Monday, Apr. 06, 2009

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory

On Opening Day in 2007, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory uncorked a ceremonial first pitch that briefly made him a nation-wide punch line. "That's one of the worst opening pitches I've ever seen!" mutters an announcer. Former Reds star Eric Davis — Mallory's catcher — appears flabbergasted; the umpire is so disgusted he mock-ejects the mayor.

Richard Nixon once said that a man unable to hold his own in a poker game was not fit to be President. The same could be said of politicians unable to hurl a Little League-caliber fastball. To Mallory's credit, he maintained a sense of humor about the incident, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Eric Davis missed the sign. I called for a pitchout."