President George W. Bush, right, chats it up with USA TODAY's Hal Bodley, left, and other reporters on Thursday 14th April 2005 in the Oval Office.
Wolfstar: Thanks for the Sunday photos!
We were discussing the other day whether or not the President would become the Commissioner of Baseball after he concludes his second term. The following article SEEMS to contain the answer to this question:
PRESIDENT LOVES, FOLLOWS BASEBALL
by Hal Bodley
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/columnist/bodley/2005-04-15-bodley-president_x.htm
EXCERPTS:
WASHINGTON — Outside, tulips were in full bloom. Workers were manicuring the lush green grass as a bright sun splashed the beautiful landscape.
Inside the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., spring was also in the air. President Bush was talking baseball. His blue eyes were bright, his mood was relaxed and he acted like he wished he could walk to the RFK Stadium mound and toss that first pitch to Nationals catcher Brian Schneider right away. That would come much later in his busy day.
"I'm honored to be throwing out the first pitch, continuing a tradition of presidents throwing out the first pitch for a Washington baseball team," the president said, sliding down in his chair to relax more. "It's really a great moment."
. . .
Q. Will you return to baseball after your second term is over?
A. No. I will always be involved with baseball (as a fan) because I love the game, but first of all, I don't know what I'm going to do. I've got my hands full right now.
. . .
Q. Would you rather have been commissioner of baseball or president?
A. No, I'd rather be president. The presidency really is a great opportunity to help change the world. It's a fantastic opportunity, a great experience. I would never trade this experience for anything. I love my country, and I love serving America.
You ask about the presidency. Putting the steroids issue in the State of the Union address had an effect. Sen. John McCain stepped in, you all wrote about it, called people to account, and there was a response. There's an example of how this office can affect people in a positive way. When it's all said and done, a lot of responsible citizens said to a sport, "Fix yourself. Now." And it's working.
President George W. Bush, right, chats it up with USA TODAY's Hal Bodley, left, and other reporters on Thursday 14th April 2005 in the Oval Office.
I'm sorry, but this is just an asinine question. Maybe well-meant, but what American with high ambition would WANT to be commissioner of baseball as opposed to President? There is no comparison.
Good evening, DrDeb. Thanks so much for posting that article. You're right. The President sure seemed to close the door to becoming baseball comissioner after he leaves office. On the other hand, like all of us, he reserves the right to change his mind. ;-)