Boston Red Sox Get a Texan’s Treatment at the White House
SOX
Union Leader
Matt Negrin
Boston University Washington News Service
27 February 2008
WASHINGTON — It was a scene right out of a comedian’s playbook.
With the 2007 World Series champions beaming behind him on risers, roastmaster President Bush let the Boston Red Sox have it in a blunt and sometimes self-deprecating way.
On Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka: “His press corps is bigger than mine. And we both have trouble answering questions in English.”
On outfielder Manny Ramirez’s absence: “I guess his grandmother died again,” a reference to the ballplayer’s justification for missing practice in 2001. Six seconds later, “Just kidding.”
Closer Jonathan Papelbon, known to occasionally slip on a kilt for an Irish jig, received this backhanded compliment from the joker-in-chief: “The guy pitches almost as well as he dances. And I appreciate the dress code. Thanks for wearing pants.”
It was a lighter side of the president that is rarely seen, as he called out many Sox players by name, joked with them and appeared to enjoy himself. His mood matched the nearly 1,000 guests and fans seated outside the White House on Wednesday, who broke out into “Let’s go Red Sox” chants as their beloved baseball stars smirked and posed with the glistening, golden trophy the team earned for its World Series victory.
“The mighty Red Sox Nation has stormed the south lawn,” Bush quipped. Among the crowd were Massachusetts Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who furiously snapped photos of the throng while wearing a wide grin.
It was the team’s second trip to the White House in three years, following the club’s World Series victory in 2004. Players who went both times include first baseman Kevin Youkilis, veteran pitcher Curt Schilling and David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who flaunted the trophy front and center as a biting wind ripped across the lawn.
“Two out of the last four years is pretty good,” Kennedy remarked to reporters after the commemoration. “All Americans are proud of the Boston Red Sox.”
The ceremony took on a more somber tone as Bush addressed how the team would visit wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“These champs have got a chance to bring some joy in somebody’s heart, and I want to thank you for really honoring the true heroes of the United States of America, and those who wear the uniform of our country,” Bush said.
Jon Lester, the pitcher who survived a battle with cancer early last year, paid his respects to soldiers at Walter Reed.
“I’m only 24 years old and I’m seeing kids younger than me with no legs and one arm,” he said. “It definitely opens up your eyes.”
“It wakes you up and makes you realize that everything there is real,” he added, “and there’s a war going on.”
Bush praised players’ work with the Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based charity that focuses on research and caring for children with cancer. “These are long-lasting charities that this club is committed to, to help improve people’s lives,” Bush said. “You can be a champion on the field, and you can be a champion off the field. And a lot of these players are champions off the field.”
Catcher Jason Varitek returned the compliments by giving Bush a signed jersey with his name and the number “07” on the back.
The light tone was also diminished as a few players and senators fielded reporters’ questions about the illegal use of steroids in the sport. The Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked the Justice Department Wednesday to investigate whether star pitcher Roger Clemens lied under oath in denying his use of human growth hormone.
Varitek said he admires the goal of cleaning the sport of performance-enhancing drugs to “make it as pure a game as possible.”
Kerry had similar thoughts.
“You’ve had instances of people abusing the rules and themselves in order to excel, and that’s not the way it’s suppose to be,” the senator said. “And I hope the fact that it’s come to light will even the playing field.”
