WASHINGTON — For a guy who admits he was never more than a mediocre baseball player, President Bush sure gets to keep living the dream.

Bush is throwing out the first pitch tonight at the gleaming new baseball stadium in Washington, the sixth time he has had the honor as president. It may be ceremonial, but it is not a duty a president wants to tank. People tend to have long memories when you bounce the ball to home plate.

So Bush made time this week to hurl some practice pitches in his backyard — the South Lawn of the White House.

The Washington Nationals are taking on the Atlanta Braves in the opening contest.

The tradition of a presidential first pitch goes back to 1910, when a formally dressed William Howard Taft threw the ball from his seat in the stands. Each occasion is different, but some years surely have more pizazz than others, and Bush is benefiting from a little good timing.

Washington is buzzing about baseball. There are opening days of a season every year, but opening days for a stadium are etched into a city's history.

Bush will be the first president to take the mound at Nationals Park. The $611 million riverfront stadium is earning raves as a plush, appealing attraction from fans who have seen it so far during trial runs; the players, meanwhile, can't get over the immaculate conditions and amenities.

Bush, a sports fan in general and a baseball buff in particular, plans to soak it in.

He will visit both teams in their clubhouses before the game. Then he is expected to be escorted to the pitcher's mound by Nationals manager Manny Acta and star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Acta will catch Bush's ceremonial pitch.

Bush also threw out the first pitch at the Nationals' first home game in 2005, when baseball returned to the city after more than three decades. He was mostly cheered that day at RFK Stadium when he threw a pitch that sailed in a bit high to the catcher.

Vice President Dick Cheney, who threw the first pitch the next year, had it a bit rougher. He was greeted by boos, and his ball landed in the dirt.