It seems fitting to me that Willie Mays would be extended more attention and respect than the President, even on his own plane. I was glad to see that the President was briefed on the background of the Giants marquee players, he seemed to know more about some of the Gigantes than he did his own White Sox. Great to see the Giants honored.
SF Giants' 'beautiful' visit to White House:
"The biggest cheers and longest ovation went not for the current Giants nor Obama, but for Willie Mays, who was introduced like so many foreign dignitaries who visit the White House.
Obama had fun with the Say Hey Kid at his own expense as he recounted his trip to the 2009 All-Star Game on Air Force One, with Mays on the flight as Obama's guest.
'It was an extraordinary trip,' Obama said. 'Very rarely when I'm on Air Force One am I the second most important guy on there. Everybody was just passing me by (and saying), 'Can I get you something, Mr. Mays?' '
More applause greeted the president's acknowledgment of the Giants' deeds in the community. He specifically cited Barry Zito's 'Strikeout for Troops' and the Giants being the first team to publicly support 'It Gets Better,' a campaign against bullying, particularly targeting gay youth, in hopes of stemming suicides.
'So that's what this team is about - characters with character,' Obama said. 'Even though this team is a little different, even though these players haven't always followed the traditional rules, one thing they know is how to win.'"
Transcript of the event:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=93898
Video Highlights of the event:
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bad8h
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