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The site was Washington, D.C., and everyone was naturally pissed off.
It’s Washington after all.
The air was a stuffy 76 degrees, and it was filled with an incongruent mixture of shouting for and against. Lots of noise. More noise than a crowd of 14,000-something should be able to generate. A mob finally surged, these activists as untamed as salivating French revolutionaries. Faces were contorted in anger. Spittle flew, quickly evaporating, the result of your standard Washingtonian defamation. Meanwhile, others were present simply for the opportunity.
Jan. 6, you say? No. Just another day in Washington? Almost.
“Bob Short, on your way to Texas, go to hell.”
The day was the Washington Senators’ last in D.C. — Sept. 30, 1971. On that final, inglorious day, the Senators had to forfeit to the New York Yankees, as more than 500 people stormed the field at RFK Stadium in the top of the ninth. They were described as hardcore fans, kids, and “nostalgia freaks,” stealing bases, ripping numbers and names off the scoreboard, and looking for anything else they could call a souvenir.
The Senators left for the greener ranch land of cattle country. And thus began the complicated history of the Texas Rangers.
It took a bit, but they finally made the ultimate triumphant return, as the Texas Rangers, 52 years later. No one then would likely have been surprised it took so long. The Rangers carried with them a bunch of baggage from the nation’s capital, including a mantra: “Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”
Those demons have now officially been exorcised, left behind in the house where some swear the ghost of Abigail Adams' laundry appears in the form of the scent of lavender. It's a weird place, this Washington, D.C., full of bad mojo.
On Thursday President Joe Biden welcomed the franchise to the White House for the traditional reception for the World Series champions.
“It’s been 50 years since the franchise left Washington,” said the president, who, like any chief executive, knows exactly how Bob Short felt on his way out of town. “You’re back in the nation’s capital as world champions and you deserve it.
“There’s word you all embody — resilience. You’re a hell of a resilient club, man. You never gave up. You kept the faith.”
His mention of getting “revenge” on the Astros drew huzzahs from the uber-partisan visitors who tagged along to watch the reception in the East Room.
“The American League West was as tough as it’s ever been,” Biden remarked. “The race was decided on the last day. Though they may not have clinched the division, you certainly got the last word in.”
The East Room is the space in the White House that has been used traditionally for public events and receptions because of its size. It’s the largest room in the executive residence.
Alice Roosevelt was married there, as was Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb. Of the eight presidents who have died in office, seven have lain in state in the East Room, including William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy in 1963.
No one made any comment about the Rangers’ 2024 World Series hopes doing the same, though, as we speak, it appears we may soon need to pay our respects.
But that’s for another day.
Watching from the just off the side with his penetrating blue-gray eyes was George Washington, father of his country, as portrayed by acclaimed artist Gilbert Stuart. It's the portrait Dolly Madison ordered saved before the British could get there with their match books in 1812.
History says that the tradition of sports teams visiting the White House dates to at least 1865, when President Andrew Johnson — as popular as Bob Short — hosted the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals amateur baseball clubs. Ulysses S. Grant played host to the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, in 1869.
The first White House soiree for a World Series championship team is believed to have taken place for, wait for it, this is worth it … the 1924 Washington Senators. Calvin Coolidge did the praising. It was not tent-revival evangelizing, you can count on it, not from Silent Cal.
The president was playful on Thursday, teasing Rangers starting pitcher and postseason star Nathan Eovaldi: “By the way, I want to know who the hell Nathan’s haberdasher is. I like his dress. Looking good, Nathan.”
Manager Bruce Bochy presented Biden with a Rangers jersey with his last name and the number “46” inscribed on the back, symbolizing his status as the 46th president. A pair of cowboy boots for the president followed.
“Thank you for your gracious remarks,” Rangers general manager Chris Young told the president. “You’ve provided us an unbelievable reception, for which we are extremely grateful.
“The character of this team and the resilience they demonstrated will forever define the 2023 Texas Rangers. These players made history and forever changed the perception of our franchise.”