It has been 133 years and 26 United States Presidents since Major League Baseball’s National League was officially formed in 1876. To commemorate the storied history of baseball and its place as a social institution, MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, will offer fans live coverage of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
MLB.com will begin its coverage with streams of six past Presidential Inaugurations, including John F. Kennedy (1961), Lyndon B. Johnson (1965), Jimmy Carter (1977), Ronald Reagan (1981), George H. W. Bush (1989) and Bill Clinton (1993). Each of these Presidents has participated in the time-honored tradition of the throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.
Following those historic replays, Vinny Micucci and Hal Bodley will host the “MLB.com Live Inauguration Special” at 11:00 a.m. (EST). Bodley, who attended his first inauguration in 1949, will provide his unique perspective on the national pastime’s connection to the White House through the recollections of his 50-year journalism career and several visits to the White House, the Oval Office and Air Force One while interviewing six sitting U.S. Presidents.
MLB.com will join the official Inauguration ceremony at 11:30 a.m. (EST) and provide a live stream through its conclusion.
