high , '' the president said of his opening pitch at the 2005 Chicago White Sox-Anaheim Angels game . Aiming high is a good strategy , says St. Louis Cardinals scout Matt Blood , but it takes more than on-point aim to make the perfect pitch . `` Throw it with some force , do n't lob it in there . Try to get a good downhill plane . Try to keep it in the strike zone , '' said Blood , who will be at the game Tuesday . HLN sports anchor Larry Smith , who has thrown out a few first pitches , says Obama has to be careful to `` not try to overpower it . '' `` There 's no speed gun on this . Just make it a nice solid throw to the catcher , '' Smith said . `` The one thing he does n't want to do is bounce it home . Mr. Obama is pretty athletic , so I think he 'll ace this . '' Overpowering it should n't be an issue for the president , who joked Tuesday that he 'd be surprised if his 2005 pitch exceeded 30 miles
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama is not shy about showing off his jump shot on the basketball court , but on Tuesday night , it was his baseball skills that were put to the test . President Obama throws out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game onTuesday in St Louis , Missouri . Obama , clad in a Chicago White Sox jacket and blue jeans , threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis , Missouri . His low pitch barely reached home plate and the mitt of St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols . Obama became the fifth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star Game , but the first in 33 years . He is following in the footsteps of Franklin D. Roosevelt , John F. Kennedy , Richard Nixon , and Gerald Ford . Asked about plans to practice before the game , Obama said Tuesday , `` I want to loosen up my arm a little bit . '' `` The last time I threw a pitch was at the American League championship series , and I just wanted to keep it