The George W. Bush Presidential Library - An Unexpected Baseball Post

First - this post is about my visit to the GWB Library on the campus of SMU this past Saturday. I am commenting only on a baseball-related topic, so if you feel compelled to comment, please leave politics out of it. I try to keep my blog centered on baseball and baseball cards, so the last thing I want to see is people making comments about W's politics..

That being said, I finally have internet at my office! Hooray!

As I mentioned above, I visited the GWB Presidential Library Saturday morning. I'm a history nerd and one of my life goals is to visit all of the presidential libraries and museums. About a third of the way through the tour, I found this:

"It's no secret my husband loves baseball. If he had it his way, his baseball collection would be in our dining room...and there'd be a game on the South Lawn once a month." - Laura Bush

This is a very small part of W's autographed baseball collection, most of which are personalized to him. In the middle, there is a plaque featuring a quote from his wife, Laura (see above). Here are just a few that I found in the case before having to move on:

Bo Jackson

Texas Tech team-signed ball

George Brett

To George W 'Jr.' - Mickey Mantle

Obviously, the coolest of the collection is the Mantle. What I wouldn't give to have a Mantle ball personally inscribed to me!!! However, I was also surprised and proud to see the Tech ball in the case, as well. It was the only ball with a team logo of any kind, which left me feeling pretty proud to be an alum!

There was also a bat signed by a number of Hall of Famers - unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get an up-close picture of it.

The very next section of the library was devoted to 9/11. I'm not a very emotional guy, but remembering that event always gets to me. I didn't look at much, until I got to the very end of that section, where I found this:

You might remember these from this:

These are the sweater he wore, the pitching rubber from the mound and the ball he threw out. I remember watching that game...and crying like a little baby.

There is so much more to the museum and library than just the baseball portions. Everyone should visit, especially those who love baseball. It's a nice little hidden gem.