WASHINGTON — White Sox fanatic President Obama yesterday buried his hometown pride and welcomed the greatest team in baseball to a rousing White House ceremony to honor the World Series champion Yankees.
Obama praised the Yanks for their stellar on-field play and off-the-field good works at the packed gathering in the gilded East Room, shook hands and chatted with team members, and joined the Bronx Bombers for a historic group photo.
“For the millions of Yankee fans in New York and around the world who bleed blue, nothing beats that Yankee tradition: 27 World Series titles, 48 Hall of Famers — a couple, I expect, standing behind me right now,” Obama told a crowd of dignitaries and fans with a bank of TV cameras rolling.
“From Ruth to Gehrig, Mantle to DiMaggio, it’s hard to imagine baseball without the long line of legends who’ve worn the pinstripes.
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“It’s the players and coaches who shoulder a legacy unlike any other but who share a belief that anybody blessed with first-class talent also has an obligation to be a first-class person,” Obama said.
He singled out Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada for their charitable works and praised the team for visiting wounded warriors yesterday at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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“It’s been nine years since your last title — which must have felt like an eternity for Yankee fans. I think other teams would be just fine with a spell like that. The Cubs, for example,” Obama joked.
Manager Joe Girardi presented Obama with a pinstripe jersey with the number 27 on it, in recognition of the team’s record-winning number of World Series championships.
Obama chatted briefly with players as he shook hands.
“Good to see you, big man,” he said when he spotted 6-foot-7, 290-pound pitcher CC Sabathia.
The Yankees’ core four — Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Posada — was visiting the White House for the fifth time after previous post-title trips to see presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
There were loud cheers when the Yanks entered the room, followed by shouts of “Hip, Hip, Jorge!” for Posada.
The Yanks got a private tour of historic rooms in the White House but not the Oval Office.
They had to endure plenty of ribbing from the commander-in-chief — a well-known White Sox fan.
“This is a team that goes down to spring training every year expecting to win it all — and more often than not, you guys get pretty close,” he said.
“Of course, if I had [Mariano] Rivera, I’d get pretty close, too.”
He said their attitude and success have always made the Yankees easy to love “and, let’s face it, easy to hate as well.”
When it came time for Obama to pose for a photograph with the team, someone suggested they bring up the World Series trophy, which was on display in the room.
“Do you want to hold it? You might not get another chance!” shouted out Jean Afterman, the team’s assistant GM.
Obama fired back: “And you wonder why other teams don’t root for you!”
“I’m so honored. I’m, to be honest, awestruck to be around him,” Alex Rodriguez said after the event. “I thought he was very gracious.”
A-Rod said he wasn’t bothered by Obama’s occasional taunts.
“We all understand he’s a huge White Sox fan, and that’s OK. He wears his heart on his sleeve; there’s no doubt about it,” he said.