[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 3 (Monday, January 22, 2007)]
[Pages 43-45]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 44]]

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 LaRussa, 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 LaRussa--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 LaRussa 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 LaRussa has combined his love of 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

[[Page 45]]

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]

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.