George Bush Reveals Most Nervous Moment Of Presidency: World Series Opening Pitch

George W. Bush revealed the most nervous moment of his presidency in a TIME documentary about 9/11 that aired on HBO on Sunday.

It wasn't when he learned the World Trade Center was hit or when he realized al Qaeda was behind the attack. The moment didn't even occur on September 11th, 2001.

Throwing the opening pitch in the third game of the 2001 World Series was Bush's most worried moment.

"It was the most nervous I had ever been," he said. "It was the most nervous moment of my entire presidency, it turns out."

He'd thrown out pitches before, but all eyes were on the Yankees-Diamondbacks series, which occurred just weeks after the attacks.

"The adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and the ball felt like a shotput," he said.

Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter offered no help.

"Don't bounce it, they'll boo you," Bush remembers him saying.

Thankfully, he managed to overcome the stress.

"I took a deep breath and threw it," he said.

A truly great moment in American history.

For more of Bush's 9/11 memories, check out his interview with TIME.

Comments

[OGigi]

12:17 AM on 09/15/2011

Wow, just Wow, but kinda makes some weird sense. All other times in his presidency had folks telling him what to say or do, but having to throw the ball yourself, well, they could have put a bionic arm on him. Oh, we would have seen the battery pack like at the debates.
Never did catch him talking from his heart and listening to him, sounded like he read the script.

[senatortruth]

12:14 AM on 09/15/2011

I wuz afeered they'd catch us flyin' the Bioinnn Louoddddens out on 9/12

when no one else could fly...

Hooo eeeeee!!

[Mouse Alexander]

07:37 AM on 09/14/2011

makes sense that when you're the leader of the free world that tossing a ball would be the most nervous moment of your presidency is tossing a ball. What's next, your most satisfying being eating that good old apple pie?

[zachsoxfan]

11:16 PM on 09/13/2011

It's too bad that you closed minded liberals and Bush Haters didn't take the time to watch the actual Time Special where he talked about this. Also, it's disgraceful that the liberal sided HuffingtonPost quoted only about 1 minute of that hour long special to feed into the liberal mind without focusing on the entire subject of that day and event. Oh..and people, the article didn't say it was his most difficult or important moment... it was his most nervous moment. It was the1st home game of that 2001 World Series and he was asked to come to that game to throw out the first pictch. It was to show that the entire country could persevear and and he wanted to fire that ball across the plate in front of NYC and one of their beloved teams...I love how you Bush haters love to take every opportunity to cut him down and blame him for everything that is going wrong. I'd like to see if you could have done much better in that time and place.

[OGigi]

12:18 AM on 09/15/2011

guess you will take your 0 fans and leave this awful site huh?

[iamaconservative]

08:45 AM on 09/18/2011

ooo that's your greatest comeback?

Sorry YOU LOSE

[diahni]

08:16 PM on 09/16/2011

Are you kidding? Many of us thought that when the towers and the pentagon were attacked, it was WWIII. No amount of "explaining" can help me understand the depths of W's shallowness.
Even if it WAS his most nervous moment, it was stupid for him to say so. I like him, though, and believe most of the damage was done by Dick "Satan" Cheney.

[leajazz]

10:04 PM on 09/13/2011

This is what you get when you vote for the GOP.

Vote Dem!

[leajazz]

10:01 PM on 09/13/2011

A low-life or lowlife is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community, especially those who exploit others for their own selfish purposes. Examples of people who are often called "lowlifes" are drug dealers, drug users, thugs, hustlers, con artists, pimps, greedy landlords, spammers, corrupt lawyers and corrupt politicians, and other authority figures.

In Shrub's case, a corrupt_selfish_inept_politician.

[OGigi]

12:19 AM on 09/15/2011

History will have your back there, oh, unless Texas gets to write the history books

[leajazz]

09:47 PM on 09/13/2011

This l0w-l!fe_was POTUS for eight years and the 2001 World Series was Bush's most worried moment?

I can't say what I want about this nonhumanbing on HP.

[Mark Donohue Jr]

04:44 PM on 09/13/2011

Not 911, not Katrina, not the worst economic crisis since 1929, no it was baseball. Gee, he really knows what is important. People like him have ruined the Republican party...

[leajazz]

09:36 PM on 09/13/2011

People like him are the Republican party.............Vote Dem!

[seanny53]

02:46 PM on 09/13/2011

WORST PRESIDENT EVER!

[karmax]

02:30 PM on 09/13/2011

WHO CARES....THIS IDIOT IS ONLY NERVOUS THAT HIS BASEBALL PITCH WENT OKAY. SELF-CENTERED NOTHING AND IF WERE NOT BORN FROM THE BUSH WOMB HE WOULD BE DELIVERING PIZZAS AS A FULL TIME JOB....NO, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO READ THE STREET SIGNS.....

[Enjay 1]

02:26 PM on 09/13/2011

Am sure glad you cleared that up for us George -
otherwise the American public might believe it
was the morning of 9/11 (when you realized
the info given to you months before - just bit you
on the butt) or perhaps when you wiped out the
Bill of Rights with the Patriot Act, or maybe
when you invaded & attacked another nation
based on lies - causing the death & disability
for thousands of our military and foreign
civilians.

Thanks for the GOP Memories George.
(And many people think we need
another shoot from the hip Texan as
President?)

[dylanlewis89]

03:11 PM on 09/13/2011

so true, but we went from one extreme to another with obama.
sigh..

[leajazz]

09:39 PM on 09/13/2011

Is that you lurking out there George W. Bush ?

[OGigi]

12:21 AM on 09/15/2011

Great points!
Awful reminder

[JohnQGroup4930]

02:12 PM on 09/13/2011

George Bush Reveals Most Nervous Moment Of Presidency: having to take the oath of office without laughing out loud. I took him two months to teach Obama to do the same.

[Sheldon Zimet]

02:12 PM on 09/13/2011

George BUSH WAS TO STUPID TO BE NERVOUS, OR HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HIS FAMILY WAS DOING WITH THE A-RAB OIL CAREL. MORE $ FOR THE SUPER RICH

[T2]

02:09 PM on 09/13/2011

9-11, plus 2 wars, and Dick Cheney standing behind him, and you ask the Bring It On president about his most nervous moment, and His answer is throwing a baseball...!

Texas Swagger.. If He had been at the Alamo and you asked what he was nervous about The answer would be That Santa Anna would not show up...Perry would say about the same except he would throw in a Shucks Maam or two....
Texas give us a break...

[Dragontech]

03:05 PM on 09/13/2011

Makes me wish Texassholes would go ahead and secede.

[David 3]

02:03 PM on 09/13/2011

His most nervous moment should be trying to stay out of prison for the rest of his life. He should be tried and convicted of the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, and killing over 3000 USA citizens. High crimes against humanity for conducting illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Torture and murder of people all over the World, and holding them in secret prisons around the world. He should be executed as well as Dick Chaney who actually was the real President. GW Bush never got elected, but was appointed by the Supreme Court.

[luciferdesrea]

04:21 PM on 09/13/2011

You're like those people that think that World War II never happened. Highly special with out any sort of real basis except for the fact that you hated him. *rubs chin* Bet you supported him back then too.