Boston Red Sox honored at White House for 2nd time in 4 years

They have guys nicknamed Big Papi and Dice-K and Bones. They have a star pitcher who famously danced in his underwear and a left fielder who is such a sublime hitter that he gets away with being loopy.\nSo when the Boston Red Sox, World Series champions, arrived at the White House Wednesday, President George W. Bush had a blast.\n“I love the fact that you’ve got some of the game’s biggest stars,” Bush said, honoring the team on a chilly day on the South Lawn. “I mean, Big Papi. The guy lights up the screen.”\nThat would be David Ortiz, the lumbering left-handed slugger and team leader who proudly held the World Series trophy.\nThen, in a line that surprised even the players, Bush sent a zinger toward absent left fielder Manny Ramirez.\n“I guess his grandmother died again,” Bush said to prolonged laughter. “Just kidding.”\nRamirez says his various antics are just a matter of “Manny being Manny.” He also missed the Red Sox 2005 World Series ceremony at the White House because he was visiting a sick grandmother, he said.\nBush said he did not mean to poke fun at Ramirez, then did so again.\n“I do want to quote him,” Bush said. “He said, ‘When you don’t feel good, and you still get hits, that’s when you know you’re a bad man.’ I don’t know what that means. But if bad man means good hitter, he’s a really bad man, because he was clutch in the World Series.”\nWith their second World Series title in four years, the Red Sox looked comfortable as returning guests on the South Lawn. Boston had not won the title for 86 years until the 2004 squad swept the St. Louis Cardinals.\nBush noted the pitching of Japanese player Daisuke Matsuzaka, known as Dice-K. His presence drew a huge number of Japanese reporters.\n“His press corps is bigger than mine,” Bush said. “And we both have trouble answering questions in English.”\nThen there was Jonathan Papelbon, the relief pitcher who danced in the Fenway Park infield in his underwear when the Red Sox won the pennant.\n“Thanks for wearing pants,” Bush told him.\nMore than a thousand people came out to see the champs, from the White House chief of staff to the policy wonks to the press aides.\nThese Red Sox were on the brink of getting bounced from the playoffs one round before the World Series before rallying against the Cleveland Indians. Then they swept the Colorado Rockies in four games.