Via McJoan at Daily Kos, I was amused but not surprised to learn that Dick Cheney did not exactly elicit a hero’s welcome upon throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals’ home opener today. In the best tradition of statistics-obsessed baseball fans, McJoan noted that Cheney took the mound sporting an 18% approval rating, which is the equivalent of a 9.50 ERA. And true fans understand that ERA’s should be adjusted for home fields; Cheney’s approval rating is undoubtedly lower than 18% in metropolitan Washington, and is probably well down in the single digits in the District proper. The funniest comment I’ve heard about the choice of Cheney to inaugurate the Nats’ season was on this morning’s Tony Kornheiser show, where one of his sidekicks suggested that fans show up wearing orange hunting vests.