[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[January 16, 2007]
[Pages 33-35]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Honoring the 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals
January 16, 2007
The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for coming.
It's great to welcome the 2006 World Series champs, the mighty St. Louis
Cardinals, to the White House.
I appreciate the fact that Members of the United States Congress
have joined us. I see Members from Missouri--[laughter]--Senators,
Members of the Congress and House. I see a Senator from Kentucky, Hall
of Famer--Big Jim Bunning; glad you're
here. Appreciate you all coming; thanks and welcome. I'm glad to see the
former Attorney General, John Ashcroft.
Thanks for joining us, John; appreciate you coming. Mr.
Secretary, I thought you were a Texan.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso R.
Jackson. I am a Texan, but I lived in
St. Louis.
The President. Oh, you lived in St. Louis. [Laughter] Alphonso
Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, is with us. Thanks for coming, A.J. I appreciate very much
that the Lieutenant Governor, Peter Kinder,
has joined us today. Thanks for coming, Governor; appreciate you coming.
Rob Portman, I thought he was a
Cincinnati Reds fan. It's amazing what victory does to the--[laughter].
Everybody likes a winner. [Laughter] I appreciate you coming.
Last time that the Tigers and Cardinals--the first time they met in
a World Series was in 1934. Franklin Roosevelt was the President; Dizzy
Dean was the star. [Laughter] And now the Cardinals are back after an
unbelievable season. You know, I featured myself as a baseball guy at
one time. The Cardinals now have won 10 World Series. That's 10 more
than the Texas Rangers have ever won. [Laughter] Fortunately, it doesn't
depend on ownership; well, I take that back. [Laughter]
They say in baseball, in order to become the World Series champ, you
can't have losing streaks of over two or three games. [Laughter] This
club had losing streaks of one eight-game losing streak, another eight-
game losing streak, and a seven-game losing streak, which really speaks
to the character of the baseball team, doesn't it? I mean, it's a team
that--[applause]. And I think it speaks to the character of the manager,
Tony La Russa, and his staff.
When you're on one of those losing streaks, it's easy to get down
and to forget the goal. So, like, I'm sure the sports pages were a
little rough on you for a while there, you know? How can they possibly
endure yet another eight-game losing streak? Well, you endure it as the
result of character and leadership.
I had the honor of welcoming Tony and Dave
Duncan and DeWitt and some of the other ones to the White House in August.
And I was kind of looking at them, and they were looking at me, and I
was trying to figure out whether I was looking at the winning team. And
after they left--I haven't had a chance to share this with Tony La
Russa; I was convinced the Cardinals were going to go all the way. You
know why? Because he was, because he believed it. And I appreciate good
leadership. And I appreciate the fact that not only is La Russa a fine
manager and a fine man; I appreciate what he does for the community in
St. Louis as well.
Character in the dugout is one thing; character in a community is
another. I don't know if you still do this program, but somebody told me
the other day that there is a program where they match a--you know, dogs
that need an owner with somebody that needs help, from having a pet
around. It turns out, a pet can help somebody deal with a mental
illness. And Tony La Russa has combined his
love of
[[Page 34]]
animals with his deep concern about people who suffer, for the
embetterment of the community.
And so this is a team of character, and it's got a team of really
good owners too. How do I know? Some of them were my business partners
at the Texas Rangers. If you ever need a good, honest business partner,
pick Bill DeWitt. He knows something
about baseball. He is raised in baseball. But he is one of the sharpest
baseball minds in the United States of America, and I'm really proud for
him and his family to be here today to receive the accolades.
I want to thank his other owners that have joined us today: Fred
Hanser and the Ambassador. Thank you, Ambassador, for being here--Brauer. I
appreciate my friend Mercer Reynolds joining
us too, as well. I congratulate you all.
DeWitt would be the first to say
that the owners support a good front office. And you can win, and that's
why Mark Lamping and Walt Jocketty are important to recognize as well. And I appreciate the
leadership they've done.
I appreciate the players. Let me say something about the
MVP. They said, ``He can't hit.''
[Laughter] They said, ``He can't throw.'' Listen, David; I've made a
career out of people underestimating me--[laughter]--or as I like to
sometimes say to keep them on their toes, misunderestimating me.
[Laughter] But I do congratulate David and the team.
When you overcome the odds this team overcame, you've got to play as
a team, and they did. And I appreciate not only what you did on the
field; I appreciate the character you also show off the field. I
appreciate the charity events that you attend. I thank you very much for
supporting the Cardinals organization's efforts to be good community
partners in St. Louis and greater St. Louis.
You've got a huge fan following, as you know. Matter of fact, when I
was growing up in Texas, the only games we used to get were St. Louis
Cardinals games. That was in the fifties--see that was before your time.
[Laughter] It made me a baseball fan. [Laughter] It made me a Stan
Musial fan, but it also made me appreciate
the value of the St. Louis Cardinals. And the Cardinals have got a
fantastic fan base. And you maintain a fan base by being good citizens
and winning games, and this club knows how to do both.
Before I bring somebody else up here to the microphone, I had the
honor of going to Walter Reed the other day to thank our soldiers. I ran
into Lance Corporal Chad Watson of the United
States Marine Corps. He was wearing a Cardinals hat--I think you were
wearing a Cardinals hat. And I said, first: ``Thanks for serving, and
thanks for giving of yourself to secure this country.'' I then said,
``Are you a Cardinals fan?'' Kind of one of those no-duh questions. The
guy had a--[laughter]--kind of running out of something to say. And he
said, ``Yeah, I am.'' I said: ``Well, I'm going to have the Cardinals to
the White House, and if you're a Cardinals fan, why don't you come and
join us.'' And he kind of looked at me like: Check is in the mail, isn't
it? [Laughter] But I was serious, and so was he, and I'm proud to
welcome Chad Watson and his mother Gina. You
never know where you're going to find a St. Louis Cardinal fan.
[Laughter]
And now it's my honor to bring to the podium, DeWitt--Bill
DeWitt. He doesn't like to give
speeches. Do you?
William O. DeWitt, Jr. Thank you
for having us here, Mr. President.
The President. You do like to give speeches. [Laughter]
Mr. DeWitt. You said be quick, so we'll be quick. We have a little
memento of the occasion here, a jersey from the world championship team,
the World Series logo on it----
The President. Yes, right here.
Mr. DeWitt. ----06, so you'll remember the year we were here, and
Bush----
The President. Yes, so I remember who I am. [Laughter]
[[Page 35]]
Note: The President spoke at 2:33 p.m. in the East Room at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Dave Duncan, pitching coach,
William O. DeWitt, Jr., chairman of the board, Frederick O. Hanser, vice
chairman, Stephen Brauer, co-owner, Mercer Reynolds, co-owner, Mark
Lamping, president, Walt Jocketty, general manager, and David M.
Eckstein, shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals.