The government shutdown is more than two weeks old, and an MLB star turned congressional candidate is pointing the finger at Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Mark Teixeira, who launched his campaign for Texas’ 21st Congressional District in August, said the “craziness we’ve seen on the left” has set “a terrible precedent” as the government shutdown continues.

The former Texas Ranger, Atlanta Brave, and New York Yankee said the Democrats are not doing “their job” and should be willing to negotiate.

“Elections have consequences. The losing side of an election knows that they’re not going to get everything they want every time a bill is passed, or a budget is passed. So you have to accept that maybe you’re not going to get your way,” Teixeira told Will Cain on Wednesday. 

“The Democrats are saying, ‘No, we don’t accept that. We’re just going to shut the government down, and we’re going to make Americans, we’re going to make military pay for us complaining that we’re not getting our way.”

Mark Teixeira #25 of the National League looks on during pregame ceremonies prior to the 2024 All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.  (Sam Hodde/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Cain showed a Reuters/Ipsos poll that indicated 67% of voters blame Republicans for the shutdown, and 63% also blamed Democrats and 63% blamed President Donald Trump. But Teixeira said he does not “trust polls,” adding that there is still “Trump derangement syndrome” among those blaming conservatives.

“As long as there are Democrats and there are people out there that say everything Republicans do is bad, even if it’s reasonable. This is reasonable. Hey listen, you want to negotiate on some things? Alright, give us a few weeks. We’ll negotiate. But don’t shut the government down and hold the American worker, the American military personnel hostage because you haven’t gotten your way up to this point,” Teixeira said.

“I understand that a lot doesn’t get passed when you don’t have big majorities, and we have to work across the aisle every now and then. But we’re not going to negotiate with terrorists. We’re not going to negotiate with a party that says ‘if we don’t get our way, if we don’t change the rules, then I’m going to close the government down.’ That’s not fair to the American people, it’s not fair to all the Republicans that are trying to do this the right way and (saying) ‘Just give us a few more weeks to negotiate.’ 

Mark Teixeira playing for the Texas Rangers. (Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports)

“I just believe Democrats are being unreasonable.”

In an X post earlier this month, Teixeira said, “Democrats are destroying our country, and President Trump needs reinforcements who will fight to take our country back.”

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This past Sunday, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown caught two touchdowns for the first time in almost exactly four years.

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver found the end zone twice before this past Sunday was back on Oct. 11, 2021, when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Perhaps, though, he had some help.

“All glory to God. I just got baptized Friday, so this whole weekend’s been amazing for me,” Brown told the media after the game.

Brown posted a video of his baptism to his TikTok account. According to Sports Spectrum, the Chiefs’ team chaplain, Marcellus Casey, baptized Brown, and Casey’s wife baptized Brown’s fiancée.

“Living For Jesus. Serving Others,” Brown captioned the video.

“I got baptized when I was younger, but I feel like last year, I had a lot on me mentally. It all boils down to ‘don’t worry about the extra stuff.’ I found myself second-guessing a lot of stuff, and as a believer, that’s not what I should do. So to get baptized with my fiancée, it felt good,” Brown said.

“Letting God know that I’m a follower of Him, all of this is a blessing, that’s from Him, and I don’t take it for granted.”

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown (5) against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.  (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

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Brown has become a surprise revelation for the Chiefs, finding targets amid Rashee Rice’s suspension and Xavier Worthy’s injury in Week 1 that kept him out until Week 4.

With Kansas City fully healthy now, though, Brown figures to stay in Patrick Mahomes’ circle of trust.

Brown was not the only football player to get baptized over the weekend. Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter was baptized just hours before his game against the Seattle Seahawks.

“It’s Sunday. It’s God’s day. I’ve been planning to go get baptized for a minute. I changed my life over to become a better man. It means a lot. I’m becoming a better man and leaving my old self and starting a new chapter,” Hunter said, via ESPN.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions was also baptized earlier this month.

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Lacking confidence as a 14-year-old freshman, Melion Busano entered high school with one thought in mind.

“Just get the four years over with,” he said.

In September 2022, while getting 30 minutes to try out for the basketball team at Eagle Rock High, his confidence was shaken even more.

“They said if we send you a text, you made the team. I never got that text,” he said. “I was in denial. ‘Maybe they forgot me.’ After the third or fourth week, I was [thinking], ‘Maybe they didn’t send that text.’”

Rejection left him adrift, but then came the moment that changed his life. While carrying around a camera for film class, the JV football coach, Vince Vergara, noticed him, pulled him aside and asked, “Hey, do you want to play football?”

He joined the JV team as a sophomore. His mother had refused to let him play football years ago after seeing the 2015 film, “Concussion.” This time, she told him, “Be careful.”

He started from scratch.

“I had to learn on the fly,” he said. “I didn’t know what type of run plays or nothing. Never played youth football, never played flag.”

Last season as a junior, he made varsity and had 211 yards rushing and two touchdowns. This season, as a much improved 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior, he’s become so valuable that coach Andy Moran said he’s the best running back in the City Section, having rushed for 824 yards and 13 touchdowns going into the Northern League title decider against Franklin on Friday.

“He doesn’t go down and everybody has prepared to stop him and hasn’t,” Moran said.

He had 143 yards rushing against Granada Hills Kennedy, 108 yards against Monrovia, 146 yards against Bell, 141 yards against Marquez and 107 yards against L.A. Marshall.

His father was a Marine for 20 years and came here as a teenager from Belize. His mother is from the Philippines.

“Sadly I have not gone to either but would love to go,” he said.

His first name stands for “My Lion.”

“You’re a lion, so you’re fierce,” his father tells him.

With renewed confidence, Busano has discovered a love for football and a belief he can keep getting better with experience.

He even tried out for basketball again and made the team, then decided to focus on football.

His father told him, “Try again, work harder, make yourself a better person.”

It’s all part of the high school experience — experimenting, exploring and dealing with the positives and negatives that happen to everyone in their teenage years. His younger brother also made the football team.

“Now I’m kicking myself why didn’t I do this my freshman year,” Busano said. “Now I appreciate the little things, about discipline, always do your job, don’t do someone else’s job. It’s helped me grow up as a person. I was very ignorant and blind walking into this. I felt I probably won’t be the worst player but probably second string, but I came onto the field and started. It was, ‘Wow.’”

Soon he hopes to visit Belize or Manila to learn more about his parents’ home countries.

“My dad says my grandma has a house where you can wake up and look out the window and the beach is right there,” he said. “I want to visit both.”

He’s a 17-year-old seeing a whole different world and a whole different future with the help of his football experiences.