The LoHud Yankees Blog

To be perfectly honest, I went into today’s White House event with high hopes and low expectations. I didn’t expect to see much or hear much, and I wasn’t sure the writers would have any access to players after the ceremony itself. In the end, the day exceeded even my hopes. It was a fun event that the players and the President seemed to enjoy. Certainly different from my usual work day. Thankfully, the Associated Press was there to take pictures.

President Obama welcomed the Yankees into the East Room this afternoon, and celebrated their World Series championship by speaking more about the Yankees tradition than about their wins and losses.

He singled out Mark Teixeira’s work with a scholarship fund at his high school, and the spoke about Jorge Posada’s work for children with Craniosynostosis. He said that Derek Jeter “epitomizes” the tradition of the Yankees.

“What people tend to forget,” President Obama said. “Especially after watching their teams lose, is that being a Yankee is as much about character as it is about performance; as much about who you are as what you do. Being successful in New York doesn’t come easy, and it’s not for everybody. It takes a certain kind of player to thrive in the pressure cooker of Yankee Stadium -– somebody who is poised and professional, and knows what it takes to wear the pinstripes. It takes somebody who appreciates how lucky he is, and who feels a responsibility for those who are less fortunate.”

After the event, Jeter, Teixeira, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez and Joe Girardi met briefly with the media outside of the West Wing.

For whatever reason, I’m having trouble uploading audio at the moment, but I’ll try to get all of the President’s remarks posted to the blog as soon as possible. Until then, you can read a transcript at the White House website.

Luckily the Associated Press moved pictures quickly, which means you don’t have to see the bad pictures from my phone.