Dirk Nowitzki Denied World Series First Pitch Honors by MLB Boneheads

Dallas Mavericks' superstar Dirk Nowitzki is guilty of throwing one of the worst first pitches in baseball history. As such, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if he never threw another first pitch ever again.

Either way, Nowitzki will not be throwing out a first pitch in the World Series. The word on the street is that the Texas Rangers wanted him to throw out the first pitch before one of their home games against the St. Louis Cardinals, but Major League Baseball shot the idea down.

According to ESPNDallas.com, the Rangers nominated Nowitzki to throw out a first pitch, but MLB wasn't so sure about the idea because of the ongoing NBA lockout. Sources say that league executives "want to stand behind their basketball counterparts." To do that, they can't let one of the NBA's biggest star's occupy a big stage in their own sport.

For their part, MLB insists that this is a conspiracy theory. Said MLB spokesman Pat Courtney:

"

MLB absolutely denies that any part in selecting the first ball pitcher had anything to do with the current labor situation in the NBA. You want the club's input in what makes sense for them and then we talk about what makes sense for the team and a good broad-base national appeal.

"

So if I'm understanding this correctly, the reason Nowitzki wasn't approved by the league is because he doesn't make sense for the team and because he doesn't have good broad-base national appeal.

Hmmm...They might want to rethink their position on this one. I'm pretty sure they're dead wrong on both accounts.

Nowitzki is most definitely a local hero. He led the Mavs to their very first NBA championship last summer. He's about as beloved in Texas as all the Dallas Cowboys' championship teams of the 1990s put together. In a way, Nowitzki is a lot like Tony Romo, except the exact opposite.

Moreover, Nowitzki is very much a national hero. It was very easy to root for him while he was leading the Mavs through the NBA playoffs this year, and it was even easier to root for him when he was showing LeBron James and the Miami Heat what's what in the NBA Finals. People view the Heat as a bastion of evil, so watching Nowitzki take care of them was like watching Luke Skywalker take care of the Death Star.

Considering this, why on earth would MLB not let Nowitzki throw out a first pitch at the World Series?

The only logical reason is the same one suggested by ESPNDallas.com's sources. Just as professional athletes from different sports must band together, owners from different sports must band together.

If that's truly why Nowitzki was nixed, that's fine. But would it kill MLB to be honest about it? All they would have to do is put out a statement saying that they didn't feel Nowitzki throwing out a first pitch would be appropriate given the NBA's current labor situation. People would still complain, but at least everything would be out in the open.

Instead, we have a conspiracy theory that makes MLB look like the bad guys.

People say MLB needs to do a better job of promoting itself. Maybe they're right.

UPDATE: MLB has changed its mind. Per ESPNDallas.com, MLB is going to invite Nowitzki to throw out the first pitch at Game 3 in Arlington. Supposedly, Bud Selig "didn't know Nowitzki wasn't involved and thought he should be."

Right...