ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- Mark Teixeira wanted to make one thing clear. He is a member of the Texas Rangers and will be at least for another season and a half, unless the organization trades him. Before that, any talk about the Severna Park native coming home to help the Orioles return to prominence remains a fantasy.
"It's a good story," said Teixeira, the Rangers first baseman who has been on the disabled list since June 9 with a strained left quadriceps. "It really is. I grew up a die-hard Orioles fan. There's no secret about that. My family grew up in Severna Park, and they'll probably live there the rest of their lives. It's definitely a good story.
"For me, I'm a Texas Ranger and I have a year and a half left here in Texas [before being eligible for free agency]. Unless I get traded somewhere else, I'm going to be a Texas Ranger and try to win with this team here. That's what my No. 1 goal is right there."
Teixeira reiterated before last night's game that he would be intrigued by the prospect of signing with the Orioles when he is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season. That's been his feeling all along.
"Baltimore, in the future, it's a place I'd love to look at," said Teixeira, who is represented by agent Scott Boras. "I don't want to talk too much about it. I don't want anything to be a distraction to my team. In a year and a half, we can have a lot of fun conversations."
Teixeira smiled when asked if he was aware how much Orioles fans have been clamoring for the club to acquire him from the Rangers.
"It's really, really touching for my family and I to have a bunch of people say, `Hey, when is Mark going to come back home and play?'" he said. "So that's really nice. At the same time, this is a tough business, and you never know where you're going to be one day to the next."
Several Orioles, including interim manager Dave Trembley, greeted Teixeira while he was taking batting practice before the game. The first baseman, hitting .302 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs, will play in a game on a rehabilitation assignment Wednesday.
Asked whether he still roots for the Orioles, Teixeira said, "without a doubt."
"My dad, when he's not watching the Rangers games, he's watching the O's games. I got some friends who are over there. Corey Patterson I work out with a little bit in the offseason. Brian Roberts is a good dude over there. I root for those guys, and I root for the Orioles except when they're playing us."
