This day in baseball: Robinson awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Posted: March 26, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers, history, Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball, MLB, President of the United States, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rachel Robinson, Ronald Reagan, sports 2 CommentsOn March 26, 1984, President Ronald Reagan awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Jackie Robinson. Rachel Robinson accepted the award on behalf of her husband. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian honor given in the United States.
You can watch President Reagan’s remarks from that Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the video below. If you’d like to go straight to his remarks about Robinson, you can find them at the 16:03 timestamp.
This day in baseball: First presidential pass
Posted: May 16, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, history, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, President of the United States, sports, Theodore Roosevelt Leave a commentThough he wasn’t exactly the game’s biggest fan, on May 16, 1907, the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues issued the first presidential lifetime pass to President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt preferred sports that were “more vigorous,” though he later admitted that he enjoyed watching his son Quentin participate in baseball. Nevertheless, Roosevelt never attended a major league baseball game.
Baseball Almanac
This day in baseball: First professional team at the White House
Posted: April 13, 2019 Filed under: 19th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Chester A. Arthur, Forest Cities, history, National Association, National League, New York Giants, New York Gothams, President of the United States, sports, White House Leave a commentThe first professional sports team to visit the White House was the Forest Cities ball club, a recently defunct franchise of the National Association, brought to Washington, D.C. by President Chester A. Arthur on April 13, 1883. Later in the season, President Arthur also hosted the new National League’s New York Gothams (who would become known as the Giants in 1885).
Chester A. Arthur (Wikipedia)
This day in baseball: D.C. Stadium opens for baseball
Posted: April 9, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, D.C. Stadium, Detroit Tigers, John F. Kennedy, Major League Baseball, MLB, National Football League, NFL, President of the United States, RFK Stadium, sports, Washington Redskins, Washington Senators Leave a commentOn April 9, 1962, President John F. Kennedy waited out a rain delay and threw the ceremonial first pitch to open up Washington’s new $23 million D.C. Stadium for its inaugural baseball season. The stadium had initially opened the previous fall for Redskins football on October 1, 1961. More than 44,000 fans attended the Senators’ Opening Day in April as they defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-1.
Wikipedia
This day in baseball: POTUS’s first World Series
Posted: October 4, 2018 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Calvin Coolidge, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Giants, President of the United States, sports, Washington Senators, World Series 2 CommentsAt Griffith Stadium on October 4, 1924, Calvin Coolidge became the first United States President to attend a World Series opener. The Giants managed to defeat the hometown Senators in 12 innings that day, with a score of 4-3.
President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge at a baseball game with Coolidge’s secretary C. Bascom Slemp at right, 1924 (Library of Congress)
This day in baseball: Presidential attendance
Posted: June 6, 2017 Filed under: 19th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Benjamin Harrison, Boundary Field, Cincinnati Reds, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, President of the United States, sports, Washington Senators Leave a commentThe first U.S. President to attend a major league baseball game was Benjamin Harrison, who attended a contest between the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Senators on June 6, 1892 in Washington, D.C. Cincinnati defeated the Senators, 7-4, in eleven innings at Boundary Field.
Benjamin Harrison (Library of Congress)
This day in baseball: JFK’s first pitch
Posted: April 10, 2015 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Chicago White Sox, history, John F. Kennedy, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, President of the United States, sports, Washington Senators Leave a commentAt Griffith Stadium on April 10, 1961, President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch, launching the inaugural season of the “new” Washington Senators. The throw was the longest and hardest thrown ceremonial first pitch in history, as it flew over the players lined up in front of the presidential box. In the game, the White Sox defeated the Senators 4-3.
The video below not only shows the first pitch, but also explains how the “old” Senators had moved to Minnesota to become the Twins.
