Henson: George H.W. Bush loved baseball and had the leather to prove it
From Steve Henson at USA Today on December 5, 2018:
After he became president in 1989, George H.W. Bush kept a prized possession in his Oval Office desk drawer: the first baseman's mitt he wore playing for the Yale varsity more than 40 years before.
President Bush, who died Friday at the age of 94, kept the mitt oiled and pliant. He was a sportsman through and through who enjoyed outdoor pursuits ranging from golf to fishing to tennis to sky diving even into his 90s. But baseball was perhaps his favorite pastime, and as long as that mitt was ready for a catch, he still felt like a ballplayer.
After he left public office, Bush and his wife, Barbara, were fixtures at Houston Astros games. She would keep a scorebook; he would sign autographs for fans and greet players and coaches with handshakes and words of encouragement. They were also connected to the Texas Rangers when their oldest son, George W. Bush, was managing general partner of the team from 1989 to 1994.
Read the full article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-love-bas...
- Related link: "The Complete Collegiate Baseball Record of George H.W. Bush," by Herm Krabbenhoft (Baseball Research Journal)