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As you know from reading this blog, it was done to discuss the joys of baseball. Yet even our favorite game is not without its quirks that need addressing.
First Ball Ceremonies
The ceremonial first pitch in baseball started in 1910 when President William Taft tossed out the ball from his seat before a Washington Senators game. Many U.S. presidents since then have followed. Had baseball as we know it been invented in 1789, I wonder what Presidents Washington, Jefferson, or Lincoln’s throwing forms would have looked like. However, the practice is not just for presidents as we’ve seen celebrities and people from all walks or status in life get chosen to float, er, throw the first baseball to be used (presumably) in the game. IMHO, The only president I saw with good pitching form was President George W. Bush. From the mound he tossed a perfect strike before a 2001 World Series game at Yankee Stadium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjGcCI9ByWw
I will mercifully leave out other wanna-be pitcher presidents or celebs who embarrassed themselves on the national stage. I do think this practice would be infinitely more interesting if it really WAS the first pitch of the game. Have President Trump or J Lo on the mound and throw their best opening pitch for the home team. If Roman Anthony of the Red Sox or Shotei Ohtani of the Dodgers hit it for a homer then it counts! I have feeling the entire first ball ceremony would be scrapped.
I have one other issue with first pitches…you can only have one! Nowadays I see one designated thrower after another tossing the “first pitch.” Sometimes three people throw the “first pitches” to three different catchers simultaneously. To quote Bush 43: “It’s fuzzy math.” These first ballers’ forms are so bad that the baseball lawn they are on would die without intense work from the ground crew. I get it when an elderly celeb with arthritis can’t lob the ball more than ten feet, but when a healthy 30 year-old has to stand in front of the mound and the catcher is close enough to whisper in his/her ear, then it’s a bad look. Those of you lucky enough to be picked to throw out the first ball need to practice first!
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Baseball traditionally starts around Easter time. Like Easter it symbolizes the rebirth of springtime. However, in recent years season openers have been progressively pushed up farther on the calendars. in 2026 MLB opened up with the Yankees vs. the Giants at night on March 26. Yes, it’s at PacBell Park on the West Coast, but this is San Francisco we’re talking about, where summers are cold, let alone early spring nights due to sea breezes. The next thing we know Valentine’s Day may be the new start date to toss out the ceremonial first pitch on ESPN’s season opener. Baseball seemingly has no weather limits anymore. Games previously postponed or cancelled due to driving rain or winds now get finished regardless. Last year an April night game at Fenway Park was played with temps in the low 30s. When the game finished the wind chill brought it down into the teens! Check out Miguel Cabrera homering in a snowstorm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZdUaWiZWI
With the World Series now stretching into November football weather, it’s time to give a memo to MLB executives. Tell them when Santa shows up at a game instead of the team mascot, it’s too cold for baseball!
City Connect Uniforms: Why???
I make no apologies for saying City Connect uniforms are UGGGGGLLLY!!! My beloved Red Sox wear garish baby blue and canary yellow unis on Saturdays. I don’t want to see my RED SOX this way outside of their red, white, and navy blue. In the 60’s would you have liked seeing the Beatles with crew cuts? How about in the 70’s or even the 2020’s watching KISS without their make-up and platform boots? Iconic looks are part of sports and entertainment. The idea behind this City Connect “brain child” was to somehow artistically convey the teams’ city culture and history. The Tigers, Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox ARE already doing that when wearing their classic iconic jerseys. Those clubs, and many others, are part of their city’s histories and images. The so called “artists” and fashionistas employed by Nike and MLB who graffitied baseball uniforms have done nothing but trash the image of the game.
As a Red Sox fan the last thing I like doing is complimenting the Yankees, but I must give them credit. They have so far resisted the City Disconnect artsy fartsy sacks of baseball cloth players must parade around in once per week. I want to see iconic uniforms when the Yanks and The Red Sox clash.
What quirky things about baseball do you wish should be changed? Please leave a comment below.