Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2009

Obama goes low with All-Star first pitch; Pujols keeps it out of the dirt

ST. LOUIS -- Thanks to Albert Pujols, President Obama's worst fear went unfounded Tuesday night.

Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game, telling associates earlier in the day that he was determined to reach home plate on a fly. It did -- barely.

Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals' Gold Glove first baseman, moved up on the plate as Obama, a left-hander, let fly a high, arcing toss. Pujols made the catch about two feet in front of the plate before it hit the dirt -- a distance of about 58 feet, 6 inches.

"We did all the practicing in the Rose Garden," Obama told FOX broadcasters Tim McCarver and Joe Buck. "I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid, so I think some of these natural moves are not so natural to me."

Obama emerged from the Cardinals' first-base dugout wearing a Chicago White Sox jacket, jeans and white sneakers.

Receiving a standing ovation from the sellout crowd, Obama shook hands with St. Louis Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who was situated near home plate on a golf cart, before taking the mound.

The last time Obama threw out a ceremonial first pitch was before Game 2 of the 2005 American League Championship Series between the White Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Back then, he was a rising senator from Illinois.

"And when you're a senator, they show you no respect, so they just hand you the ball," Obama said. "You don't get a chance to warm up. Now here, I was with Albert Pujols in the batting cage, practicing before."

Pujols used a specially made black mitt with an American flag and the words "Obama 44" on it.

Obama's motorcade left the ballpark in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Good Will Hunt(er)

Hunter Toeben won't soon forget his 2009 All-Star Game experience.

The 11-year-old Toeben, a fifth-grader at Breese School District 12, was one of the kids on the field shagging fly balls Monday during the State Farm Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium.

On Tuesday, he rode in the back of the truck that carried Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, a coach with the National League All-Stars, during the pregame parade of stars down Market Street.

Toeben was one of nine St. Louis area kids selected to participate in the two events out of a pool of about 18,000 in a ticket promotion run by St. Louis-area GMC dealers involving Little League baseball teams.

"It was amazing for him," said Jamie Toeben, his father. "He got to be on the field and bringing his own video camera to record the players hitting. The thing he was most excited about (Tuesday) was that he was five feet from Yadier Molina, his favorite player."

During the Home Run Derby, Toeben caught fly balls hit by Tampa Bay outfielder Carlos Pena and Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard.

"Nelly" B. Goode

A little bit of rock and roll history played out Monday night at Major League Baseball's invitation-only All-Star Gala as local rap artist Nelly joined local guitar legend Chuck Berry on stage.

Nelly, who played earlier, returned to the stage and helped sing Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" as the large crowd pressed close to the stage.

The 82-year-old Berry can still bang out chords and riffs on his guitar, just as he's done since the 1950s when his music helped inspire the rock 'n' roll craze.

He still performs at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis one Wednesday each month. Three of Berry's songs -- "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and "Rock and Roll Music" -- were chosen by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame among the 500 songs that helped shape the genre.

Nelly, who hit a home run in the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, was on his game during his group's set. Among the hits he knocked off was "Hot in Herre."

Local ties in booth

Fox's All-Star Game broadcast had plenty of connections to St. Louis and the Cardinals.

Play-by-play man Joe Buck lives in St. Louis, used to do Cardinals broadcasts and is the son of Hall of Fame broadcaster and longtime Cardinals play-by-play man, Jack Buck.

Fox color analyst Tim McCarver was the catcher on three Cardinals World Series teams, including the 1964 and 1967 world championship squads. The Memphis native was with the Cards from 1959 to 1969, then rejoined the team again in 1973.

"For about 13 years, I was part of the St. Louis baseball scene, and I was fortunate to be on teams that were very, very successful," McCarver told MLB.com. "So you would get no argument from me in saying that St. Louis was the best baseball town in America. It's certainly among the top three.

"My experience there was nothing but terrific, and I know that's one of the great things about this All-Star Game -- Joe living in St. Louis and me going back to St. Louis. From a personal standpoint, it's very, very special for both of us."

Just as it is for another national broadcaster with St. Louis ties, NBC and MLB.com's Bob Costas.

"It's just a great place for an All-Star Game to happen," Costas said. "Any city gets excited about an All-Star Game. But in St. Louis, you get that combination of passion and knowledge and also civility."

Home Run Derby gets big rating

Albert Pujols may not have won the Home Run Derby, but he helped drive the ratings.

ESPN's Home Run Derby drew an average rating of 6.0 Monday night, representing 8.25 million viewers. It was the highest rated show on TV that night and was ESPN's third-highest rated show this year.

In St. Louis, the rating was an extraordinary 18.9, the highest for a metered market since ESPN began televising the Home Run Derby 12 years ago. The previous high was Milwaukee in 2002, which drew a 15.9 rating.

The event drew the highest cable audience in St. Louis this year.