Trump won't do the Presidential first pitch baseball thing.

blacbird

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He's not going to be at the opening game of the Washington Nationals baseball season to do this pretty standard little piece of social theater.I didn't even bother to copy a link. Not worth it, really. And I also was hesitant to start yet another Trump thread, so if a mod wants to delete or move or adjoin it to something else, that's fine. But there's a point here: This tradition dates back, I think, to Teddy Roosevelt, or maybe his successor, WH Taft. So it's been done, regularly for more than a century. It's not a big deal, really, but it shows yet another side of Trump Planet: The chickenshit hemisphere. He really really really is uncomfortable appearing before a crowd he can't control. He knows damn well that there would likely be an immense chorus of boos, and ain't about to let that interfere with his own personal ego-worship.

caw
 

jennontheisland

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I doubt he'd even throw a ball at one of the pep rallies he holds for himself. He doesn't want anyone to be able to compare the size of his hands to a regulation baseball.
 

MaeZe

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Of course he won't throw that pitch. Not only is he likely to throw poorly, he's very likely to get booed. DC did not vote for him.

And the small hand thing. :ROFL:
 

ShaunHorton

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He probably can't throw a baseball. It is actually pretty far from the pitcher's mound to home plate, and a man of his years and in the shape he's in, I find it unlikely that he could actually get the ball anywhere near the base. He certainly couldn't take the reaction to that. I'm sure he could shrug off a few boo's, but if people actually started laughing at him...
 

blacbird

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I'm sure he could shrug off a few boo's, but if people actually started laughing at him...

I'm not so sure about the boos, but it's clear he doesn't want to chance it. By the way, I'm the same age as Trump, and I was a baseball pitcher in high school, and I can still throw a decent strike 60 feet six inches.

Actually, with Trump, I think it would be a better concept to have him be a batter for that ceremonial first pitch, and have, say Nationals superstar pitcher Max Scherzer unleash a 97 MPH fastball at his head.

caw
 

cornflake

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It's interesting to unpack.

He theoretically played baseball in high school (I believe the reports he did this came from him, thus theoretically). So it's not as if he's never touched or thrown a baseball. Even if he hadn't, or thought he couldn't get it over the plate, the first thing that comes to mind for me is that he's so not a good sport.

I don't know that he'd even consider people would boo him, really, I dunno, maybe he lets himself know that, or maybe he'd suppose there'd be liberal plants there who'd boo him. He'd hardly be the first president to be booed at a game though. Most show up and smile gamely and wave, because it's a silly ceremonial thing and they're the president and that's what you do. Same as you go to the Kennedy Center and watch the stuff, and present the awards to people and listen to the speeches and pardon the turkey and hand out the Halloween candy and etc.

They understood, all of them, no matter how shitty I think they were, that the job is bigger than them, and comes with responsibilities to uphold the office. Same as William and Kate took their newborn out on the steps of the hospital and stood there and answered questions and posed for photos, her hair done, in heels, both I'd guess wanting to get in their car and go the fuck home. They had a responsibility to the 'office' as it were, to the traditions, and to the people, like it or not, because that's the job -- one he didn't even apply for.

Trump seems to neither care nor respect that he's supposed to, or that other people care and expect him to. Throw out the first pitch? He doesn't care so why would he? I'm guessing he's not doing the Kennedy Center honours, or handing out candy, or other such things, because he doesn't care, and doesn't understand why that's shouldn't be the sole metric of his decision-making.
 

Kaiser-Kun

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A politician in my city did the whole first pitch thing. Then he tried to throw the ball at the audience. Thing is, the safety net was already up, so the ball just bounced back and almost hit him, to the hilarious laughter of everyone in the stands.
 

Once!

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It's interesting. So many different ways of reading this. Part of me thinks that he's doing his "non-conformist" thing. He's saying that he isn't like a normal politician. He's got better things to do. And if it was anyone other than him, I might be able to respect that.

I could also make a case for the C in C being too busy. If it wasn't for all the golf and Mar a Lago.

But then he probably doesn't want to put himself in a situation where he might get a bad reaction from the public. He likes rallies where only his supporters are there to cheer him. He doesn't want a situation where he might get booed and not be able to pass it off as fake news.

And he's sticking a finger up to the people who voted for him.

Fascinating. If this was a novel, the decision not to throw that pitch would be one of those ambiguous character moments with multiple meaning. Let the reader decode it as they will.
 

shakeysix

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I used to teach college speech. Nobody hates to preform awkwardly in front of an impartial audience more than those who have made their way by belittling others. My meanest students were always sick on speech days. --s6
 
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regdog

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I'm not the least bit surprised for many reasons. Baseball is a sit in the stands in shorts and sneakers, eating a hot dogs blue collar sport. Too low brow for him, with the exception of those stupidly expensive seats for the NY Yankees.

There is no way to pack the stadium with his supporters, the only crowds he wants to appear before. For Primus sake, he is still having campaign rallies.

I'm sure not being able to get the ball from the pitcher's mound to home plate also factored in his decision.

Finally, baseball has many players who are Hispanic and we all know how Trump feels about Hispanic immigrants.
 

CWatts

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Since opening night has a military theme, my vote would be to have Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth throw the first pitch. How perfect would it be for 45 to be symbolically beaten not only by a woman, but one disabled serving her country and who is also the daughter of an immigrant?
 

Marissa D

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It's interesting to unpack.

...

They understood, all of them, no matter how shitty I think they were, that the job is bigger than them, and comes with responsibilities to uphold the office. Same as William and Kate took their newborn out on the steps of the hospital and stood there and answered questions and posed for photos, her hair done, in heels, both I'd guess wanting to get in their car and go the fuck home. They had a responsibility to the 'office' as it were, to the traditions, and to the people, like it or not, because that's the job -- one he didn't even apply for.

Trump seems to neither care nor respect that he's supposed to, or that other people care and expect him to. Throw out the first pitch? He doesn't care so why would he? I'm guessing he's not doing the Kennedy Center honours, or handing out candy, or other such things, because he doesn't care, and doesn't understand why that's shouldn't be the sole metric of his decision-making.

^^This. Same as Melania refusing to come to Washington and be First Lady--because none of them really give a damn about the office. They're just there to milk it for all it's worth.
 

frimble3

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Most show up and smile gamely and wave, because it's a silly ceremonial thing and they're the president and that's what you do. Same as you go to the Kennedy Center and watch the stuff, and present the awards to people and listen to the speeches and pardon the turkey and hand out the Halloween candy and etc.
I sort of got the impression that these bits of 'social theater' are designed for the public, as a way to see the president in a less-serious light, and for the president, as a little treat in the midst of big decisions, such as sending men to war and money to its doom.
It's the lighter-side of the job, more or less a riff on the importance of the presidency. He has the power of life or death. Over a turkey. He marks the changing of the season. The sports season. He graciously allows himself to be mocked by the press, instead of imprisoning them.

And, it's pretty much a once in a lifetime chance: for four, maybe eight years, you get to be the star of these minor ceremonies. Not like the Queen of England, who's been opening Parliament and watching the Trooping of the Colours for 60 years, and for whom the glamour has doubtless worn off.
It's four pitches, four lightings of the Christmas tree, four throwings of the first Easter Egg, etc. If you can't stand that hectic pace, get out of the political kitchen.

Or, if he really doesn't want to do it - designate a pitcher. Claim his arm is screwed up by signing all those huuge deals, and that he can't pitch, and so some lucky youth will get the chance. If Make-a-Wish doesn't have a suitable candidate, try the Special Olympics maybe. Not some star of Little League ball who might indeed make the Big Leagues anyway, but some kid who otherwise is unlikely to ever be on the field in a professional game. Heartwarming moment, some kid gets the chance of a lifetime, and Trump gets some positive press (well, at a minimum, what swine would boo a kid under those circumstances?) .
 

vsrenard

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Social theater, indeed. It's not like all presidents, or even most, have thrown the ceremonial first pitch their first year, much less every year, in office. There's enough to dislike about the man. These are the days when I'm inclined to blame the media for the news we get.