOT have the catcher in the camera frame so no one could see how badly it was thrown. Fortunately there was a centerfield camera running for the record.
I'm going to go back and see if they so the same thing with thoe 3-point shots he supposedly took in basketball. Did we see the full arc or did we see it go up and then go int he basket like the old Bird/Jorden HORSE commercial?
Look for yourself. Did
July 15, 2009 - 19:02 ET by Gat New YorkLook for yourself.
Did Obama really sink that 3 pointer . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j87k1j4CpOw
. . . or was it a stunt?
GNY... I don't know for
July 15, 2009 - 19:17 ET by bigtimerGNY...
I don't know for sure...but he kept inching up there before he made the basket.
What's your opinion?
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
I think Porky (Gibbs) was
July 15, 2009 - 19:43 ET by Gat New YorkI think Porky (Gibbs) was out of camera up in the rafter getting the cue to throw the ball down into the basket - just like the Bird/Jordon commercials.
Anyone who throws a baseball like a spasdic can't possible be that good in b-ball.
Yeah..., but
July 15, 2009 - 18:56 ET by CarlosSit'll make the playoffs easier since nobody can loose and nobody can win..., all the games will be tied and the tickets will be free..., paid for by the rich fat cat millionairs who'll be paying for our free health care, to. Shades of "Big Rock Candy Mountain"
<more sarc off>
pbthinker
July 15, 2009 - 18:53 ET by easygoerI was thinking the same thing. It was an eephus pitch.
http://www.youtube.c...
Yea
July 15, 2009 - 19:55 ET by general companyI think there is a hight limit on these slow pitches as well, bet Obama was over it? He was throwing that parabola curve. : ]
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Sadly,
July 15, 2009 - 17:54 ET by UpNorththat throw wouldn't earn him a spot on a girl's t-ball team. And we know it. Bet the Wookie could have done better than him.
"Wicked Sinker"?
July 15, 2009 - 17:59 ET by RightsBelieverWe call that "noodle arm" for troops who have no arm strength for grenade throwing...but don't sweat it, Phony kahuna, I'll hook you up with a female private who'll square your sorry ass away. Keep on throwing though, it's the only way to get better. Not that "sports" are your "thing"...except throwing cohorts under the bus.
Nobody says nothing better than Obama.
It is my hope that obama
July 15, 2009 - 18:13 ET by ConservativeRexIt is my hope that obama continues to throw baseballs and refrains from throwing any more good money after bad.
CR... Baseballs,
July 15, 2009 - 18:18 ET by bigtimerCR...
Baseballs, basketballs, bowling balls, golf balls, tennis balls, snurf balls...anything but the money!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Obama got the same ribbing
July 15, 2009 - 18:35 ET by rammingspeedObama got the same ribbing as Bush when he too threw a bad pitch. Right? Er, no? Doesn't matter.
wicked indeed
July 15, 2009 - 18:42 ET by harqmanWicked indeed. If yu throw a ball that high, gravity will take over and it will indeed sink. I'm not embarassed he can't throw like a grown man. I am embarassed he is proud of his effoet. He has not idea it short hopped and he is very proud of his effort.
Sinker, STINKER pitch hit the ground, wanna see it?
July 15, 2009 - 19:18 ET by upcountrywaterSome digging around YT, you guys will Love this.. heh heh
keep repeating the 38 second time line....And the OAF's voice over, PRICELESS..
Reagan VS Liberalism
tired of liberal
July 15, 2009 - 21:07 ET by stunnedtired of liberal lies
LOL!! Look at Pujols straddling home plate and he still had to scoop that lame pitch out of the dirt. My ten year old son can throw harder and get it to the catcher. Check out the three finger hold on the ball. Fox Sports shot the pitch and not the catch and the rest of the MSM ran with that video because according to Reuters the night before the game Obama practiced in the Rose Garden and his staff determined that he could never get the ball home so it was all set up in advance to cover his lame throw. Imagine if a Republican President threw bad pitches, had a lame golf swing, banned the press from shooting pictures of him playing basketball at the WH, tried to open windows they think are doors, bang their head getting on helicopers and tripping over their own two feet (Italy last week) all in the first few months in office the media would be mocking him constantly as an uncoordinated oaf instead we get slobbering testimonials on his athlethic prowess.
Well stunned, the media in fact did
July 15, 2009 - 21:23 ET by general companyTo maybe our most decorated athlete we have ever had as POTUS
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Re Jeans
July 15, 2009 - 19:26 ET by slickwillie2001There are reports that the brand of girl's jeans that he was wearing is selling out all across the country.
I believe....
July 15, 2009 - 19:54 ET by NC Copthat Mitchell was talking about Obama's economic plans when he mentioned a sinker...............and its going into the ground just like his pitch did.
That pitch served as the
July 15, 2009 - 20:59 ET by fitzfongThat pitch served as the perfect resume for the Community Organizer: limp, ineffective, yet strangely overconfident...with the right amount of post-event spin to make it appear like a Nolan Ryan fastball.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
Know why the Liberal media is covering up Obama's weak throw?
July 15, 2009 - 21:01 ET by OxyConIt's quite simple, American's don't like sissy boys in leadership positions. The media bills Obama as Superman...but Superman doesn't throw a baseball like a wuss, the way Obama throws. This can't be! It must have been some kind of fancy sinker pitch!
The media is trying to paper over the wuss throw because they know it dings Obama's image. He's supposed to be so sexy and virile, with Olympian God-like pecs...but put him on a pitcher's mound and he transforms into Erkel.
Politico concurs
July 16, 2009 - 23:20 ET by OxyConObama losing his cool?
Carol E. Lee Carol E. Lee Thu Jul 16, 11:35 am ET
It’s been a tough week for President Obama’s cool factor.
Not only is he weathering criticism of his policies, but the Cool One has also taken a few dings to his immaculate image in recent days.
It started on Monday. Speaking at the White House, Obama was just getting into a sharp defense of his economic agenda when one of the teleprompter screens holding his speech crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“Oh, goodness,” said a surprised Obama. “Sorry about that, guys.”
Needing a teleprompter is one thing. But having it crash to the ground mid-speech was, well, a long way from Obama’s on-camera fly-swatting for CNBC. Then, the chief of cool had men everywhere suddenly feeling insecure about their inferior ability to conquer insects.
On Monday, the president's audience snickered, while he didn’t crack a smile, and it took a few moments for him to adjust to reading his remarks without looking to his left, where there was now just an empty pole.
On Tuesday, Obama was put to another test: throwing out his first pitch as president. He had practiced with Reggie Love. He got advice from Willie Mays. But the pitch was a bit of a lob and while it didn’t hit the ground, it also didn’t clear the plate, like Obama had wanted. It was fine. But not the impressive performance some expected from the athletic president.
Even his hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, said he was “lacking in style points on his short southpaw lob to home plate.”
Then there were the Dad Jeans – otherwise known as the Levis Obama sported when he threw out the pitch.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090716/pl_politico/25022/print
Oxy... Well, I'll be
July 16, 2009 - 23:33 ET by bigtimerOxy...
Well, I'll be darned...this was in Politico...I read it all.
Priceless.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
It's great that affirmative
July 15, 2009 - 23:43 ET by jdhawkIt's great that affirmative action doesn't apply to our national pastime or any other sports, yet. Or, this guy would be ON the All Star Team instead of throwing like a girl the ceremonial pitch.
Unfortunately, affirmative action got him into Yale and Harvard and apparently the dimocrative party and now we are stuck with him for four years. <sigh>
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
July 16, 2009 - 00:56 ET by jpatchWell that certainly was a "mixed" (my euphemism of the day) reaction from the crowd upon the entrance of B.O. .
I wonder why?
His numbers are already turning south, and things haven't even gotten hard yet. People are already seeing through his policies.
You can see he is aging already at a seemingly accelerating pace, the office has already taken a toll on him.
Very interesting times we live in, most certainly. Very interesting times.
BTW...that throw was weak. I'm sorry to say, but I'm pretty sure that George Washington would have thrown a strike. So, I say, he set the standard. If you're a sitting President, and you're called upon to throw out a first pitch, it should either be a strike, really close, or kinda close but with some mustard on it, like bringing it. You are representing America, the country that invented BASEBALL!!!!!! YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN'T THROW!!!!!
Seriously, EMBARRASSING!!!!!! The American President should be able to throw a baseball.
Obama is WEAK...and dangerously powerful.
"Somebody’s laughing over
July 16, 2009 - 01:27 ET by RR GOP"Somebody’s laughing over there, I’m not going to mention any names."
LOL...those blue collar types working behind the scenes probably. I like it when they snigger at something on these political shows...makes me laugh as well. They aren't shills for a political party like the talking heads are. Usually stuff having to do with sex or beer though...hmmm.
It used to be the President would just toss the ball out a few yards from the stands...a symbolic gesture. What's this crap about standing on the pitcher's mound? NO president is ever going to pitch well enough to impress die-hard baseball fans. What's next? The Prez will be expected to strike someone out?
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
The MSM always tries to
July 16, 2009 - 04:33 ET by NonArabOmarThe MSM always tries to butch 'em up. Yet, they always stick their feet in their mouth and look like fish out of water.
Gotta love that interview Obama had with Costas. He's there claiming that he's a long time White Sox fan and he can't even remember which ballpark they play at. He was playing the sports savvy commander in-chief for television but he forgot his lines from the script. Can Obama be any more artificial? Obama can't pull it off. They have this guy play dress up and try to make him less of a prissy elitist... and he just fails miserably. He can read a teleprompter but he's not a good actor.
Now you know why they put Olbermann on the air... 'cause they think he helps promote a less effeminate image of liberal men due to his career as a sports anchor.
July 16, 2009 - 08:30 ET by jessieHHe misspelled stinker.
Whatever...
July 16, 2009 - 09:40 ET by Meredith1966Wicked sinker, my butt, it was more of an ephus pitch if anything. He looked like he had never held or thrown a baseball in his life. Now, to be fair, there are bigger things to worry about than whether or not The Obammunist can throw a strike, but hell's bells that was one wimpy throw.
"The words of a President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately." - Calvin Coolidge
Sinker?! Try more like
July 16, 2009 - 11:24 ET by wiwfSinker?! Try more like Eephus pitch!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Posted in Error
July 23, 2009 - 21:56 ET by BondPlainBondPosted in Error. Apologies.