A ROYAL WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT
By mlblogsstevestewart1
There was a parade, a flag raising, a ring ceremony, a gold jersey, and finally, a White House visit! After a second Royals World Championship, this was a second visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I was lucky enough to be invited, and here are some images I captured on our whirlwind trip…
Ned Yost had the honor of presenting President Obama with his very own Royals World Championship jersey. I was struck by how humbled the players were by the surroundings and by the presence of the President. They were like little kids with their excitement.
I was also struck how the East Room, a place that has been the site of so many big moments in our nation’s history, could become the site of such a huge Royals pep rally! It is the largest room in the White House and is used for press conferences, swearing-in of cabinet members and Supreme Court justices, and receptions for foreign leaders. Also seven presidents who died in office lay in repose in this room, most recently President Kennedy in 1963.
While I felt great joy in seeing the players humbled by their surroundings, I couldn’t help but feel admiration for David and Dan Glass, for Dayton Moore, for Ned Yost and for Royals Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Kevin Uhlich. Their leadership of the entire organization laid the foundation for all the success of the back to back World Series appearances and the World Championship. These images will live on forever, just like the champagne showers and the parade.
When we left the hotel and headed for the White House a few blocks away, we traveled in style! That logo never gets old!
Me with two great American images. Hud and I are waiting for the ceremony to begin. The White House really is a museum. Built in 1800, John Adams was its first resident. In 1814 it was set ablaze during the War of 1812. The interior was destroyed as well as much of the exterior. During much of the Truman Administration the mansion was a construction zone, rebuilt with steel beams, fortifying the structure to the present day.
This plate and platter from George Washington’s days is among the amazing displays in the China Room. It’s on the Ground floor of the White House.
Ned Yost and Don Wakamatsu looking at the history on display in the China Room, which is used by the First Lady for teas and smaller meetings.
Rusty Kuntz and I pose under this portrait of Abraham Lincoln. It hangs in the State Dining Room. This was our waiting room before going into the East Room for the ceremony. It was painted in 1869. Lincoln’s descendants donated it to the White House in 1939.
Here we are in the Red Room. Cheslor Cuthbert taking a photo of Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando. Ches is from Nicaragua and Paulo is from Brazil. The American players were in awe…so were the international players. The Red Room has often been used as a parlor and music room…and presidents have had small parties in the Red Room as well.
Out the window from this south side of the White House, you see the Washington Monument framed by the columns on the South Portico. Not a bad view!
Josh Earnest is the White House Press Secretary. He’s also as big a Royals fan as you’ll find anywhere. He helped Ryan and Joel pull off a great prank on Steve Physioc, who thought he had lost his World Series ring at the ballpark the previous day. Ryan brought it to the White House and after the ceremony he gave it to Josh to surprise Phys. He said “look…they gave me a World Series ring! But it says Physioc on the side!” Well played!
This photo is from last season when Steve, Joel and I had the pleasure of visiting Josh during the Royals stay in Baltimore. Josh allowed us to sit in on his daily briefing, and had us in for lunch. Standing at the podium can give a person delusions of grandeur. But not me!
By now you probably know Josh attended the Barstow School in KC and went to Rice University. He’s an impressive guy and has a bright future to go with his bright present. When asked what he’ll do when January 20th 2017 arrives, he says “I’ll probably take a vacation…”
Curt Nelson is the Director of the Royals Hall of Fame. He’s also the “keeper of the trophy,” which means he brought it to the White House. This is how he packs it, with a pillow in the middle and he carries it in a bag and then in a protective case. But on the airplane, the trophy gets its own seat, so Curt can always keep it within sight. The trunk that carries the trophy goes underneath in the cargo hold.
