I Saw Big Papi In a Side Car

I snuck down to the White House this afternoon to catch a glimpse of the Red Sox as they visited President Bush on the South Lawn in honor of their World Series championship (which now seems so long ago - or does it?). I didn't have a ticket. I didn't know tickets were available, but unless you were a VIP, ie "White House staffer," "Boston Brahmin," or "related to Ted Kennedy," it was impossible to get in. In all seriousness, though, who were those people in line with tickets? "I just got lucky" some guy told me. Yeah, right.

Anyhow, I figured the best chance to see anything was to go around the White House and look in through the fence around the South Lawn. I couldn't see much except the crowd filtering in and the elevated media stand. I stood around for a while and talked baseball with an older guy who had also come around to see the ceremony in 2004. Around 2:45, the White House police told us that the area was closed and that we would have to move on. Walking towards the other side of the White House we saw a caravan of 4 buses. I sprinted towards them as they pulled into the back driveway. People waved, snapped photos, and held up jerseys as the buses arrived.

After they parked, we waited for the players to get off. And waited. And waited. It then dawned on me the team was probably already in the building and these buses had just arrived to pick them up for their trip to Walter Reed hospital afterwards. So I stood around for a while with some students from George Washington and Catholic. Talked a little baseball and small talk until we saw some feet under the bushes in front of the White House exit – they were coming out.

And then the highlight of the day – David Ortiz plops down in the side car of a police motorcycle. (Coco Crisp was hanging around it, too). We thought it was just a photo-op, but then Big Papi put a helmet on and was ready to go. A crowd of about two dozen of us were eagerly waiting at the gate as Ortiz and the buses rolled out. (I snapped the photo on my camera that's posted above). I could also spot Kevin Youkilis and Terry Francona on the buses (the bald heads are easier to see through the tint, I guess) and waved to waving faceless figures on board.

And then they were gone.

But overall, what a great surprise going from not seeing a thing from the street to having Big Papi riding shotgun 5 feet in front of me rolling out of the White House. A fine start to the season for sure.