Cardinals (sans La Russa, Pujols) give Michelle Obama a bat during White House visit

Today’s joke that would have been much funnier if Kobe Bryant’s wife had said it: “I’m a little bit worried about giving my wife a bat. If I mess up … “

That was President Obama, of course, after the St. Louis Cardinals had given him a bat for wife Michelle during their trip to the White House on Tuesday. Obama got a jersey, and all went as these White House photo ops always go, except that five big names from their World Series victory were conspicuously absent. Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols, retired and moved to California, respectively, did not make the trip to D.C. Nor did Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Ryan Theriot.

That’s White House no-show No. 2 for Pujols, by the way, who only shows up in D.C. for Nationals games and Glen Beck rallies.

And here’s a photo of Mark McGwire David Freese at the White House, posing in front of a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Oh no Freese … what have you done? A new trend to replace Tebowing? Lincolning? NOoooooooo!