[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 10, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8098-H8101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING RAFAEL PALMEIRO OF THE TEXAS RANGERS FOR HITTING 500
MAJOR LEAGUE HOME RUNS AND THANKING HIM FOR BEING A ROLE MODEL FOR THE
CUBAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND FOR ALL AMERICANS
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the resolution (H. Res. 315) congratulating Rafael Palmeiro of the
Texas Rangers for hitting 500 major league home runs and thanking him
for being a role model for the Cuban American community, as well as for
all Americans.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 315
Whereas Rafael Palmeiro hit the 500th home run of his
career on May 11, 2003 at The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas,
becoming only the 19th player in baseball history to
accomplish such an achievement;
Whereas Rafael Palmeiro's achievement places him in the
company of baseball's elite, including Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth,
Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams;
Whereas Rafael Palmeiro's power swing has been consistent
over his 17 years in the major league and this consummate
quiet professional is still going strong;
Whereas, with eight consecutive seasons with at least 38
home runs, Rafael Palmeiro has established himself as one of
the game's great power hitters;
Whereas, in addition, Rafael Palmeiro has mastered the
intricacies of playing his position, first base, becoming a
four-time All Star and earning three consecutive Gold Gloves
from 1997 to 1999;
Whereas, through dedication and hardwork, Rafael Palmeiro
has become one of the superstars of baseball and a future
Hall of Famer;
Whereas Rafael Palmeiro is the personification of hard work
and determination, and is an inspiration for Cuban Americans,
having fled Havana, Cuba with his family in 1971;
Whereas Rafael Palmeiro has become a role model for people
of all ages, taking time to work with foster children at the
Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth, Texas, including raising more
than $160,000 for supporting foster children and for
encouraging foster parenting; and
Whereas, in addition to all of Rafael Palmeiro's other
endeavors, he dedicates time to his wife Lynne and his two
children, thirteen-year-old Patrick Ryne and eight-year-old
Preston Connor: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates
Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers for hitting 500 major
league home runs and thanks him for being a role model for
the Cuban American community, and all Americans, and for
inspiring all Americans to persevere and work hard to achieve
their dreams.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs.
Maloney) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks on the resolution currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 315, introduced by my distinguished
colleague from the State of Texas (Mr. Sessions), congratulates Rafael
Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers for becoming the 19th player in major
league baseball history to hit 500 home runs and thanking him for being
a role model for the Cuban American community and, indeed, for all
Americans.
On May 11, the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians in a
seemingly ordinary early season major league baseball contest. During
the game, he
[[Page H8099]]
hit his 10th home run of the year. But this home run, Mr. Speaker, the
500th of his career, forever placed Rafael Palmeiro in a select class
among baseball's greatest sluggers of all time.
In surpassing the 500 home run milestone, he affords this House a
chance to recognize not only his exploits on the field, but also his
selfless community-conscious conduct off the field. Mr. Speaker, Rafael
Palmeiro was born on September 24, 1964, in Havana, Cuba. He left Cuba
as a young boy in 1971 and moved to Miami with his mother and two of
his three brothers in pursuit of political freedom. He attended
Mississippi State University where he played baseball. Upon his
graduation in 1985, Rafael was first selected by the Chicago Cubs in
the first round of the amateur baseball draft. Within a year of being
drafted, he was also selected and played in the majors where he has
remained ever since.
In addition to the Cubs, Rafael played for the Texas Rangers and the
Baltimore Orioles. Rafael has hit 523 home runs and batted in 1,676
runs during his outstanding 18-year career.
In between his big hits on the diamond, Rafael hits home runs off the
field by staying involved in the lives of children in his community.
Rafael makes regular appearances with children through programs such as
Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas, an organization that makes
individuals' wishes come true for children with life-threatening
illnesses. Rafael also works with the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth,
Texas, which has educated, counseled, sheltered, and improved the lives
of literally thousands of children each year. Rafael and his wife,
Lynne, have donated generously to the Lena Pope Home and have helped
the organization recruit foster parents.
In addition, this past spring, Rafael orchestrated a 2-week reading
challenge for students in the Dallas area. Over 15,000 people
participated in the 2-week program, and those students who read at
least 500 minutes during the contest were entered into a drawing to
attend the Rangers June 14 game, after which Rafael was honored for
hitting 500 home runs.
Mr. Speaker, only 18 other players in major league baseball history
have hit as many home runs as Rafael Palmeiro, and that alone is worthy
of commendation by this House. But this resolution particularly honors
Rafael's selfless service to his community.
Today, the House of Representatives, and indeed the entire Nation,
salutes Rafael Palmeiro for his success, for living the American Dream,
and for helping so many children to achieve their own dreams.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of
House resolution 315 that honors both the athletic, as well as the
philanthropic, achievements of Rafael Palmeiro.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) for
introducing this worthwhile measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I congratulate my colleagues from Texas for putting forward this
important resolution.
{time} 1115
Mr. Speaker, Rafael Palmeiro continues to climb the all-time home run
list. On Tuesday, Aug 26, Palmeiro hit his 521st career home run, tying
him for 13th place on the list with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams.
Palmeiro has 31 home runs this season and is the sixth player in major
league history with 30 or more home runs in nine consecutive seasons.
Born on Thursday, September 24, 1964, Palmeiro began his major league
baseball career on September 8, 1986, with the Chicago Cubs. However,
Palmeiro did not start out as a power hitter. He hit just 25 homers in
258 games for the Cubs before being traded to the Texas Rangers after
the 1988 season. In his first season in Texas, Palmeiro hit 8 homers in
156 games and then led the American league with 191 hits with just 14
homers in 1990. Palmeiro had 203 hits, a league-high 49 doubles and 26
homers in 1991.
As he got stronger, Palmeiro learned to pull the ball and the numbers
started to build. He had 37 homers and 105 RBI's in 1993. He then left
Texas as a free agent for Baltimore. Palmeiro had 182 homers and 553
RBI's in 742 games over 5 seasons in Baltimore before returning to the
Texas Rangers. Along with his homers, Palmeiro also has 3 Gold Gloves
at first base. He has never been on the disabled list, averaging 157
games a year since 1988.
Rafael Palmeiro is also very active in the community and has hosted
the Raffy Readers reading program and is helping to build a youth
baseball field in Colleyville, Texas.
I congratulate Mr. Palmeiro for his contributions to the game of
baseball and the community.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from the Texas (Mr. Sessions), the sponsor and author of
this resolution. Play ball.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Ros-Lehtinen) who, as a proud Cuban-American, is also a member of the
Republican baseball team, a person who enjoys not only supporting other
Cuban-Americans but also our baseball team, and to be joined by my good
friend, the gentleman from the Committee on Rules, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), also a Cuban-American.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I come to the floor this
morning to speak on H. Res. 315, honoring Texas Ranger first baseman
Rafael Palmeiro for his amazing feat of hitting his 500th career home
run. This resolution honors not only Rafael's accomplishments in major
league baseball which are numerous, but also his many off-field
contributions which are just as important.
Rafael is the epitome of hard work and professionalism, and I am
proud to honor him today, this individual who puts his family, his team
and his community before himself.
On May 11, 2003, Rafael Palmeiro hit his 500th home run at the ball
park in Arlington Texas, becoming only the 19th player in baseball
history to do so. With his 500th home run, Palmeiro joined the company
of baseball's elites like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Ted
Williams. In fact, since May 11 when he accomplished this feat,
Palmeiro has now moved to 13th on this exclusive list of 500 home run
hitters.
Mr. Speaker, beyond the statistics and the numbers, however, Rafael
Palmeiro has done significant work by make making a difference in his
community. Whether it is encouraging foster parents through his hard
work at the Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth, Texas or encouraging kids to
read with his Raffy's Readers program, Palmeiro is an ardent spokesman
for children's causes.
Mr. Speaker, these are just a sampling of Rafael Palmeiro's actions
in giving back to his community. This, on top of spending time with his
lovely wife, Lynne, and their two sons, Patrick Ryne who is 13, and
Preston Connor who is 8. Rafael Palmeiro has become a role model for
people of all ages with his on- and off-the-field accomplishments.
I am proud to be the lead co-sponsor of this bill honoring a fine man
who is a shining example of the things that a kind and good person can
achieve in their life.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), one of the co-
sponsors and authors of this resolution and an important leader in this
body.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to
thank the leaders on the bill. I am pleased to join my colleagues from
Texas this morning in honoring Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers, a
major league baseball team, for his accomplishment in reaching the 500
home run marker in May.
Along with his honors, he also has numerous other hitting records, 3
Gold Gloves at first base and he has never been on the disabled list.
But it is not just his excellence on the field that explains why he has
legions of fans across Texas and the country. He is a man of
outstanding character. He is humble even though he is distinguished and
destined for the Hall of Fame.
It is his humility that he takes out into our community, contributing
to so many important causes in the Dallas, Ft. Worth area, the Lena
Pope Home in Ft. Worth, Shoes for Orphan Souls, and his own
organization, Raffy's 500 Club.
[[Page H8100]]
Throughout his career, he has spent his time encouraging foster
parenting, actively participating in the Make a Wish Foundation,
encouraging our youth to read, and raising money for numerous disease
research foundations.
He is an inspiration to all of people of all ages and he means so
much to us in the Dallas, Ft. Worth metroplex. I am pleased to be a co-
sponsor of this bill. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions)
for highlighting the hard work and dedication of Rafael Palmeiro.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), who will be
batting clean-up for our team. The gentleman is a good Cuban-American,
a baseball fan who follows the Florida Marlins, the Yankees, and now I
know, the Texas Rangers.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the
gentlewoman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is very appropriate that the Texas delegation
is united behind this resolution. The gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Sessions) brought it forward. I recall I have had the privilege of
meeting Rafael Palmeiro. He is an extraordinary human being, a man of
great decency. He had made it clear, by the way, that when he was
playing up here, in a team near here, that he wanted to return to Texas
because he is a proud Texan and he loves that State very much and its
people. So that is why I think it is important for the Texas Delegation
to be leading this effort today, and it is the right thing to do for
this Congress to honor this man.
He is not only an extraordinary athlete but, as I said before, a very
decent human being. A loving family man, he is extremely generous with
his family, compassionate, as he is with his community. He is also a
patriot and that is another reason why I admire him so much. I know of
his love for freedom.
For example, he refused to go back to Cuba. He says he will not do it
as long as the dictatorship is in power. As a matter of fact, when he
was playing for the Orioles here and the owner of that team was
recruited by this campaign that wants to open relations with Castro and
help the dictatorship and the team was sent to Cuba, he refused, Rafael
Palmeiro. So he stands up for his principles. He is a man of principle,
a man of decency.
He has a wonderful family and he helps his community in Texas in an
extraordinary fashion. So for so many reasons we are very, very proud
of him. Obviously, the entire island of Cuba looks to him as an idol,
but really the entire American nation also. This great United States of
America admires him because of his extraordinary accomplishments. And
so to that human being, we, the Congress of the United States, today
sends not only our esteem but our admiration.
Again, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) and the Texas
delegation who have brought forward this resolution for doing so. It is
a privilege for me to be able to stand today on behalf of this
resolution honoring this great man and extraordinary athlete, Rafael
Palmeiro.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), who, along with the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Sessions), is the lead author and sponsor of this important
resolution.
(Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rafael Palmeiro of the
Texas Rangers for hitting 500 home runs and to thank him for his
outstanding contributions to the local community.
Known both for his powerful swing and golden glove at first base,
Raffy, as he is known to many fans, joined an elite club on May 11 when
he became only the 19th player in baseball history to hit 500 major
league home runs.
Mr. Speaker, Rafael Palmeiro has been a constant example of hard work
and quiet dedication to his sport. He is a four-time All-Star and was
awarded three consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1997 to 1999. Known
for his rock solid dependability, he has never spent a day on the
disability list and has missed astoundingly few games each season. With
the exception of the strike-shortened 1994 season, he has played an
average of 157 games in each 162-game season of his career.
He is currently three home runs short of tying Jimmie Foxx's record
of 9 straight years with 35 or more home runs. Since 1993, only Barry
Bonds and Sammy Sosa have hit more home runs.
Mr. Speaker, Rafael Palmeiro has become a role model for people of
all ages. Having fled Cuba with his family in 1991, he remains a hero
within the Cuban-American community. Additionally, his dedication to
the local community, as we have already heard, for his work with foster
children and families in Ft. Worth has made him a leader both on and
off the field. My wife, Kathy, and I just recently attended a reception
at the ball park sponsored by Raffy on his Shoes for Orphans program, a
program that he has spent a great deal of his time on recent years.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the honor of watching Rafael Palmeiro play at
the ball park in Arlington in my congressional district. He deserves
special recognition for his tremendous achievement and I look forward
to the day when he will join the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and
Roberto Clemente in Cooperstown at the baseball Hall of Fame. I know my
colleagues will join me today in congratulating him and in wishing him
continued success in all of his future endeavors.
I would like to add and note to the management of the Texas Rangers
ball club. I hope that the management of our great club will find a way
to extend Raffy's contract when it runs out at the end of this year so
that he may finish his career as a Texas Ranger.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), an important leader, not only on
this resolution, but in this body.
(Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I come to join today in celebrating what is a fabulous
career and a fabulous human being. Just think of it, over 15,000
people, men have played professional major league baseball and only 19
have hit over 500 home runs. And Rafael Palmeiro has done it, and this
is my personal opinion, in a way that is really unique. He is not
6'5". He is not 250. He is not muscular, but he has one of the
prettiest swings you will ever want to see on the baseball field.
{time} 1130
Every time he connects, somebody my size wonders how is that ball
going to take off, and it always manages to take off; but I also come
for a special reason.
Through a dear friend of mine, Juan Gonzalez, the Texas Rangers
outfielder, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Palmeiro this summer and
sit with him a couple of hours and speak with him about baseball and
other things; but I was amazed at how warm and strong he was in dealing
with everybody around him, especially when you are sitting somewhere in
public and every fan comes over for an autograph, every fan comes over
to talk to you; and he took the time to speak to every child, and he
took the time to speak to every fan that came over. That meant a lot to
me, but a lot of folks just do not want to be bothered when they play
ball, and they take the money. So I wanted to come and join this
tribute.
Rafael Palmeiro is without a doubt a future Hall of Famer and he has
done it in typically following the American Dream, coming from Cuba
looking for a better way, a better life for his family, for himself, as
a child, graduating from college, being drafted and playing day after
day after day. I am always amazed also at the fact that this man does
not ever seem to get hurt. He just continues to play and play and play.
I, like so many other Americans, so many people throughout the world,
love the game of baseball. It is part of who I am as a person; and to
have him play it the way that he does is just absolutely great, and
because I got to know him, I got to even enjoy his baseball even more.
So I want to thank the sponsors on both sides of this resolution.
This gentleman really deserves this tribute. He is one of the all-time
greats. Baseball
[[Page H8101]]
is still, in my opinion, the best game and certainly our greatest
export throughout the world and Latin America; and I come to celebrate
Mr. Palmeiro today on his career and what would certainly be induction
into the Hall of Fame very soon.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. I also have no other speakers.
Again, I congratulate the gentleman from Texas for introducing this
legislation, and I urge all Members to support the adoption of House
Resolution 315.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 315.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________