Bush dispenses baseball wisdom in Japan

Taking a break from the self-help circuit, former President George W. Bush traveled to Japan to throw out the first pitch at the Japan Series. The one-time Texas Rangers owner also took the time to talk to university students about running a successful sports franchise. While Bush steered well clear of politics, it’s not to read his advice in the context of his presidency (my emphasis):

During his brief speech, Bush outlined key points for developing a successful franchise.

Make sure the stadium has a pleasant environment. Hire “good baseball people” to make key decisions about which players to select. Treat the media “as an ally, not an antagonist.”

But the best marketing is winning, he said.

“Problem is, it’s not that easy,” the former two-term president said. Plenty of fans yelled at him when the Rangers were doing poorly, he said. “That’s part of sports. I never took it personally.”

Bush also said it was important to take responsibility for decisions, including bad ones – and referred to what he has acknowledged was one of his biggest mistakes with the Rangers: approving the 1989 trade that sent future home-run slugger Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox for designated hitter Harold Baines.

I get the feeling that Bush is going to go to his grave regretting the Sosa trade more than any other mistake he’s ever made.

JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images