Obama hopes first pitch clears plate

WASHINGTON, July 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama was looking forward to throwing out the first pitch at Tuesday night's All-Star game in St. Louis.

In a photo op with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende at the White House, Obama told reporters his goal is to "get it high" and clear the plate.

"I think it's fair to say I wanted to loosen up my arm," the president quipped, adding that he's been thinking back to when he threw out the first pitch at a 2005 Chicago White Sox game.

"I just wanted to keep it high. Now, there was no clock on it, I don't know how fast it went. If it exceeded 30 miles per hour, I'd be surprised. But it did clear the plate," he joked.