>>Obama threw out the first pitch at tonight's All-Star game in St. Louis. (one of the most boring all-star games I've ever watched)
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>>I've seen grandmothers who throw a ball better than he does.
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>He should probably stick to basketball. (Where he would light you up).
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>I never watch All Star games in any sport. Baseball's is probably the best because it means something. The winning league gets home field advantage in the World Series.
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>UPDATE: Sports Illustrated has a great cover this week, their annual "Where Are They Now?" issue. It's a picture of Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan during the Mets' amazing 1969 season. Seaver went 26-7 and won the Cy Young award. Ryan was still a wild fastballer who could throw it 100 mph but couldn't find the plate. He was their fifth starter. Seaver was 24 and Ryan was 22. In the World Series they dropped the heavily favored Orioles in 5 games.

Ryne Duren used to throw the ball over 100 mph, and supposedly (fact or fiction?) hit a guy in the on-deck circle. How he came to be a yankee?

"My first start in the big leagues was on May 10, 1957 against the New York Yankees," Duren recalled. "The first batter was Hank Bauer and the first three pitches knocked Hank down, certainly not maliciously in any way. The next three just painted the outside corner. He was on his butt three times, then he took three on the outside corner.

"Then Gil McDougald came up and down he went. Strike three and he went back to the dugout."

Casey Stengel said, "What's the matter with you guys?"

They said, "Listen, we're married guys with kids. That guy's throwing it over 100 miles an hour out there. You'd better get him over here, or get him out of the league!"

"That's exactly what happened," Duren said. "They traded me for Billy Martin after the Copa incident."