Rafael Palmeiro's old first baseman's mitt was collecting dust in his locker until President Bush asked to use it while throwing out the first ball in Monday's season opener at Arlington Stadium between the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers.

Bush, who played first base and was captain of the 1948 Yale team that played for the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship, tried to throw a curve on the opening pitch and it bounced in the dirt.

"He was worried before he went out there that he was going to bounce it," Palmeiro said. "And that's just what he did."