[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 18 (Monday, May 7, 2001)]
[Pages 703-704]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the 2000 World Series Champion New York Yankees

May 4, 2001

    Thank you. Please sit down. Well, it's my honor to welcome the 
mighty Yanks to the Rose Garden, a team that broke my heart many a time, 
as the owner of the Texas Rangers. [Laughter]
    I'm so glad you all are here, and I appreciate the mayor being 
here--the Yankees' number one fan--and members of the congressional 
delegation who are here, as well. Thank you all for coming.
    It's good to see my old fellow owner, ``the Boss.'' [Laughter] What 
a record you've had. A man who demands excellence and oftentimes gets 
it. [Laughter] But thank you for coming, George. I know the real boss of 
the Yankees is here, too, Arthur Richman. [Laughter] How are you, 
Arthur? Good to see you. I told you one of these days we would get to 
the White House. Just don't take any silverware, Arthur. [Laughter]
    It's good to see Randy and Brian Cashman. Thank you all for coming. 
I am--I understand something about baseball. It not only takes great 
players to win a championship, it takes a great manager, too. And I know 
all sports fans are impressed by the class of Joe Torre. What a heck of 
a man he is. And Don Zimmer, you're not so bad, either. [Laughter]
    But one of the things everybody forgets about Joe is that he was a 
pretty darn good player himself. Thirty years ago, he led the National 
League with a .363 batting average, 137 RBIs, and it's sure good to 
welcome you back here, Joe. [Laughter]
    And there are fellow Texans on this team, and around here that 
counts for something. [Laughter] So it's good to see ``the Rocket,'' a 
friend of my family's Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Chuck Knoblauch.
    I--something about the Yankees. It's one of the greatest names in 
sport. It's a tradition and a powerful tradition. I mean, you put on a 
uniform, it's just not work clothes; it's the uniform that Ruth wore or 
Gehrig wore, and you all have kept up that tradition. And for that, you 
need to be congratulated.
    It's interesting that we're hosting the great Yanks here in the Rose 
Garden, and then this Sunday there's a little different celebration 
taking place. It's a baseball celebration. But on the other side of the 
driveway down there, we've set up a tee-ball park. And it's a chance for 
moms and dads to bring tee-ball teams to celebrate the great sport of 
baseball right here on the hallowed grounds of the White House. Yankee 
Stadium is hallowed grounds, so is the White House.
    What's going to be interesting about that day is there is going to 
be some little kid

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trying to adjust his batting gloves just like Jeter does, or somebody 
trying to look like Mariano Rivera or somebody trying to emulate the 
swing of Tino Martinez. That's what's going to happen.
    And as a reminder to those who are on the field that a lot of kids 
look at you, they really do. And there's a lot of parents pulling for 
the Yanks to be champs not only on the field but off the field. And 
there's no question in my mind that these Yanks will rise to both 
occasions.
    Welcome to the White House.

Note: The President spoke at 10:32 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New 
York City; George Steinbrenner III, principal owner, Arthur Richman, 
senior adviser, Randy Levine, president, Brian Cashman, senior vice 
president and general manager, Joe Torre, manager, Don Zimmer, assistant 
manager, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera, pitchers, 
Chuck Knoblauch, outfielder, Derek Jeter, shortstop, and Tino Martinez, 
first baseman, New York Yankees.