Former President George W. Bush surprised Derek Jeter during a pregame ceremony to greet the New York Yankees captain before he played in his final game in Arlington on Wednesday night.
President Bush presented Jeter with a photo of the two of them together talking underneath the stands at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. Bush was in the Bronx to throw the first pitch that night, and Jeter reportedly told him "Throw it from the mound and don't bounce the ball, because [the fans] will boo you." Bush followed Jeter's advice and ended up throwing a perfect strike.
Michael Young and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez represented the Texas Rangers as they honored Jeter before the game with a custom pair of cowboy boots and a $10,000 donation to Jeter's Turn 2 charity foundation. However, Jeter was clearly surprised and touched as President Bush made his surprise appearance to come out to congratulate him.
Looks like the Rangers have set a pretty high bar for other teams to match as Jeter makes his final road appearances before his retirement at the end of the season. As Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said, not every team can bring out a U.S. President to greet him.
Video via MLB.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
