As the "first sitting president to visit" the National Baseball HOF & Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., PRESIDENT OBAMA on Thursday "had an extra bounce in his step as he quickly perused some of the artifacts, including a few from his favorite team," the White Sox, according to Michael Shear of the N.Y. TIMES. Obama officially stopped at the HOF to "promote international tourism and to make the point that such museums help create jobs." Obama said, “We want to bring in more visitors faster. They can get to Cooperstown faster. They can see BABE RUTH’s bat faster.” But Shear notes for Obama, the "policy part of the visit seemed to be eclipsed a bit by the pure fun of getting a personal tour of a museum dedicated to a sport that he loves." Obama said that he had "donated the White Sox jacket he wore when he threw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis" in '09 (N.Y. TIMES, 5/23). In DC, Juliet Eilperin notes Obama, led on a tour by Baseball HOF President JEFF IDELSON and accompanied by Baseball HOFer ANDRE DAWSON, "took in exhibits raging from 'Diamond Dreams,' highlighting the role of women in baseball, to 'Pride and Passion,' chronicling the history of African Americans in the sport" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/23). In New York, Jon Campell noted Obama "spoke for about 15 minutes to an invite-only crowd in the museum's famed Plaque Gallery, where he stood among 300 bronze plaques commemorating the legends of the sport." Before leaving the HOF, Obama signed the guest book: "Barack Obama; 1600 Penn Ave., Washington, D.C.; Go Sox!" (LOHUD.com, 5/22). Obama joked, "I promised FRANK THOMAS I'd check the place out before he's inducted in July." MLB.com's Paul Hagen noted Obama's appearance "coincided with the 75th anniversary celebration of the Hall of Fame that officially gets underway this weekend." Idelson said that Cooperstown "doesn't have a large percentage of international tourists now, but he expects to see those numbers grow as star players" like Yankees RF ICHIRO SUZUKI and former MLBer PEDRO MARTINEZ "eventually become eligible for enshrinement" (MLB.com, 5/22).
