John Kerry has spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks trying to portray himself to the American people as a young and virulent candidate. From the selection of Edwards to the constant hair discussions to the apparent botox injections, the Kerry campaign is all about youth and vigor. Well, that image took a beating during the pre-game ceremonies at Fenway Park on Sunday night.
Kerry, a lifelong Sox fan, was in Boston on Sunday for the start of the Democratic Convention and just could not resist interjecting himself into the finale of Yankees-Red Sox weekend series. Before the game, Kerry strode out to the mound for the ceremonial first pitch. Like most politicians, he was greeted by booing, despite the fact that Boston is his own hometown. Then Kerry proceeded to throw a 58-foot balloon ball (It's 60 feet, 6 inches from the mound to the plate). Actually, the throw was even shorter than that because Kerry was standing in the grass about 5 feet in front of the rubber. In short, this was a Girlie Man throw.
You may think it's shallow that I point out this athletic failing. But, I'm sorry. It matters to me. It matters that a guy who wants to represent all Americans in the world community throws like a girl. Actually, this is worse than throwing like a girl. Any high school softball player can make a strong 60-foot throw. That's only the distance between bases on a softball diamond. I've never been accused of having a strong throwing arm myself, but I can sure as heck throw a strike from second base to first. If you want to see how a real man throws out a first pitch, track down some video of W during the 2001 World Series.
