Bush honors world champions
WASHINGTON -- The Red Sox, most of them without overcoats even though a cold wind was mocking their Florida tans, were standing on risers erected on the South Lawn of the White House for close to a half-hour yesterday afternoon, awaiting the arrival of their host. Suddenly, Sox captain Jason Varitek became aware of someone brushing past his elbow.
A second later, Varitek saw an outstretched hand, and a familiar face. "Hi," the man said. "George W. Bush."
"It freaked me out," Varitek said. "I was still looking to the right, and I didn't even see him when he came up. I said, `Hi, I'm Jason Varitek.' "
The moment gave his teammates a good laugh. "The president spooked our captain," Kevin Millar said. "You don't see our captain spooked much."
Bush gave the 2004 World Series winners their due, hustling over from a ceremony in which the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor, was awarded posthumously to Jackie Robinson. Robinson's widow, Rachel, accepted the award on behalf of the man who broke major league baseball's color line in 1947.
"A great day for America, and for baseball," Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said of the honor for Robinson, one in which the Sox had taken a lead role in the effort to have Robinson so honored, an irony not lost on the ball club, the last to integrate its big league roster in 1959.
Two Democrats from Massachusetts, Senator John Kerry and Representative Richard Neal, were among the sponsors of the bill awarding Robinson the medal. Back at the White House, there was considerably more levity.
"So, like, what took you so long?" Bush said upon his arrival back at the White House, not the first time he needled the Sox for going 86 years between World Series titles.
Bush, the former managing general partner of the Texas Rangers, was at ease as he joked with familiar faces like Sox chairman Tom Werner and Lucchino.
"You know, Lucchino, I knew you'd amount to something eventually," Bush said.
He offered a wisecrack aimed at Johnny Damon -- "It took a lot of guts and took a lot of hair." He saluted Curt Schilling, who campaigned on his behalf in Ohio, and Schilling's wife, Shonda, for their charity work, as well as "Senor Octubre," David Ortiz, for his humanitarian efforts in the Dominican Republic. Vice president Dick Cheney accompanied Bush to the ceremony. Schilling presented the president with a white uniform jersey that read, "Bush 43" on the back, while Varitek gave Cheney a red one that read, "Cheney 2."Of his exchange with the president, Millar said: "It was short and quick, but he said it was a pleasure to meet you, and even dropped in a `Cowboy Up,' which was neat. I said, `Hey, how you doing?' "He's so personable. He's a baseball guy, he's been there, so everyone here likes him."
Afterward, Damon was asked what he thought of the affair. "We don't think," he said. "We're idiots."
To which Varitek replied, "That was last year."
