{"id":165081,"date":"2023-08-08T10:13:35","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T17:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=165081"},"modified":"2023-08-08T10:14:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T17:14:10","slug":"president-biden-honoring-the-2022-world-series-champions-the-houston-astros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=165081","title":{"rendered":"President Biden Honoring the 2022 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please have a seat. AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you! THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you. My name is Joe Biden. I play center field. (Laughter.) At least I used to \u2014 at least I used to play center field. (Laughter.) Well, I\u2019ll tell you what: If you gave me a choice of standing here or on that riser, I\u2019m not sure which I\u2019d pick. (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-165082\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-570x380.jpg 570w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-701x467.jpg 701w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n-1067x711.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a celebration of the World Series Champions the Houston Astros Monday, August 7, 2023, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Katie Ricks)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TZkk0C20njg\" title=\"President Biden Welcomes the Houston Astros to the White House\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Welcome, guys. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. And I want to welcome to the White House the 2022 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>From team owner Jim Crane to manager Dusty Baker \u2014 a name kno- \u2014 known to many of you \u2014 (applause) \u2014 to the players and everyone in the organization, it\u2019s great to have you here. It really is great to have you here.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s great to see so many of your fans, including the Second Gentleman and Representatives Al Green \u2014 (applause) \u2014 Randall Weber. Where \u2014 where is Al? Is Al here? Th- \u2014 there you are. I\u2019m making sure I can see you, Al. I \u2014 because, I know, if I don\u2019t see \u2014 if he doesn\u2019t see me, that cane hurts. (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>REPRESENTATIVE GREEN: We\u2019ll be back next year, Mr. President. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: And Randall Weber \u2014 where is Randall?<\/p>\n<p>AUDIENCE MEMBER: Right here.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Oh, there you go, Randall. (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>REPRESENTATIVE WEBER: We will be back next year. (Inaudible.) (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: I tell you \u2014 and if you want anybody, you want Sheila Jackson Lee on your team because you don\u2019t want to be on the opposite side of her. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>REPRESENTATIVE LEE: (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: You\u2019re playing every minute, I tell you.<\/p>\n<p>Look \u2014 who has the distinction of representing Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros, by the way.<\/p>\n<p>The Houston Astros: legends of Space City. (Applause.) The legends of Space City.<\/p>\n<p>Now, you know, 100 years from now, they\u2019ll wonder what the hell that was: the Space City. (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>A hundred and six regular season wins, the best American League in the sea- \u2014 the best season in the \u2014 of the \u2014 in the American League. Twenty-one shutouts of opposing teams \u2014 (applause) \u2014 the most in the entire league, including the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>Swept the Mariners, the Yankees in the American League playoffs. (Applause.) And then, although I love these guys, this next part is hard to say \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 then they beat the si- \u2014 the Phillies in six games to win the World Series. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Now, you all realize that means I can\u2019t go back to Philly, you know. (Laughter.) Oh, I kid.<\/p>\n<p>Look, led by World Series MVP \u2014 wh- \u2014 where is Jeremy? Jeremy \u2014 raise your hand so everybody sees you \u2014 Pe\u00f1a. (Applause.) The first rookie position player to earn the honor. First \u2014 first, first. Led by five All-Stars, as well as a group of pitchers who pitched the first combined no-hitter in postseason history. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And you guys just weren\u2019t satisfied winning the World Series, man. You guys (inaudible).<\/p>\n<p>I tell you, remarkable achievements led by \u2014 and this is not hyperbole \u2014 the legendary Dusty Baker. (Applause.) Worst part about it is I remember rooting for him as a kid, and I was older than he was. (Laughter.) (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>Dusty, it wasn\u2019t easy. People counted you out, saying you were past your prime. Hell, I know something about that. (Laughter.) I know something about that. (Laughs.)<br \/>\nDusty is a former Marine and a man of faith who has never given up with a \u2014 with a record to prove it. An All-Star player, three-time \u2014 three-time Manager of the Year, the first coach to lead five teams to the postseason in all of baseball history, and, finally, World Series champion as a player and a manager. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>There were plenty of folks rooting for the Astros, but the whole country was rooting for Dusty Baker, I promise you that. The whole country.<\/p>\n<p>Look, and this team didn\u2019t just step up on the field, you stepped up for the community. I think I was mentioning this to the guys a little \u2014 a few minutes earlier. You focused on issues that are near and dear to my heart \u2014 I mean that sincerely \u2014 like raising awareness on domestic violence.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I spent a lot of my career writing the Violence Against Women Act. I think the only \u2014 my dad used to have an expression that the idea \u2014 the idea that the abuse of power \u2014 any man who raises his hand to a woman \u2014 is just a frigging coward.<\/p>\n<p>And, you know, your support for \u2014 for kids with cancer. Me and my family and many families in America \u2014 that cuts very personally. And we started up the Biden Cancer Initiative and the Cancer Moonshot. We brought researchers, non-profits, advocates, patients to end cancer as we know it \u2014 including pediatric cancer, which is often not researched.<\/p>\n<p>You know, then, during terrible winter of 2021, you stepped up helping those most in need.<\/p>\n<p>And it matters. Don\u2019t under estimate it, guys. It\u2019s an American thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>You showed up for the people of Uvalde when they needed it<br \/>\nthe most. I spent a lot of time in Uvalde, met every single family. I made sure I met every single solitary family and spent time with them.<\/p>\n<p>And I don\u2019t know \u2014 (referring to the teleprompter) \u2014 you know, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing with that machine. They\u2019re just rolling along here.<\/p>\n<p>But the point is: The \u2014 you know, I think \u2014 I think you athletes underestimate how much hope you give. Not a joke. I\u2019m not being \u2014 this is not hyperbole. I give you my word.<\/p>\n<p>Every one of those kids \u2014 and when you guys decided \u2014 the men who decided to roll up and take 300 of these kids and their families to the ballgame, it gave them \u2014 it gave them a little bit of hope.<\/p>\n<p>Well, some \u2014 some of you have loss in your life. You understand it. It\u2019s astounding what you do. I really mean it. And it meant a great deal. I \u2014 one of the reasons why I like you guys so damn much.<\/p>\n<p>You know, the community was devastated. And you guys \u2014 my dad used to say, \u201cHalf of winning is showing up.\u201d You showed up.<\/p>\n<p>You spent time with the surviving students. You gave them hope. You played ball in the park with them. You signed jerseys with their names of the children that were lost on it.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, it really \u2014 it validates in ways I don\u2019t think you really understand.<\/p>\n<p>You hosted a \u201cUvalde Storm Day\u201d \u2014 \u201cStrong Day.\u201d And, as I said, 3,000 Uvalde residents \u2014 provided buses to bring them to the game.<\/p>\n<p>You guys are the real deal.<\/p>\n<p>And the victim \u2014 the victim\u2019s sister, Faith Mata, whose sister, Tess, was killed, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Imagine what it was like for her standing on that mound \u2014 or standing near it. Imagine what it was like and what it \u2014 what it did.<\/p>\n<p>It really matters, I promise you. I promise you.<\/p>\n<p>And this team said to the community that, \u201cYou\u2019re family. You\u2019re neighbors. We want to do whatever we can to help you get through this process. And if it\u2019s just a smile on a Sunday for our game, that\u2019s what we want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what you did. You did a whole lot more.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, sports is about winning. But it\u2019s a lot more than that. At best, it lifts people up, it brings them together, it helps them be there for each other.<\/p>\n<p>I was honored to host the 2- \u2014 2022 Houston Astros \u2014 2022<br \/>\nHouston Astros here at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, congratulations. I didn\u2019t bother \u2014 I didn\u2019t even say that part yet. (Laughter and applause.) You know \u2014 no \u2014 I \u2014 I\u2019ve done a lot of these. You\u2019re an impressive group of men. I mean, you really are. From management on down \u2014 to ownership. I mean, you care.<\/p>\n<p>And I \u2014 this is not part of the program here, guys, but I\u2019ll bet you you were surprised their \u2014 it gave you heart to see the reaction that people had to those kids when you took them out on the field.<\/p>\n<p>It matters. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.<\/p>\n<p>And folks, let me end by saying God bless you all and may God protect our troops.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, thank you.<\/p>\n<p>With that \u2014 (applause) \u2014 I\u2019m going to bring out the guy \u2014 totally unknown to all of you \u2014 Jim Crane \u2014 to say a few words. (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MR. CRANE: Mr. President, First Lady, on behalf of my family \u2014 I got most of my crew here today \u2014 and the h- \u2014 entire \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: And James.<\/p>\n<p>MR. CRANE: Yes, that\u2019s Big James \u2014 and the entire Houston organization, thank you for having us at \u2014 at this afternoon here. It\u2019s a great honor. And we appreciate the hospitality. The staff has been great, very welcoming. And I\u2019d like to thank them.<\/p>\n<p>And today is a special day. It\u2019s not only for the player \u2014 these great players and coaches work hard every day. But we have a lot of our people. We got some announcers in here. I parked car with \u2014 cars with that guy when I was 16 in St. Louis.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Oh, is that right?<\/p>\n<p>MR. CRANE: We\u2019re still parking cars. (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>And so, the whole organization pitches in. I don\u2019t think everybody realizes how hard everyone works, from the announcers, guys cleaning the stadium. All those jobs are very important. And it really helped us win 2022. It was a very, very \u2014 a team effort from these great players and our entire group here today. And I appreciate everybody coming up today.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re here representing the city of Houston. We have some \u2014 some politicians over there we know very well. And thank you for the great support.<\/p>\n<p>But we have the best fans in \u2014 fans in baseball. And we want to thank our fans. Without the fans \u2014 I tell everybody the fans pay the bills. (Laughter.) They pay the salary. I\u2019m just \u2014 I\u2019m just a little conduit. And we wouldn\u2019t be \u2014 be here without all that support.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing \u2014 we were lucky to pick off Dusty a few years ago, and Dusty has an unbelievable career. Everyone knows that. But this year, he won a World Series. He hadn\u2019t won a World Series, believe it or not.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Played one.<\/p>\n<p>MR. CRANE: And I\u2019m happy to turn it over to him. And I\u2019m proud to have Dusty as our manager. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MR. BAKER: Thank you. (Laughter.) Thanks, Jim. Good afternoon. And we\u2019re honored to be here today to represent the city of Houston and this organization.<\/p>\n<p>President Biden, First Lady Dr. Biden, and your team, we thank you for inviting us to this celebration of our championship. These guys deserve it. And we thank you for the hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>These guys standing behind me are the greatest guys that I\u2019ve been around. They always believed in themselves. (Applause.) They always believed in themselves, prior to me even coming here, that they had the ability to win. And they show what perseverance and character can do for you.<\/p>\n<p>I have these readings every day that I read. And that was about \u2014 today was perseverance. And perseverance has been, you know, the biggest part of my life. And perseverance has been the biggest part of these guys\u2019 life or else you can\u2019t make it to the promised land like we did.<\/p>\n<p>These guys, you know, were a group of veterans alongside some incredible young men who stepped into big shoes and made big plays for the biggest stage. We all know baseball is a long season, and they came to play every day. That\u2019s what we talk about all the time.<\/p>\n<p>They were consistent in their personalities and confidence, and they had each other with unwavering support for each other and love for each other. I mean, I think that is probably one of the biggest things that this team has, compared to other teams that I\u2019ve been in the past, is that they genuinely loved each other.<\/p>\n<p>And when I asked the late Bill Russell what was the keys to the Celtics, who \u2014 whom I didn\u2019t like very well, he told me \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 he told me that they loved each other.<\/p>\n<p>2022 was never about one individual. It was about a group of men coming together to accomplish something very special for this city that supported them. I love them all. You\u2019ve got to love each and every one of them. And it\u2019s only a way to come together in a special feeling that is tough to describe and hard to repeat. But we play on repeating exactly that feat. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Houston is a great city with great people and great fans. Hands down, they\u2019re the best baseball fans in America, and we couldn\u2019t have done it without their support. I said that night we won that if we won one, we\u2019d win two. And so, now I got to keep my word. I like keeping my word. (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019re in the middle of making it happen right now, coming off a great series in New York heading into a big series in Baltimore. Probably the biggest series that Baltimore has had in a while, but \u2014 but \u2014 (laughter and applause). Hey, I\u2019m known to be honest, you know. No harm intended.<\/p>\n<p>And, you know, thank you, Mr. President and your staff, for having us here today. It\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m going to throw it back to Jim to present a special gift to Mr. President. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>(Mr. Crane presents the President with an Astros jersey.) (Applause.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please have a seat. AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you! THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you. My name is Joe Biden. I play center field. (Laughter.) At least I used to \u2014 at least I used to play center field. (Laughter.) Well, I\u2019ll tell you what: If you gave me [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":165082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/365162240_625962419717882_5989759845088281341_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=165081"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165083,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165081\/revisions\/165083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/165082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=165081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=165081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=165081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}