Where Did President Obama's Pitch Land Last Night at the All-Star Game?

Okay, I will be the first to admit, I am not a baseball fan, I am more a soccer person, but where did President Barack Obama's pitch land at the All-Star game last night? Was it a strike or wasn't it? I have to ask why didn't the network choose a better location to shoot from? All the networks preempted their regular broadcasts to show that ceremonial first pitch and I was a little let down not being able to see where it landed. Well, Albert Pujols said that the pitch didn't hit the ground, so I guess that may put this mini-controversy to rest. I guess the least of the president's worries is his pitch, but the mainstream media will run with this ad nauseaum.

From a historic perspective, I guess the more debatable issue was the reception the President was afforded by the self-described "best fans in baseball." Though Obama was roundly cheered by the All-Star fans, his live presence still didn't seem to attract the applause that George W. Bush did during a taped announcement by the four previous Presidents before the game and some boos could even be heard among the cheers. Maybe some fans booed the president because of politics -- Missouri voted for John McCain and his sidekick Sarah "Caribou Barbie" Palin and her shadow Todd Palin in the presidential election. Or maybe they booed because of his choice of attire -- he chose to wear a long-sleeved White Sox jacket in support of his favorite team and a pair of jeans. That reaction is a little weird, but we'll see how this turns out.

Here's some presidential baseball trivia, thanks to the New York Times:

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended the 1937 game and threw out the first pitch from the Presidential Box at Griffith Stadium in D.C.
  
• JFK and LBJ attended the 1962 All-Star Game in Washington and called Musial over to their box to congratulate him for getting a hit in the seventh.


• At the 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Richard Nixon threw out two first pitches, one each to both of the starting catchers, Bill Freehan and Johnny Bench.


• Gerald Ford did the same in 1976 — the last time a President threw out a first pitch at the All-Star Game — but topped Nixon by throwing one lefthanded and one righthanded.
  
• Ronald Reagan attended the 1989 All-Star Game in Anaheim, but didn't throw out the first pitch. Instead, the former baseball broadcaster visited the announcer's booth and was able to call a Wade Boggs' home run.

So, there you have it in a nutshell, a mini-dustup if you will. Let's return to the topic at hand, Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.