[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 13 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Pages 478-481]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Tony Bruno and Chuck Wilson of ESPN Radio

March 25, 1995

    Tony Bruno. As we continue on ESPN Radio, Tony Bruno and Chuck 
Wilson with you. And I've always wanted to do this, Chuck, when 
introducing a guest, but we've never had the opportunity so far.
    Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Mr. Bill 
Clinton.
    Mr. President, thanks for joining us on ESPN Radio. This is not a 
joke. People will think because I like to clown around that we're 
pulling a fast one on the American public, but we are not. And we 
appreciate you joining us.
    The President. I'm glad to do it. And I'm glad to be in a 
conversation where the American people think someone else is pulling a 
fast one on them instead of the President. [Laughter]

NCAA Basketball Tournament

    Chuck Wilson Mr. President, we have had an opportunity to see an 
outstanding NCAA tournament. I know you're a big basketball fan, and 
your Arkansas Razorbacks, they're still alive.
    The President. They're an amazing team. You know, everybody they've 
played this year it seems has played their very best game against them, 
and in every game it seems they have a few minutes of mental lapse where 
they let the other team get back in. But they've got enormous heart. I'm 
really proud of them, just to keep coming back. They never give up, and 
I respect that. I respect that in life, and I certainly respect it on 
the basketball court.
    Mr. Wilson They've kept you on the edge of your chair, haven't they? 
The one-point game with Texas Southern, two overtime games, thirteen 
times this year they've had a game decided by 5 points or less, and they 
win 12 of the 13.
    The President. It's amazing. They find a way to win. They keep 
getting themselves in trouble, but they find a way to win. Last night we 
had a watch party here at the White

[[Page 479]]

House, and we had a lot of folks from home there. And we had a 
cardiologist there--we were all glad he was there. We thought he was 
going to have to jumpstart half the crowd to get us through the end of 
the game. [Laughter]
    Mr. Bruno. They also keep you up very late also because of these 
overtime games. Can't you control CBS and have them put them on earlier? 
[Laughter]
    The President. No, I don't have any--you know, that's the first 
amendment; the President, more than anybody else in the country, has no 
control over the media.
    Mr. Bruno. President Bill Clinton is joining us from the Oval 
Office.
    Let's talk about--now the Arkansas Razorbacks are one more step--
actually, they're one step away from the Final Four. You've got the 
Sunday game. Is this team going to all the way? I want the Presidential 
prediction here now.
    The President. Well, I think they have the ability to do it and they 
have the heart to do it. They've got to find the right combinations and 
maintain their concentration. I think they tend to up their play. You 
know, the two best basketball games I saw all year were the two games 
they played against Kentucky. And one they won, and one they lost. So 
it's obvious that they have the talent and the heart to do it, and I 
think if they can really get to the end of the games mentally, I think 
they've got a good chance to make it.
    I was--I must say I was very impressed with the game Virginia played 
against Kansas last night. They were exhausted with 7 or 8 minutes left 
to go. I didn't know if they could get through the end of the game, but 
they somehow found the strength and the reserve to hang in there and win 
that game. So they've got a hard game to get by Virginia before they get 
to the Final Four. But I do think they have a chance to win.

The Presidency

    Mr. Wilson. President Clinton, frequently Presidents are accused of 
being out of touch with the people. They sit in the White House, they 
attend official functions, they don't get out with the regular people. 
You seemed to have really pushed very hard to be as normal as you can in 
the White House. Do you find it beneficial, even beyond the family 
aspects, to get out and to go to basketball games or a football game, 
that kind of thing?
    The President. Oh, I do. I think it's beneficial whenever the 
President can be in more normal circumstances for two reasons. First of 
all, it makes you remember that there's a real life beyond the White 
House and all the security apparatus that surrounds the President; it 
makes you feel better and kind of get back in touch with yourself. And 
secondly, it's important that the President see people in informal ways 
who are all kinds of citizens, that he relates to people without regard 
to their party or income or any other particular reason they might have 
to come to see the President in the White House. I think that's very 
important.
    This is a wonderful opportunity, and it's important that the 
President be, to some extent, removed from the day-to-day things of life 
because you've got to keep looking for the long run. You've got to do a 
lot of things in this job that are unpopular because you believe them to 
be best for America in the long run. But still, the biggest danger is 
just being out of touch. So I try to fight it, and I enjoy trying to 
fight it.
    Mr. Wilson. And it's tough to be normal in a sense because of all 
the security measures. You go to a game; it's not Bill Clinton going to 
the game, it's the President going to the game.
    The President. Yes, and I--you know, I love to go to basketball 
games. I made one Georgetown game, my alma mater, and one George 
Washington game here in Washington this year. And I tried to do it in a 
way that would be as least disruptive as possible. I don't like to make 
other people wait on me to get out of a basketball arena. I don't like 
to make people wait in line while I'm getting in and getting seated. I 
really--I'm reluctant to go out to these events because I don't like to 
inconvenience other people. But it's certainly a great deal of fun when 
I get there.

Baseball Strike

    Mr. Bruno. President Bill Clinton joining us from the Oval Office 
here on ESPN Radio. Tony Bruno and Chuck Wilson.

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    One of the things that we--none of us will be able to go to unless 
we want to go to replacement games is major league baseball. Mr. 
President, we all know the situation is now at a turning point. We would 
have liked a line-item veto a couple of weeks ago to eliminate some 
parties from the bargaining mix. [Laughter] Unfortunately, you weren't 
able to do that for us either.
    The President. We're about to pass the line-item veto. We're going 
to get that done. I don't know if I can apply it to baseball 
negotiations. I think it only applies to budgets, but it's not a bad 
idea. It's not too late.
    Mr. Bruno. Well, the American fans, almost are apathetic about this. 
We're a week away from opening day. The real games, obviously, aren't 
going to start, barring some miraculous development this coming week. 
What do you think is going to happen? Do you think that this thing will 
eventually be solved before the season is totally shot?
    The President. Well, I still think there's a chance. Mr. Usery, the 
person I appointed to mediate this, is still working. And of course, 
there are some developments involving--in the courts--involving the NLRB 
decisions that could have an impact on this. But I have to say, I will 
say again, I think both the players and the owners have to be aware that 
ultimately this game depends upon the fans. And if the fans finally get 
sick of it and decide they'd rather do something else, that's not good 
for baseball. And in the end, that is the ultimate hazard, that if it 
becomes so painfully clear that it's no longer a sport and it's just a 
business, then the customers may decide to take their business 
elsewhere. And that's what I think they all have to be sensitive to. 
They're about to run out this string. They need to resolve this.
    Mr. Wilson. The thing that is so frustrating is that this game is 
predicated so much on the history of the sport. And if we start the 
season with replacement ballplayers, it really puts a stain on the 
history of the game, doesn't it?
    The President. Well, sure, it does. Just like the strike last year. 
We had a chance to break records that had stood for decades, both 
because we had some great hitters having great seasons and, of course, 
because the expansion maybe spread the pitching a little thinner than 
the hitting. But for whatever reason, we were on the verge of having a 
shattering season in the best sense. And the American people were 
excited about it; they were into it. We had all kinds of people my age 
who hadn't thought about baseball in years that were back into it. And 
then, boom, all of a sudden there was the strike, and it was over.
    So I think if you put that with a season of replacement players, I 
think there's going to be a lot of diminished enthusiasm. I think people 
will be more interested in their minor league teams, the teams in their 
own little leagues in their communities, than they are in major league 
baseball. It could become a community support again--sport again--almost 
the way soccer is, if they don't fix it.

Michael Jordan

    Mr. Bruno. Mr. President, sooner or later baseball will be back; we 
all know that somehow, someway, will happen. Michael Jordan, though, 
returned recently now to the NBA, and Mike Tyson was just released from 
prison. So things aren't really all bad. We're seeing some of the big 
names in sports come back. Your thoughts on the return of Michael Jordan 
and Mike Tyson now back into the mainstream society.
    The President. Well, I think Jordan has played very well, 
considering the pressure that's been on him and how long he's been out 
of basketball. You know, he doesn't quite have his shot back yet. But 
he's played very well, and I'm amazed that--I know he was training for 
baseball, but it's still--it's a different sport that requires different 
skills. I'm amazed at how well he's gotten back into the flow of the 
game. And he makes the Bulls a different team because he in effect makes 
all those other guys more potent weapons as well. So I think--I don't 
know how quickly they'll get it all worked out, but when they do they'll 
be humming again.

NCAA Basketball Tournament

    Mr. Bruno.  All right, Mr. President, before we let you go--and we 
appreciate your time this morning--we've got to get--we know you like 
Arkansas. We need the Final Four prediction from President Bill Clinton.

[[Page 481]]

    The President. I don't want to get into that. I'm devoted to 
Arkansas, and of course, the Oklahoma State coach, Eddie Sutton, is a 
very close friend of mine. He coached at Arkansas for many years. And he 
has done a brilliant job, I think, in getting that team as far as it's 
gone. So I think--you know, I thought when we started the tournament 
that there were eight or nine teams that could win. Last year, when 
Arkansas won, I think, realistically, there were only about four teams 
that had a good chance to win. This year there really are eight or nine 
teams. And of course, now we're down to eight and I think every one of 
them--I can see a scenario where they could come out on top.
    UConn and UMass are both playing much better than they were along 
toward the end of the season. And UCLA has been stunning, and Kentucky, 
I don't think they've missed a shot since they beat Arkansas in 
overtime. So I wouldn't hazard a prediction. I think any of these teams 
that are left can win.
    Mr. Bruno. President Bill Clinton, taking the safe political route 
here on ESPN. Mr. President, we----
    The President. As long as you know who I'm for I don't have to 
predict who's going to win. [Laughter] I'm unambiguously for--
[laughter].
    Mr. Bruno. Mr. President, thank you so much for joining us here on 
ESPN Radio. We appreciate it.
    The President. Thanks, Tony. Thanks, Chuck. Bye-bye.

Note: The interview began at 10:57 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House and was embargoed for release until 6 p.m.