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| Photo Credit: AP. |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday the Atlanta Braves will be “forever known as the upset kings of October” for their improbable 2021 World Series win, as he welcomed the team to the White House for a victory celebration.
Biden called
the series an “unstoppable, joyful run.” The team got its White House victory
visit in with just over a week left before the 2022 regular season wraps up and
playoffs begin again. The Braves are just two wins behind first place in the
National League East. Chief Executive Officer Terry McGuirk said he hoped
they’d be back to the White House again soon.
In August
2021, the Braves were a mess, playing barely at .500. But then they started
winning. And they kept doing it, clinching the World Series in six games over
the Houston Astros.
Biden called
their come-from-behind win one of “history’s greatest turnarounds.”
“This team
has literally been part of American history for over 150 years,” said Biden. “But
none of it came easy ... people counting you out. Heck, I know something about
being counted out.”
Players
lined up on risers behind Biden, grinning and waving to the crowd, but the
player most discussed was one who hasn’t been on the team in nearly 50 years
and who died last year: Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.
Hammerin’
Hank was the homerun king for 33 years, dethroning Babe Ruth with a high flier
to centerfield on April 8, 1974. He was one of the most famous players for
Atlanta and in baseball history, a vocal and clear-eyed chronicler of the many
hardships thrown his way — from the poverty and segregation of his Alabama
youth to the racist threats he faced during his pursuit of one of America’s
most hallowed records. He died in January at age 86.
“This is
team is defined by the courage of Hank Aaron,” Biden said.
McGuirk said
Aaron, who held front office positions with the team and was one of Major
League Baseball’s few Black executives, was watching over them.
“He’d have
been there every step of the way with us if he was here,” McGuirk added.
The
president often honors major league and some college sports champions with a
White House ceremony, typically a nonpartisan affair in which the commander in
chief pays tribute to the champs’ prowess, poses for photos and comes away with
a team jersey.
Those visits
were highly charged in the previous administration. Many athletes took issue
with President Donald Trump’s policies and rhetoric on policing, immigration
and more. Trump, for his part, didn’t take kindly to criticism from athletes or
their on-field expressions of political opinion.
Under Biden,
the tradition appears to be back. He’s hosted the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks
and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the White House. Biden on
Monday joked about first lady Jill Biden’s Philadelphia allegiances.
“Like every
Philly fan, she’s convinced she knows more about everything in sports than
anybody else,” he said. He added that he couldn’t be too nice to the Atlanta
team because it had just beaten the Phillies the previous night in extra
innings.