George W. Bush made an appearance on the Derek Jeter Farewell Tour

George W. Bush made an appearance on the Derek Jeter Farewell Tour
(Image credit: Deadspin)

Retiring Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has already raked in some serious swag as he makes the ballpark rounds during his final season, but the Texas Rangers aggressively upped the gift ante on Wednesday night.

Retired Rangers Michael Young and Ivan Rodriguez presented Jeter with a pair of personalized cowboy boots — nice and all, but then a video of former President George W. Bush played during the pre-game ceremony. When the video finished, the real Bush (who is also a former owner of the Rangers) walked onto the field and offered Jeter a signed photograph of the pair in the Rangers' batting cage.

Jeter and Bush crossed paths a few weeks after the September 11 attacks, when the president threw out a first pitch in Game three of the 2001 World Series. Jeter warned his commander-in-chief, "Don't bounce it. They'll boo you."

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Bush reportedly repeated the line back to Jeter on Thursday, which is quite charming. But let's be real: Most memorable from the typical photo ops that follow these presentations is Bush's head-tap of Rodriguez, below. --Sarah Eberspacher

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.