PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Rafael Palmeiro and Kenny Rogers remember the days when a Bush leaguer used to roam their locker room.
In fact, they were recently talking about that guy.
“A couple of days ago, I asked Raffy who he was going to vote for,” the pitcher said. “I said, `You’re going to vote for the man, aren’t you?”’
Usually, the most popular subject at spring training is the NCAA basketball tournament pool. But this year, a lot of Rangers have good reason to take a keen interest in the campaign trail.
The team’s former owner, George W. Bush, is running for president. The Texas governor is hoping a strong showing in the Super Tuesday primaries will boost his bid for the Republican nomination.
About a half-dozen players remain from the days when Bush used to regularly roam the same Gulf Coast locker room. They all said they’d vote for Bush.
“I just think it would be cool to know the dude in the White House,” pitcher Darren Oliver said.
Pitcher Rick Helling recalled Bush’s easy manner.
“I was a rookie when he was here, and probably a majority of owners wouldn’t know who I was,” Helling said this weekend. “But he was real personable and sociable. He still comes around once in a while, and it’s always like, `Hey, Rick, how are you doing?”’
Said eight-time All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez: “He’s a great guy. He’d make a good president.”
Bush was part of the group that bought the Rangers in 1989. He was active in the team’s affairs, often watching from a front-row seat at Arlington Stadium until he ran for governor.
When Bush was elected in 1994, his interest in the club was placed into a blind trust, and Tom Schieffer succeeded him as a general partner. The team was sold to Tom Hicks in June 1998, and Bush made about $15 million in the deal.
Juan Gonzalez won two AL home run titles in Texas when Bush’s main interest was baseball. Traded to Detroit in the offseason, the slugging outfielder was talking to a friend over breakfast Sunday about Bush.
“He looks you in the eyes when he’s saying something,” Gonzalez said at the Tigers’ camp in Lakeland, Fla. “That’s important to me. I know I can trust him.”
When Bush owned the Rangers, Gonzalez contributed $100 per RBI to a Texas literacy program the future governor founded. The two still visit a few times every year.
“He is a warrior. In my opinion, he’s the best presidential candidate, for the Republicans,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez and Rodriguez both said they prefer Bush over Republican rival John McCain and Democratic contenders Al Gore and Bill Bradley. As residents of Puerto Rico, however, they cannot vote in the presidential election.
Rogers, meanwhile, is talking up Bush to anyone who will listen.
“I really hope he gets elected. You just get a good feeling when you meet him,” Rogers said. “You see the other guys you have to vote for and there’s not even a choice.”
Palmeiro, who joined Rogers on the Rangers in 1989, also prefers the son of former President George Bush. The prospect of lower taxes, especially in his bracket, pleases the All-Star first baseman.
“I see the things he’s done in Texas and think he can incorporate some of those things for our country,” Palmeiro said. “Plus, he’s got good bloodlines. I’ve watched a little of the debates, and I like him.”
Only one problem for Palmeiro, who was born in Cuba but is now an American citizen.
“I’m not registered to vote,” he said. “I have to do it.”