FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Winning the World Series definitely has its perks, and none bigger than a VIP trip to the White House. Posted on 03/02/2005 5:58:52 AM PST by GraniteStateConservative
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Winning the World Series definitely has its perks, and none bigger than a VIP trip to the White House.
The Red Sox get their chance to meet President George W. Bush on Wednesday when they take a brief sabbatical from Spring Training and get recognized in an afternoon ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
"That's something you see every year, they salute the champions," said Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. "We have that opportunity to go. You always see it on TV, you always wish you were that team. This time we are."
It will be an eventful day for the Sox. Following a morning workout, all remaining members from last year's team will charter up to Washington, D.C., and head to straight to the White House for an expected arrival of 3 p.m.
Earlier in the afternoon, the team's ownership trio of John W. Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner will be at the Capitol for an important event.
"Jackie Robinson is posthumously receiving the congressional gold medal," said Red Sox executive vice president/public affairs Charles Steinberg. "He's receiving it in part because of our initiative that we started Jan. 31, 2003, to honor [Robinson] on his birthday at Fenway Park each year. We all understand the irony and the pride that it's the Boston Red Sox taking the lead in Jackie Robinson receiving this honor."
After the ceremony with the President, the team will go to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and visit with some of the soldiers.
"Larry Lucchino took the trophy there the first week of January, and found it to be a very moving experience," said Steinberg. "Moving because these men and women and just came back from Iraq. The injuries in many cases were very sobering. Larry's description from that visit was that the attitudes of the men and women overwhelmed him. It was as meaningful a visit as I've ever heard him describe."
So when the Red Sox got the invitation to go to the White House, Lucchino wanted to make sure they took advantage of all the opportunities presented to them.
"This was [Lucchino's] idea," Steinberg said of the visit to see the soldiers. "He said, 'The Boston Red Sox are going to the White House, don't just turn around and come home. Make something more out of it. Go and see these soldiers and acknowledge to them that we know who the real heroes are.'"
"It's extremely nice to be able to be a part of a championship team and be able to meet the president and then go to the veterans' hospital," said Sox right fielder Trot Nixon. "It's going to be exciting, and not only meeting President Bush, but hopefully we get to meet most of the party, the people behind the scenes. I look forward to just meeting President Bush. Obviously I'm not going to get a chance to talk that much to him. He's a busy man.
The White House has invited roughly 1,000 guests to attend the ceremony honoring the World Series champions.
President Bush will speak, and then mingle with the players.
"Oh man, it's awesome," said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar. "It will be a great time. You get a chance to get a picture of President Bush up on the wall, it will be a blast."
But Damon, who dubbed the 2004 team "The Idiots" for their outlandish nature, promised that everyone would be on their best behavior for this most meaningful field trip.
"I am going to be very well behaved and very well dressed," said Damon.
Still, Damon thinks that the gregarious Sox would be Bush's kind of guys if he got to know them.
"I think President Bush would love to grab a beer with us and kick back, go hunting for pheasant, that type of stuff. I think he would mix in well with us," said Damon.
When asked if Sox players would have any problems making it through White House security, Millar couldn't resist a fun-loving dig at one of his teammates.
"I don't know if Manny's going to be allowed in there with his hairdo," Millar said. "He's the only one we're worried about."
Damon visited the White House last year during one of Boston's trips to Baltimore, but is looking forward to a far more inclusive trip this time.
"Oh, it's going to be great. I've always been a huge fan of his and also his father," Damon said. "I always thought his father got a raw deal. He was never able to do the things he wanted to in office. George W. Bush, I think he's done a great job. I can't wait to meet him."
Sox manager Terry Francona has been spending so much time organizing his team for Spring Training that he hasn't had much time to ponder the event.
"It's a big honor to go," said Francona. "When the time comes and we get dressed up and we go there, it'll be a big honor."
As for those members of the 2004 Sox who have moved on to other teams or endeavors, they were all invited to attend. Steinberg said that Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe had expressed interest in going, but couldn't because of scheduling conflicts. Reliever Curtis Leskanic, who retired in the offseason, will likely be the only former member of the team on hand.
Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was a rookie last year, never expected to be a guest of the President this early in his career.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Youkilis. "You get a lot of great things when you win a World Series and this is one huge perk, you get to go to the White House on kind of a VIP pass list."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Is he going as Derek Jeter...?
How cool is that? Thank goodness my son will be home from school at 3:00! Anyone know who, if any station is televising this? It will be a keeper!
as much as I hate the Red Sox, I was glad to see Shilling a Damon were of such good character. It made their win more palitable to me, and at least one contender from Boston was shot down.....Thank God!
The only politician in the MLB World Series DVD? A Republican-- Mitt Romney.
It seems to me that many athletes are Conservative and not afraid to say so. It's not like Hollywood, that's for sure.
I was refering to John Effin Kerry as being from Bean town and loosing.....Mitt Rino, is just that a Rino
Johnny Damon would have been the last one I thought would be a "Bushbot"!
LOL!
Has anyone viewed the NESN DVD, and what did you think about it? I have the MLB DVD and it is excellent.
My information from my daughter, who is going to school out in the Boston area and is a big fan, is that the NESN DVD is much better, as it covers the whole season, and especially goes into the Red Sox/Yankee games (both in- and post-season) more.
Yes, I know. I was just saying that GOP politicians got benefits from the WS win.
The NESN DVD is better, but they should have had way more extras on it. They produced many hours worth of original content during the season and only included two of them on the DVD. The best is Reverse of the Curse of the Bambino. HBO knows how to produce films.
Updated with more quotes from another story...
Curt Schilling campaigned for him, Mike Timlin backs him and Nixon shares his religious fervor and love of baseball.
"I'm sure he doesn't have the amount of time that we all have to sit there and watch ESPN and see highlights," Nixon said. "He's got other things he needs to worry about."
He doesn't think Bush will have a problem with Damon's long hair, Millar's frosted brown locks and both of their playful natures.
"We're all created in the eyes of God. You don't judge somebody by the way they look," Nixon said. "I'm sure he read the paper and understands what kind of ballclub (we have), how special the season was last year."
Still, Millar will have to keep his sense of humor and mouth in check.
"I'll get some of these guys to do something" unusual, he said.
The Red Sox added another activity to the annual tradition of baseball's champions visiting the White House. After what's expected to be about a 40-minute ceremony, they'll visit wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"The Red Sox can go there and make a lot of people happy," Damon said.
"That (visit) is probably even a bigger honor in itself, to be able to sit and talk or maybe cheer up someone who's been defending my way of life," reliever Mike Timlin said, "laying his life on the line or her life on the line to be out there in front of an enemy's bullet. Protecting me when I'm just over here enjoying a game."
Like Bush, Timlin is from Midland, Texas. They met behind the batting cage in the early '90s when Bush was with the Rangers and Timlin was pitching for Toronto.
Timlin said he was honored to meet "one of the leaders of the free world."
Red Sox principal owner John Henry and general manager Theo Epstein, who both supported Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, will be there. So will team president Larry Lucchino, a friend of the president's.
Henry will also take part in a ceremony earlier in the day, during which Jackie Robinson will be posthumously awarded a Congressional gold medal.
The players' meeting with Bush is scheduled for mid-afternoon.
"His Secret Service guys might tackle some of our guys. Kevin could be in trouble," Nixon said. "He could get a warning shot fired over his head."
Damon wants Bush's autograph for his 5-year-old son.
"He knows every single president," Damon said. "His favorite, of course, is Zachary Taylor because he carried a sword. So I'm going to tell President Bush (to) start carrying a sword. He's going to have a stronger fan base."
Please ping me if you see any video on TV of the Sox' visit to the White House today. Hopefully we'll get to see some footage of it somewhere.
I am pretty certain that the Red Sox were the very last MLB team to actually have a black player on their roster. Years ago I recall reading articles which pretty much made it evident that Tom Yawkey (owner for decades) had an attitude toward black Americans.
Possibly another reason for the 86 years drought some might say.
I'm just ticked that as the founder of "Red Sox Fans for Truth" that I didn't get an invite to the White House today. All I got to do was go to the White House a week and a half ago for a lousy bill signing ceremony for the Class Action reform bill for my day job....
Aaaaah....I never get tired of hearing or reading those words...
The 2005 Boston Red Sox - DEFEND THE FLAG
As a Brooklyn born Yankee fan since the day the dodgers left for LA, I can honestly say if it couldn't be my baseball guys, I'm jumpin'for joy finding out that my political guys won! 86 years was enough punishment for selling the Babe.
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