Hail to the Chief

Today is a very special day for me.  I was invited by President George H.W. Bush to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony and sit on a guest panel for the grand opening of Born to Play Baseball, a new exhibit at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.  Also participating are Joe Morgan, Drayton McLane, and Jeff Bagwell.  Being included in such an illustrious group of baseball dignitaries makes me feel great, but it is an honor and a privilege to be invited by President Bush, who has always been a baseball fan. 

One of my favorite memories of President Bush is when the Dodgers were in Houston to play the Astros at the Astrodome.  Coincidentally, President Bush was there to watch the game.  While we were talking before the game, it came up in conversation that a good friend of mine, Kevin Chilton, was also at the game and that he was an astronaut who had just returned from space.  The president’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and he said that those astronauts are his heroes.  He asked me to introduce them.

So here I am, a baseball manager, being asked by the president of the United States, to meet an astronaut.  I was happy to do it, and Colonel Chilton, who is now a general, was elated to meet the president who was one of his heroes.

People helping people.

When I get to College Station, I am going to remind President Bush about that and I am also going to tell him that there’s a saying in this country; if you don’t pull for the Dodgers there’s a good chance you may not make it to heaven!