Ah, the opening pitch of a baseball game. Since most opening pitches are by non-athletes (think a movie star, world leader, or a corporate sponsor), if the person throwing the ball can actually get it over the plate, fans go wild. And, depending on the situation, if the ball fails to get there the person throwing will hear jeers from the crowd.
At last Friday's Cardinals-Mets game at Shea Stadium, Jon Stewart got to throw the opening pitch. Unfortunately for The Daily Show host, he would not just hear jeers, but thundering boos that echoed deeply. On Monday's show, Stewart talked about Friday's woeful pitch (starting at around 1:25 into the clip). He called the opportunity to throw out the first pitch "a dream come true," but then showed his anemic 47 mph pitch from a few feet in front of the rubber. It barely cleared the infield grass AND bounced. To his credit, Stewart was able to make fun of himself at length.
We were at Friday's game and admit to contributing to the boos. What can we say, it was a really bad throw. In all fairness, there's no way in hell that we could have gotten that ball over the plate in that situation. Maybe Stewart can fill in for TBD that is scheduled to pitch in game 7 (if necessary - let's pray!).
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He could be like that kid in the movie, Rookie Of The Year.
I think in the end, he hurts his arm back to "normal" (i.e., 12-year-old boy) strength, but he manages to strike out the batter he's facing anyway, since the batter was looking for a fastball, but the kid threw what everyone figured was a changeup.
Yeah, I was there too, when Maine wasn't walking people he was throwing apples over the middle of the plate. Suit up Stewart and start him.
www.forgotten-ny.com
You booed? Are you 6 years old or something?
grown up - so how'd you get that stick up your ass?
booing could be in good fun, but you hurt his feelings!
It's baseball tradition to applaud people for a good effort at ceremonial first pitches. Obviously, no one boos children, old people, members of the Armed Forces, former players, etc.
Jon Stewart, however, is one of us, and his reaction was classic: he KNEW he fucked up and he cheerfully admitted it and took his boos like a true fan.
However, this story is about three or four days old, but Tien clearly needed to try to write about baseball again. Here's a suggestion: DON'T. No one has forgiven you for your Duaner Sanchez idiocy, and no one really gives a fuck what anyone on Gothamist has to say about baseball.
Then why did you read it Mets Grrl. Are you just a big loser or something?
I am 110% sure that the proper term is "ceremonial first pitch" and not "opening pitch" since that would be the first pitch the pitcher throws.
To review:
Ceremonial first pitch - A ceremonial pitch thrown by a celebrity, politico, or other designatied person before the start of the game.
Opening pitch - The first pitch thrown during the game by the pitcher.
metsgrrl - you know that the more you comment the more i want to write about baseball, right? so maybe, just maybe, after you read this comment you'll just stop. but if you want to comment, i am more than willing to write more.
and toby, you're right. my mistake.
Semi-OT:
Humility/self-deprecation is a vastly underrated human quality, one that would serve politicians in both parties greatly.