William Howard Taft Throws First Presidential Pitch

William Howard Taft

Pol Light Moment #126 occurred on April 14, 1910, when William Howard Taft (1857-1930) threw the first ceremonial Presidential pitch on the opening day of the Major League Baseball season. In doing so Taft started an opening day tradition carried on by almost all Presidents who followed him. William Howard Taft served as President of the United States from 1909-1913.

The baseball game William Howard Taft threw his Presidential pitch at was played on April 14, 1910 in Washington D.C.. In the game the Washington Senators defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0 and Walter Johnson was the winning pitcher with a complete game shutout (Society for American Baseball Research, Walter Johnson Impresses President Taft on Opening Day, Steven V. Rice).

A story in The Washington Post about the game said,

President Taft threw the first ball into the diamond and opened the season with a true presidential flourish. He did it with his good, trusty right arm and the virgin sphere scudded across the diamond as a die to the pitcher's box, where Walter Johnson, also the possessor of a good trusty right arm, gathered it in and started winding up for one of his rifle shots across the plate (Taft Tosses Ball, The Washington Post, April 15, 1910 as quoted in Boundary Stones blog, April 13, 2015).

A day after the game Walter Johnson sent the ball that was thrown for the ceremonial first pitch to William Howard Taft and asked that he sign it for him. President Taft signed it along with an inscription, "For Walter Johnson, with the hope that he may continue to be as formidable as in yesterday's game (Society for American Baseball Research, Walter Johnson Impresses President Taft on Opening Day, Steven V. Rice)." Indeed Walter Johnson went on to have a hall of fame baseball career winning 417 games from 1907-1927.

Steve Goldman wrote a history of Presidential first pitches for SB Nation.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of William Howard Taft is in the Public Domain.

John Kasich Declares Scarlet Letter Saturday

John Kasich

Pol Light Moment #87 ocurred on November 29, 2013, when John Kasich made a resolution declaring Saturday, November 30, 2013 as 'Scarlet Letter Saturday' in Ohio, urging that the letter 'M' not be used whenever possible.  John Kasich is the Governor of Ohio, serving from 2011-the present. From 1983-2001, John Kasich represented Ohio's 12th District in the House of Representatives.

On November 30, 2013, the Ohio State Buckeyes played their annual rival football game with the Michigan Wolverines.  In order to show their support for Ohio State, John Kasich, himself a 1974 graduate of Ohio State University, and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, made a resolution, saying, "We do hereby recognize Saturday, November 30, 2013 as 'Scarlet Letter Saturday' throughout Ohio. We encourage all Ohioans to avoid using the letter 'M' when possible (ESPN, November 29, 2013)."

The following is a tweet that John Kasich made about the resolution on November 30, 2013.

Re*e*ber, it's Scarlet Letter Day in Ohio. Go #Buckeyes! http://t.co/TA2NSzU9x2
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) November 30, 2013

The following are some news articles on John Kasich urging Ohioans to refrain from using the letter "m" on November 30, 2013.

• ESPN, Ohio Urged to Boycott Letter 'M'
• USA Today, Gov. Kasich has fun with Ohio State vs. Michigan game
• Fox News, Governor Kasich Declares "Scarlet Letter Saturday" ahead of Ohio State-Michigan game

The text of the entire resolution for Scarlet Letter Saturday is available on the State of Ohio website.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of John Kasich is in the Public Domain.

George W. Bush Writes Letter to Alabama Kicker

Pol Light #69 is when George W. Bush sent a letter on December 3, 2013, to Alabama kicker, Cade Foster, who missed 3 field goals in the Alabama vs. Auburn game on Nov. 30, 2013.  George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001-2009.

On November 30, 2013, Auburn defeated Alabama 34-28 in the 2013 Iron Bowl. Alabama kicker Cade Foster missed 3 field goals which were critical in this close game. In the end Auburn broke a tie at the end of the game when Chris Davis returned Adam Griffith's field goal attempt 109 yards for a touchdown (USA Today, No. 5 Auburn Shocks No. 1 Alabama on Final Play , 11/30/2013).

Because of his missed field goals some sports fans had been giving Cade Foster a hard time on social media. George W. Bush sent him a letter to encourage him.

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Here are the words in the letter that George W. Bush sent to Cade Foster a few days after the game.

Dear Cade (#43),

Life has its setbacks. I know!

However you will be a stronger human with time.

I wish you all the best

Sincerely

another 43

George Bush 

Source: WSMV.Com, Ex-President Bush Writes Letter to Alabama Kicker, 12/11/2013")

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George W. Bush has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all George W. Bush posts search with George W. Bush label at Pol Light.
Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.  

The photo of George W. Bush is in the Public Domain.

George W. Bush's White House Tee Ball Initiative

George W. Bush

Pol Light Moment #33 is when George W. Bush started the White House Tee Ball Initiative in 2001. George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001-2009. After Bush became President in 2001, he had a baseball diamond built on the White House Lawn and it was used to host Tee Ball games at the White House.

Teams were chosen to play at the White House by the Little League Association of America.  Wikipedia describes the White House Tee Ball Initiative this way:

In 2001, U.S. President Bush initiated what he described as the White House Tee Ball Initiative. The purpose was to promote interest in childhood sports, including baseball and softball. According to the White House, the Tee Ball Initiative promoted "a spirit of teamwork and service for America's youth." (Source).

There is an archives of the Presidential website  the way it appeared in 2008 that shows some of the tee ball events. The following video recognizes some of the teams who played at the White House during the George W. Bush presidency.

You can see a photo of a young George W. Bush in his Little League uniform at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.   
George W. Bush has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all George W. Bush posts search with George W. Bush label at Pol Light.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.
The photo of George W. Bush is in the Creative Commons of Wikipedia. It was taken by by Shawn Clark of Lazyeights Photography.