Bush dines with baseball execs

Updated: January 21, 2004, 9:41 PM ET

PHOENIX -- A day after making a surprise anti-steroids appeal, President Bush organized a casual dinner out at a Mexican restaurant with several baseball executives.

Bush was in town as part of a three-state swing to promote themes from his State of the Union address Tuesday night. In his public remarks in Ohio and Arizona on Wednesday, he didn't repeat his call for pro sports leagues to implement stringent policies against performance-enhancing drugs and for athletes to be good role models on anti-doping.

But he chose to end his day at the Teepee Mexican restaurant, located in a Phoenix neighborhood replete with strip malls and car dealerships. Bush dined with Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo, manager Bob Brenley, general manager Joe Garagiola Jr., and Anaheim Angels owner Arte Moreno.

Bush, himself a former managing partner of the Texas Rangers, showed up for the brief, early dinner without the suit and tie he had worn all day and in a casual open-collared blue shirt. From his table, he chatted with the restaurant owner and a few patrons, and could be heard telling a gaggle of onlookers: "Go buy some nachos."

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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