For more than a century, presidents have used Opening Day to unite the country. Not anymore.

[dalton99a]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/04/05/donald-trumps-divisive-decision-to-skip-opening-day/

Donald Trump’s divisive decision to skip Opening Day
For more than a century, presidents have used Opening Day to unite the country. Not anymore.
by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith | April 5

For a president who seems to be a constant presence, President Trump is strangely missing in action today. Again, he is skipping the spring ritual celebrating one nation under baseball. For more than a century, Opening Day in Washington afforded presidents an opportunity to mix with their constituents by tossing out the ceremonial first pitch, chomping on peanuts and crackerjacks and voicing an opinion about an umpire’s call. ...

President Trump has not ignored sports, but he has used them to play to his base, not to bridge partisan divides. He scorned black NFL players who knelt during the national anthem for what he interpreted as a lack of patriotism. Shortly afterward, however, during the National College Football Championship game in Atlanta between two Southern teams, he appeared on the field for the national anthem.

He also extolled NASCAR’s more overt displays of patriotism as an exemplar of what sporting events ought to look like. He tweeted, “So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag — they said it loud and clear.”

Why, then, has Trump refused to appear at the Washington Nationals opener, even after welcoming the World Champion Houston Astros to the White House last month? The answer is clear: Throwing out the first pitch does not fit into his political agenda. It does not offer him any tangible benefits. The president has shown that unless an event benefits him personally, he has little interest in it.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. He goes out of his way to divide us, make us want to go at each other. He does this on purpose

SIXTY MILLION Americans love that he does that.

[sdfernando]

2. The real reason he isn't doing it is......

His hands are too tiny to even grip a baseball!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. He doesn't want anyone to know he can't throw 60'.

If he sank the ball in the dirt halfway he'd never live it down. Also, the crowd won't be screened and he's afraid of being booed.

[Docreed2003]

9. This...exactly this. He knows he'd make an an ass out of himself

[Tanuki]

10. And he knows the crowd will "boo" him.

[Leghorn21]

4. Probably because this?:

[Angry Dragon]

5. BUFFOON

[Skittles]

12. isn't that Eric Trump?

[elleng]

6. Glad he avoided it;

my daughter, grandson and son in law were at the Nat's game yesterday.

[dameatball]

7. As soon as he heard that the pitcher's mound was topped by a "rubber" he lost interest

[JDC]

11. Lol. Good one.

[mercuryblues]

8. Isn't he supposed to be great at baseball?

He has said the Phillies & red sox scouted him, in high school. Must have been pre-bone spurs. Of course these stories are coming from him, his friends and his supporters. No way to prove if they are true.

You would think he would jump at the chance to throw out the 1st pitch. His friend says he could throw over 80 MPH.