Rapper 50 Cent may have sold tons of records and been shot nine times, but his street cred veered off course Tuesday night in New York.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, joined the pantheon of celebrities and athletes who threw out a first pitch so bad that it makes them even more famous.
50 Cent’s embarrassment occurred at Citi Field, as the N.Y. Mets prepared to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The southpaw — presumably he was using the correct hand — reared back with a slight leg kick and let it fly far to the left of the catcher, so much so that members of the media near the backstop had to step out of the way of the bouncing ball.
Luckily for 50 Cent, he’s not alone in the shoddy-pitch department.
Washington Wizards guard John Wall once basically threw a first pitch directly into the ground at a Washington Nationals’ game, and Victoria Beckham shot-put the ball in the air for the L.A. Dodgers.
They could all use a few pointers from former President George W. Bush.
While his tenure may have divided the nation, politically, his perfect-strike abilities are unquestioned, including an uplifting toss at the 2001 World Series shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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