60’6” separate you from your target. As many as 50,000 people in the stadium, and millions of television viewers, are all watching you. It is your chance to show the world that you have the same heat as the professionals, but you are only a slight miscue away from embarrassing yourself. It is enough to make even the most skilled athlete falter.
Notables have been throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at baseball games since President William Howard Taft in 1910, but with varying degrees of success. President George W. Bush was celebrated for his ability to throw a strike. President Barack Obama was lucky that the St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols was able to dig his pitch out of the dirt. Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gracefully threw a skyhook after an awkward throw. Other celebrities have lived in YouTube infamy for their throws. Comedian Adam Carolla bounced his first pitch, asked for the ball back, and proceeded to throw the ball over the catcher’s head at a Dodger game. At a game in Japan, singer Mariah Carey held on to the ball too long, and the ball rolled to home plate. At a Boston Red Sox game, actor Mark Wahlberg threw the ball wide of home plate, and it bounced and hit a fan in the butt.
At a recent Dodgers home game, I was able to observe up-close as four Olympic athletes prepared to throw a first pitch. The Dodgers were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and extended the honor to 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bruce Jenner, sprinter and two-time Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene, and women’s basketball Olympic gold medalists Tina Thompson and DeLisha Milton-Jones.
The four Olympic athletes came onto the field at Dodger Stadium about an hour before the game started. They were each presented with a customized Dodgers’ jersey that had their last name and a number, as well as a baseball inscribed “First Pitch Dodger Stadium 2009.” Jenner talked with Dodgers legend Steve Garvey about Jenner’s childhood baseball experiences. Thompson and Milton-Jones brainstormed ideas to liven the first pitch, such as pretending to pick off a runner at first base before throwing the pitch. Yet, despite their athletic ability and previous experience on a large stage, all four athletes showed signs of nerves.
As game time approached, the athletes began to warm-up. Greene learned that he would be catching the pitch from Jenner. Greene admitted to me, “My job is easy. All I have to do is catch the ball. Hopefully [Jenner] does not make me move too far.” Greene set a world record in the 100m with 9.79 seconds, but he was worried about not being fast enough to reach for an errant ball from Jenner. Milton-Jones and Thompson played catch, but the baseball frequently got passed each of them.
Milton-Jones was the first up. She threw the ball to Dodgers’ catcher Brad Ausmus, but it bounced before it reached him. Determined not to bounce the ball, Thompson threw a high archer to Dodgers’ second baseman Orlando Hudson. Finally, demonstrating his varied athletic skills, Jenner threw a solid pitch to a relieved Greene.
If even Olympic athletes have nerves about throwing-out the ceremonial first pitch, it is easy to understand why other celebrities tend to embarrass themselves on the pitching rubber when given the ball.
