[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[February 27, 2008]
[Pages 283-285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Honoring the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox
February 27, 2008
The President. Welcome. Thanks for coming. Please be seated. So Tim
Wakefield's batterymate is Doug
Mirabelli; mine is the Vice
President. [Laughter] We're glad you all are
here. The mighty Red Sox Nation has stormed the South Lawn.
It's my honor to welcome the owners of the Red Sox. The principal
owner is John Henry. Tom Werner is the chairman--and my longtime buddy Larry
Lucchino. Thank you all for coming, and
congratulations. We appreciate the other owners who are here as well.
I'm proud to be here with Terry Francona; the
captain of the mighty Red Sox, Jason Varitek;
the MVP of the World Series, Mike Lowell.
They're mentioned because I'm trying to entice a gift out of them.
[Laughter]
We appreciate very much members of the administration who are here.
Don't linger. [Laughter] Welcome to the Members of the United States
Congress--Massachu-
setts and Connecticut and probably Rhode Island and--[applause]--yes.
[Laughter] Thanks for coming.
I'm real proud for the Red Sox baseball club, its players, the
players' families, all those associated with this unbelievably
successful franchise. You know, you've--Red Sox Nation extends beyond
the South Lawn, extends beyond New England. It obviously goes to the
Caribbean and even the Far East. And so we welcome Japan's
Daisuke here to the South Lawn. His press
corps is bigger than mine. [Laughter] And we both have trouble answering
questions in English. [Laughter]
Two thousand seven was an unforgettable season: fast start; hung on
in the end; swept the Angels; had a little trouble with the Indians, but
battled back from what a lot of folks were saying sure defeat; and you
took on Colorado and swept them. Like, you're 8-0 in the World Series.
And I appreciate the fact that, as I mentioned,
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Mike Lowell put on an outstanding performance.
But it was a team effort that brought the Red Sox here.
I love the fact that you've got some of the game's biggest stars. I
mean, Big Papi, the guy lights
up the screen. He brings a great personality to it. I'm sorry his
running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn't here. I
guess his grandmother died again. [Laughter] Just kidding. [Laughter]
Tell Manny I didn't mean it. But I do want to quote him. He said, ``When
you don't feel good and you still get hits, that's when you know you're
a bad man.'' [Laughter] I don't know what that means. [Laughter] But if
bad man means good hitter, he's a really bad man, because he was clutch
in the World Series and clutch in the playoffs, as was my fellow Texan,
Josh Beckett. Where's Beckett? There you go.
Man, you're looking sharp.
Josh Beckett. A lot better than last time?
The President. Spring, Texas?
Mr. Beckett. Yes.
The President. Spring, Texas. He's a big-
game pitcher. He struck out--nine strikeouts a game in the playoffs. I
appreciate the--very much that he works hard and throws hard and is a
proven winner. And I guess he took some lessons from Curt
Schilling, one of the great big-time
pitchers.
You can't win the World Series without a good bullpen. I've got to
make mention of a guy who is from the--my hometown of Midland, Texas--
that would be Mike Timlin. Mike, good to see you
again. You did not buy those glasses in Midland, Texas. [Laughter]
Mike Timlin. No. [Laughter]
The President. Yes. And how about Jonathan Papelbon? The guy pitches almost as well as he dances.
[Laughter] And I appreciate the dress code. Thanks for wearing pants.
[Laughter] Good job and congratulations.
I do want to congratulate the ownership and the front office. This
is a club that was wise enough to maintain a core of players that knew
how to win. Varitek, Mirabelli, Ortiz,
Ramirez, Schilling,
Youkilis, Timlin, and
Wakefield were all members of the 2004
championship team, and they provided the nucleus to bring some new
players and some young players along. I bet you Dustin Pedroia, the American League Rookie of the Year, would tell you
it makes a big difference. It makes a big difference to be hanging out
with people who know how to win.
And so the ownership gets a lot of credit, the front office gets
credit, and so does a really fine manager in Terry Francona. Laura and I had the honor of
having Mike Lowell and Mrs. Francona and Terry for dinner earlier this month--earlier this
year. And what I was impressed about was the values of this guy and the
fact that he honors his family as the first and foremost thing in his
life. And I think the ownership made a good deal in signing him to a new
contract.
I appreciate the fact the team has overcome adversity. All of
America, whether you're a Red Sox fan or not, was moved by the Jon
Lester story. Jon had a decisive victory over
cancer and in the World Series. And it was an inspiration to a lot of
folks who were looking at this good man to determine whether they
themselves could overcome adversity. And so, Jon, we want to thank you
and congratulate you.
I don't know if you know this or not, but these good folks are
headed to Walter Reed after this celebration, and I--[applause]. 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 are those who wear the uniform of our
country. And I'm really thankful you're going.
I appreciate the work of the Red Sox Foundation and the Jimmy Fund.
These are long-lasting charities that this club is committed to, to help
improve people's lives. You can be a champion on the field, and you can
be a champion off the field.
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And a lot of these players are champions off the field.
And I thank you for your commitment. I thank you for your dedication
to a great sport. I congratulate and thank your families for hanging in
with you in this long, 162-game season. I wish you all the best in the
upcoming year, and it's my great honor to welcome you back to the White
House as the World Series champs.
Note: The President spoke at 3:08 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka,
Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Mike Timlin, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jon
Lester, pitchers, Doug Mirabelli and Jason Varitek, catchers, Larry
Lucchino, president and chief executive officer, Terry Francona,
manager, Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia, infielders,
David A. ``Big Papi'' Ortiz, designated hitter, and Manny Ramirez,
outfielder, Boston Red Sox; and Jacque Francona, wife of Terry Francona.