Despite the injuries that have already befallen them, the Baltimore Orioles are in camp. The Grapefruit League schedule starts this coming Saturday against Boston at Ed Smith Stadium, which brings me to one of my favorite recurring columns to write.
I’m a history buff. Specifically American history, with a concentration on the Presidency. That of course is an office that has a special connection with Major League Baseball. And one unlike any other sport at that. I write a version of this column every year on President’s Day (that being today).
President William Howard Taft was the first President to toss out a ceremonial first pitch, this in 1910 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. on Opening Day. It’s a tradition that’s endured over the years, despite somewhat taking a back seat in recent seasons. With the exception of Presidents Trump and Biden, every President since then has done the honors at least once.
And despite the White House usually being fairly adept at orchestrating things, it hasn’t always gone according to plan. On Opening Day in 1928, President Calvin Coolidge went to Griffith Stadium to throw out the first pitch for the Washington Senators. As O’s fans know, the weather in the mid-Atlantic in April can be unpredictable. Go figure, it was so cold that President Coolidge (a native New Englander) left after the first inning.
Most of the time these first pitches have taken place in D.C. – which is where it should occur. But in 1931 President Herbert Hoover did the honors at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. This was during the Great Depression, as well as during Prohibition. The President was received by a mixed crowd, with many people chanting WE WANT BEER! And in fact, it was Hoover’s successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who repealed Prohibition – the two men had a frosty relationship, needless to say. Roosevelt would have his own issue in 1940, when his first pitch at Griffith Stadium on Opening Day hit a Washington Post camera.
FDR’s successor, President Harry Truman became the first President to throw out the first ball as a southpaw. Five years later, he would throw out two first pitches (one with each hand). Harry gave ‘em hell with both hands!
The first time this “Presidential road show” came to Baltimore was in 1958, and ironically it wasn’t a sitting President. But it was a future President, that being Richard M. Nixon – who was Vice-President at the time. The All-Star game was held at Memorial Stadium that year, and Nixon threw out the first ball. It was caught by Orioles’ catcher Gus Triandos. Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush (41), and Clinton would also come to Baltimore over the years to do the honors. Joe Biden threw out the first pitch at Camden Yards as Vice-President.
Speaking of President Biden, I hope he reads this. One of the reasons this tradition has fallen away slightly is because of the intense security presence that comes with the President of the United States going anywhere. Many Presidents have remarked that it’s unfair to inconvenience fans attending the games by that. And I get it…
…but again, baseball has a unique relationship with the Presidency. And it always will. And it’s partially that special relationship which makes it America’s Pastime. Opening Day in Major League Baseball is a right of passage into the spring and summer. Again, I hope that President Biden sees this. I firmly believe that despite the security hassles or anything else, the President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington D.C. every year.
Birdland Crush 