Campaign 2000: Diamonds Are for Bush

The crowning achievement of Bush's baseball tenure was the construction of a new Rangers stadium in the early 1990s. Bush made sure the park would reflect the game's traditions. The field must have real turf, because in a world where so much changes for the worse, the game should stay the same. As Governor, Bush said as much in commencement speeches, citing "fixed stars" to live by. Star No. 4 paraphrased the film Bull Durham: "Baseball should always be played outdoors, on grass, with wooden bats."

The stadium, completed just as Bush was launching his gubernatorial run, gave a lift to the team and Bush too. When he left in 1994, his $606,000 investment paid him almost $15 million. The Rangers' success provided a launching pad for his campaign. Perhaps, too, his stint also taught him a lesson about politics. In his office is a novelty baseball inscribed simply: "Sometimes you just have to play hardball."