President Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium after 9/11 remains one of the most remarkable moments in sports. I’ve thrown out the first pitch at a White Sox game, so there are a few things you should know. First, it’s not easy. You’re standing out there by yourself, everybody is watching, and that 60 feet, 6 inches suddenly feels a LOT farther than it looks. And George W. Bush did it wearing a bulletproof vest under his FDNY pullover. (As I mentioned yesterday, my grandfather was FDNY, so I loved that.) Second, he did get to warm up beforehand—which most of us throwing ceremonial first pitches don’t get to do. But the last time Bush had played organized baseball was Little League. Bush himself later joked, “Little League is where I peaked.” Third, while Bush was warming up, Derek Jeter came by. Jeter asked if he was going to throw from the mound or move up closer. EVERYONE asks you this once you’ve thrown out a first pitch. There are two questions: “Did you throw from the mound?” (I did.) “Was it a strike?” (More on that in a minute.) Bush asked Jeter what he thought. Jeter told him to throw it from the mound. Then, as Jeter walked away, he gave the President one more piece of advice: “Don’t bounce it. They’ll boo you.” 😂 So Bush walks out there—49 days after 9/11, in Yankee Stadium, wearing an FDNY pullover over a bulletproof vest, with the country watching. He gets on the mound. And he throws a strike. One of the most important strikes ever thrown in baseball. Twenty-five years later, the clip still gets me. And, no, mine was not a strike. But it wasn’t embarrassing either. 😂 #NeverForget911