[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 7 (Monday, February 20, 2006)]
[Pages 235-237]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox

February 13, 2006

    The President. Welcome. Thank you. Be seated. They may be playing 
basketball, but it's always baseball season here. [Laughter]
    The last time the Chicago White Sox won the World Series was 1917. 
President Woodrow Wilson was living here. Reinsdorf, I don't know if you 
came here then or not. [Laughter] There were only eight teams in the 
American League, and the league leader hit a total of nine home runs. 
After 88 years of waiting, the White Sox have earned the right to be 
called world champs, and we're glad you're here.
    First of all, I want to welcome Jerry Reinsdorf. Some of my most 
joyous times in my life have been during--as a baseball owner. Harold 
Baines may not have thought they were so joyous, since we never won 
much. [Laughter] And one of the reasons that I ended up in baseball with 
my partners is because of Jerry Reinsdorf's help, and I want to thank 
you for that now that we've got the team here. I know how much you love 
the game, and I know how much you love the Chicago White Sox. And so it 
had to be a thrilling moment for you and Eddie and the owners that were 
patient for all those years you didn't win. And so I congratulate you 
from the bottom of my heart, and thank you for your friendship. It's 
great to see you.
    I appreciate Ken Williams, a man who obviously knows what he's doing 
who is--was able to put a team together. It's easy to put stars on the 
field. The hard thing about baseball is to put people who can play 
together, and I congratulate you for being a great general manager.
    I welcome Ed Farmer and the broadcasting team. Eddie, good to see 
you again. Thanks. I can see they all remember you--at least one person 
does. [Laughter]
    It's good to be here with Bob DuPuy of baseball. I thought you're 
here to sign the lease, you know, but it's--[laughter]--another subject.
    I do want to thank the members of my Cabinet who are here. It's 
great to see you all. I thought you all told me you were Red Sox fans. 
[Laughter]
    I want to thank Senator Durbin and Senator Obama from the great 
State of Illinois, and Don Manzullo and Roy LaHood--Ray LaHood. Thank 
you all for coming.
    I--my question to most of these folks was like, ``Were you White Sox 
fans at the beginning of the season?'' [Laughter]
    Audience member. Yes, he puts us on the spot.
    The President. Yes, he did. No, I'm not putting you on the spot. But 
I know one person--elected official who was a White Sox fan at the 
beginning of the season. As a matter of fact, he was a White Sox fan at 
the beginning of his life. He's been forever a White Sox fan. He is a 
great mayor of a great city, and that's the mayor, his honor, Dick 
Daley. Thanks for coming.
    Roland Hemond, good to see you, Roland. Thank you. Just showing off 
my baseball knowledge. Anybody that knows--[laughter]--knows Roland 
Hemond knows something about baseball. And it's good to see Harold 
Baines and the other coaches.
    I understand Ozzie is on vacation, which I fully understand. If he's 
a Caribbean guy, taking a look at the weather forecast up here yesterday 
would have made me not want to

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come as well. [Laughter] But I want to congratulate Ozzie Guillen, as 
well as the team and the staff, the coaching staff, and the managers, 
and all those who worked hard to make these guys ready to play. And I 
want to congratulate Ozzie on being a great manager, manager of the 
year, as well as becoming a United States citizen earlier this year. 
We're proud to have him as an American citizen.
    I don't want to bring up the Sosa trade, so I won't--[laughter].
    Audience member. Please don't.
    The President. I won't. [Laughter] But it's great to see you. Harold 
Baines is one class act. I mean, that guy can not only hit, but he 
brought a lot of class into the clubhouse, and I'm really proud to see 
you here, Harold. Congratulations to you and the buddies you're working 
with.
    And to the players, congratulations. We're really proud to have you 
here at the White House. It means a lot for baseball fans, White Sox 
fans, all across the country that you would take time to come and be 
honored here at the White House, and it's my great honor to honor you. 
It's a big deal to have you here.
    The amazing thing about this team is you went wire to wire, which is 
really hard to do. You win one-nothing on opening day, and like, they're 
in your rearview mirror for the rest of the season. It takes a lot to 
win 99 games and to remain in the lead and not falter. And it says 
something about the character of the team that you put together and the 
character of the players.
    I got a firsthand report from the World Series from two people I 
love dearly who had actually front-row seats, and that would be my 
mother and father. [Laughter] I'm not going to tell you who they were 
rooting for, but it didn't have much effect on the outcome of the 
series, I'll put it to you that way. [Laughter]
    I was impressed as a baseball guy--at least somebody who follows it 
still, closely--that you had four complete games in a row in the 
playoffs. That's a good strategy, Jerry, to keep the bullpen--
[laughter]--keep the bullpen fresh. [Laughter]
    You know, there was great players, but nobody off the chart, if you 
know what I mean, which means you competed as a team. Jermaine Dye had 
an interesting quote that I think is worth sharing with people who are 
paying attention at this moment. He said, ``From the start of spring 
training, everybody was hungry.'' He didn't say one player was hungry or 
a guy going into arbitration was hungry or a free agent for next year 
was hungry. He said everybody was hungry. They're--everybody wanted to 
go out there and win together. Everybody was pulling on the same rope. 
That's why you're the world champs. Everybody was pulling on the same 
rope. And that's what we're here to honor, a great championship team.
    I congratulate Jermaine for being the MVP of the World Series. I 
congratulate Paul for being the MVP of the American League Championship 
Series. It must be a pretty cool feeling to hit a grand slam in the 
World Series. I didn't get one in Little League, much less the World 
Series. [Laughter] And you had a grand slam; you caught the last out of 
the season; and you witnessed the birth of your child all in the same 
month. Man, what a special month. The Lord has blessed you. That's why 
you're called Mr. ``Soxtober.'' [Laughter]
    I know the effect you had on White Sox fans, and it must have been 
electrifying. One women in her 90s said, ``I've been a Sox fan all my 
life; I never thought I'd live to see the day.'' Think about that--think 
about the joy that you all put in the hearts of this 90-year-old person, 
and probably some young ones, too, that were pulling for the White Sox.
    The people of Chicago turned out en masse not only because you were 
baseball champs but because you have brought some character to the city. 
I want to applaud the organization for supporting inner-city Little 
League. I think it's really important for this great State of baseball 
to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport 
is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to--
the beauty of playing baseball.
    I appreciate the baseball fields you're building in Chicago, kind of 
little centers of hope, little diamonds of joy for people to come and be 
able to play the greatest game ever invented. I appreciate the Chicago 
White Sox Charities, your support of cancer

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research and cancer treatment in the metropolitan area. Most of all, I 
appreciate the fact that these players understand they're setting 
examples for young boys and girls all across Chicago, as well as the 
country. You're setting the example that serving something greater than 
yourself is important in life; coming together as a team is a heck of a 
lot more important and satisfying than worrying about your own batting 
average or your own ERA.
    And so here we are in the White House, Jerry, honoring the great 
Chicago White Sox. I'm proud to be with you. God bless your championship 
and God continue to bless the country.
    Paul Konerko. Mr. President, on behalf of our organization and all 
the fans on the South Side and all over the world, we want to present 
you with this jersey and jacket.
    The President. I thought you were going to give me a loan. 
[Laughter]
    Jermaine Dye. And also, we know deep down you probably wish this was 
a Houston Astros jacket. [Laughter]
    The President. Now wait a minute----
    Mr. Dye. Hopefully this will do.
    Mr. Konerko. Thanks for having us here today.
    The President. Actually it was a Texas Rangers jacket. [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 2:35 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman, Harold 
Baines, bench coach, Eddie Einhorn, vice chairman, Ken Williams, general 
manager, Ed Farmer, radio broadcaster, Roland Hemond, executive adviser 
to the general manager, Ozzie Guillen, manager, Jermaine Dye, 
outfielder, and Paul Konerko, first baseman, Chicago White Sox; Robert 
A. DuPuy, president and chief operating officer, Major League Baseball; 
Mayor Richard B. Daley of Chicago, IL; and Sammy Sosa, outfielder, 
Baltimore Orioles.