Barack Obama

From BR Bullpen

Barack Hussein Obama II

Born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, HI
Throws Left

[edit] Biographical Information

The current United States President and former Illinois Senator, Barack Obama is the first black man ever elected United States President. He had been the Junior Senator for Illinois from 2005 to 2008.

He was a varsity basketball player in high school and a junior varsity basketball player during his time at Occidental College, both for highly successful teams, before he went on to finish his undergraduate education at Columbia University.

When it comes to the debate between the Cubs and the White Sox in his adopted city of Chicago, Obama has declared himself as a Sox fan. The 2008 Upper Deck “Presidential Predictor” card of Obama shows him wearing a White Sox jacket while catching a ball from the stands just above an outreached glove like Steve Bartman. During the 2008 campaign, he was asked if he would be rooting for the NL or AL team should they face each other in the 2008 World Series. He responded: "Oh, that's easy. White Sox. I'm not one of these fair weather fans. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. Southside."

When asked at the Democratic presidential candidates debate in August of 2007 whether he would honor Barry Bonds with an invitation to the White House if he were president today, Obama declined to answer until Bonds actually broke Hank Aaron’s record. At the time, Bonds was sitting on 755 home runs. The next day, Obama stated that "If I were president, I probably would. It's a remarkable achievement. And he deserves, I think, our congratulations.”

A friend of Obama's says that he loves "all sports", but for his own participation he focuses mostly on pick-up baskeball games and golf. His wife Michelle comes from an athletic family and played baseball among other sports as a child.

In January 2009, the Brooklyn Cyclones announced that they will play one game (June 23, 2009) as the "Baracklyn Cyclones" in honor of the new president.[1][2]

Obama warms up before throwing out the first pitch at the '09 All-Star Game

The President had been invited to throw out the first pitch at the 2009 Civil Rights Game, but was unable to attend due to matters of national security. He threw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis, dressed in a White Sox warm-up jacket. The jacket earned him a few boos from the local fans, but he didn't seem to mind.