from the New York Times

May 4, 2001

By DAVID STOUT

WASHINGTON, May 4 -- The White House Rose Garden belonged to the New York Yankees today as President Bush put aside the burdens of office to honor the World Series champions.

Mr. Bush showed himself to be not only a baseball fan but a good sport. "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," the president said to accompanying laughter.

Mr. Bush greeted the Yankees' principal owner, George Steinbrenner, and had particularly warm words for Manager Joe Torre. "I understand something about baseball," the president said. "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!"

Like the fan he is, Mr. Bush wandered down Memory Lane for a moment, recalling Torre's days with the St. Louis Cardinals. "One of the things everybody forgets about Joe is that he was a pretty darn good player himself," the President went on. "Thirty years ago he led the National League, with a .363 batting average, 137 RBI's, and it's sure good to welcome you back here Joe." (Mr. Bush might have added that Joe Torre hit 45 home runs in that 1971 season and was the National League's most valuable player.)

The president paid tribute to the much-traveled and seemingly ageless Don Zimmer, now a Yankee coach. Trivia buffs -- and all true baseball fans are trivia buffs -- will recall that one of the five teams Zimmer played for was the Washington Senators, and that three decades ago the Senators bade farewell to the capital and became the Texas Rangers, the future team of George Bush.

Clad in respectful business suits instead of pinstripes, the Yankees gave the president a World Series jersey.

"We believe there's a lot of magic in those pinstripes," the outfielder Paul O'Neill said. The Yankees have won three straight World Series and four of the last five.

An effusive Roger Clemens, elated to be making his first White House appearance as a Yankee World Series winner, gave the president a team ball as a memento.

And Tino Martinez gave the president a pendant for his wife, Laura. (Mr. Bush said he would pretend he had bought it.)

Mr. Bush offered thanks in Spanish to Yankees of Hispanic ancestry and posed for pictures with the players.

"I want to thank you for the honor and privilege of being invited to the White House," Torre said. "It's not our first trip, I'm happy to say -- "

"Right," the president interjected. " -- and hopefully it's not our last trip."