Albert Pujols will catch President Obama’s first pitch
ST. LOUIS — First baseman and St. Louis welcome-wagon Albert Pujols has added some Presidential duties to his role as ambassador for all things baseball and St. Louis this week — really his week — at the All-Star Game.
Flanked by all of the St. Louis Cardinals living Hall of Famers, Pujols will catch the ceremonial first pitch as delivered by President Barack Obama before Tuesday’s 80th All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. Major League Baseball announced that Pujols will get the honor this afternoon, during the rain delay at the Futures Game. Obama will be the fourth president to attend an All-Star Game, and all of the living presidents will be featured in a video to debut before Obama takes the mound for the first pitch.
The glove Pujols will use, a Wilson, will then be authenticated and sent to Cooperstown.
Joining Pujols on the field to welcome President Obama will be Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Bruce Sutter, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith — the Cardinals six living Hall of Famers. Musial is set to be honored during a pre-game ceremony that the Cardinals hope will be for The Man, the greatest living hitter, what the ceremony at Fenway Park back in 1999 was for Ted Williams.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
I wonder if Albert is ready to give up 60% of his income based on Obama’s social plan for the U.S.!
Show that you care about America! Boo Obama!
As a proud American and Cardinal fan, this is going to be a real tear jerker. I can’t wait to see it. Hope we can leave politics out of this.
Albert Pujols has done so much for Down Syndrome children and he is a shining example of Christian virtues so I can only wonder is he really knows what sort of individual Barack Husein Obama really is. Obama’s Tonight Show insult to special needs children, his advocacy of partial-birth abortion and his declaration that America is no longer a Christian nation should be enough to keep Albert in the dugout in protest. On a larger note, after 43 years of waiting St. Louis finally is hosting the All-Star Game and now it will be ruined by having the man who is committed to destroying everything that made our nation great throw out the first pitch. Resist NOW, say NO to Obama!
Stay classy, Phil. I know The President of the United States probably isn’t as good of Christian as say, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Newt Gingrich, David Vitter and Larry Craig, Dick Cheney or George Bush. But use you overflowing Christian charity to pray for him rather than condemn him. P.S. I think you’ll be safe in your bunker in Lincoln County.
Stay classy, Phil. I know The President of the United States probably isn’t as good of Christian as say, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Newt Gingrich, David Vitter and Larry Craig, Dick Cheney or George Bush. But use you overflowing Christian charity to pray for President Obama, rather than condemn him. P.S. I think you’ll be safe in your bunker in Lincoln County.
I hope and pray that Stan has a wonderful night and that the whole world honors a great man and great Cardinal, better late than never. And to any idiot that would boo the President, you are not a patriot. The man has the worst job in the world, he was given an impossible situation with which to deal and is making an honest effort to try to right the ship, I don’t agree with everything he does but he is my President and I’m glad he’ll be in St. Louis. I’m a conservative, but you far right wing, intolerant, hate mongers do not and never will speak for me.
The President of The United States will be in our town to celebrate something we all love, BASEBALL. Get over your petty politics and savor the moment.
Unless of course you are a traitor to the U.S. and the constitution.
In which case, please stay at home and do not embarras the rest of us civilized patriots and REAL baseball fans.
Go National League!
“Show that you care about America! Boo Obama!”
Yeah, that’s the ticket. Show the world that St. Louis is full of angry wingnuts who can’t show respect for the President of the United States at a non-political event.
That’s exactly the right way to play this.
Of course he will throw a Stinking Slider Breaking Left to Left.
The lowlight of an otherwise Star Studded Event!
I can’t wait to have the honor of our president, and first black president that is, throwing the first pitch at the All-Star game here in St. Louis. To the first three commenters…why can’t we go one article without someone insulting Obama. To go along with cardsandcats, he was put into a situation that no president would like to deal with, and was the result of a horrible administration before him. Don’t ruin this great moment for our city with your far right wing ignorant comments. GO CARDS!