George W. Bush to Throw First Pitch at Rangers' Opener

Former President George W. Bush will be kick-starting the Texas Rangers season from the pitcher's mound. When the Rangers square off against the Cleveland Indians on April 6, our country's former leader will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

It will be interesting to see how much Dubya has regressed since his last outing. You might recall him bringing a strike with decent velocity in Yankee Stadium back in the 2001 World Series. Last time we saw him throw, however, the results weren't nearly as pretty. He almost threw a wild pitch last season in the Nationals' opener.

If his skills have continued to decline, it would behoove people in the first few rows to pay attention. An errant, presidential pitch could be headed their way. Of course, when you root for a team who is going to use Frank Francisco as their closer, you should be watching your nose anyway. Then again, it's possible Dubya's been working on his pitching a lot more with all the free time he's come across these past two months.

Bush, a former managing partner of the Rangers, was invited by owner Tom Hicks and team president Nolan Ryan to take part in the ceremony.