Apparently, the White House doesn't waste its time proofreading its official announcements. The Boston Red Sox will celebrate their World Series championship at the White House on Thursday, amid controversy with several players skipping out on the event for various reasons. The White House and President Donald Trump are set to welcome the team at 3:45 p.m. ET, without manager Alex Cora, and players such as Mookie Betts and David Price. Whoever is in charge of making the official announcement either doesn't know a thing about sports, apparently can't be bothered with a Google search or ask anyone to proofread before hitting send. White House.gov Here is what the White House said is happening on Thursday with an Upcoming Events post. "President Trump Welcomes the 2018 World Series Champions The Boston Red Socks to the White House," the official White House website says. Let's hope the "Boston Red Socks" at least enjoy the fast food they will probably receive. After the team had finished its visit, a trip Red Sox legend David Ortiz said he would not have made, the White House sent an email to let people see what Trump said while the World Series champs were there. Unfortunately, there is no World Cup Series. But if we could do some sort of baseball-soccer hybrid to rival BASEketball, we should get some people together to make that happen ASAP.<doc-sep>BOSTON (CBS) — The Boston Red Sox had their day at the White House on Thursday. At least, some of them did. The majority of the 2018 World Series champions were honored by President Donald Trump on the South Lawn Thursday afternoon. Chris Sale and J.D. Martinez walked President Trump to the stage as a little rain fell in the nation’s capital, but it did not dampen the ceremony. “It’s my pleasure to welcome to the White House the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. A very special group of people, a very special team,” President Trump started his comments. “During the 2018 season, the Red Sox were, frankly, unstoppable. I watched,” said President Trump. The President praised Boston’s ownership group and singled out several players for the team’s historic run in 2018, from Nathan Eovaldi for his performance out of the bullpen in Game 3 of the World Series to series MVP Steve Pearce to Sale, who delivered a passionate pep talk in Game 4 in Los Angeles and was on the hill for the final out against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I heard it was a hell of a pep talk,” said President Trump. “I know what you said and heard what you said; we have children here so I won’t talk about it, but it worked.” Sale and Martinez thanked the President after he made his remarks, surprised that such passionate words about the Red Sox could come from a fan of the New York Yankees. “Thank you Mr. President for this once in a lifetime opportunity to be honored today at the White House. I know it’s tough for you, being a Yankees fan and all, but thank you for your hospitality today,” Martinez joked before presenting President Trump with his own personalized Red Sox jersey. “A high honor and something we appreciate very highly,” said Sale. After making their way off the South Lawn, President Trump gave the team a rare tour of the Lincoln bedroom. “If the press and media doesn’t report me for this, I’m going to show the Lincoln bedroom,” President Trump joked. Before their afternoon at the White House, the Red Sox visited with patients at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Hello, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center! 👋 What an honor to spend our morning with you! pic.twitter.com/Ae1fm7TSDt — Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) May 9, 2019 Of course, not every member of the defending World Series champs was at the White House on Thursday, including some core members of the team. Manager Alex Cora did not partake in the festivities, citing the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico as the reason for his decision. Last year’s AL MVP Mookie Betts, David Price, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. were among the players who chose not to attend. The Red Sox, now 19-19 on the season, are back in action Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners in Boston.<doc-sep>A mistake heralded the Boston Red Sox’s visit to the White House. An official White House announcement of the Red Sox’s trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. initially contained a misspelled version of the team’s name. Instead of welcoming the “Red Sox,” the White House statement called the team the “Red Socks” on a page listing the events that would be streamed online on the executive branch’s official YouTube page. ?President Trump Welcomes the 2018 World Series Champions The Boston Red Socks to the White House,? the statement read. The White House corrected the mistake as of 9 a.m. ET Thursday morning, according to The Boston Globe’s Steve Annear. The Red Sox will visit the White House on Thursday afternoon and join President Trump in a ceremony commemorating their 2018 World Series win. Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>Hide Transcript Show Transcript BEN: ALSO THIS AFTERNOON, THE RED SOX HAVE JUST BEEN HONORED AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR WINNING THE WORLD SERIES. MARIA: MEMBERS OF THE TEAM AND OWNERS APPEARED ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP. NOT EVERYONE WAS THERE. MANAGER ALEX CORA ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK HE WOULD NOT ATTEND, CITING HIS FRUSTRATION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO HELP HIS NATIVE PUERTO RICO RECOVER FROM A DEVASTATING HURRICANE NEARLY A DOZEN PLAYERS ALSO SKIPPED THE CEREMONY. THE PRESIDENT STUCK TO BASEBALL , BUT DID MAKE A REFERENCE TO HIS HOMETOWN TEAM. LISTEN. >> IN THE PLAYOFFS YOU BEST IN YOUR ARCHRIVAL, THE YANKEES. [APPLAUSE] >> I THINK I WILL BE A NEUTRAL IN THIS ONE. BEN: THE RED SOX ALSO PRESENTED THE PRESIDENT WITH HIS V Advertisement Matters of politics, race accompany Red Sox to White House Chris Sale thanks Trump for, 'a very high honor' Share Shares Copy Link Copy Members of the Boston Red Sox visited President Donald Trump at the White House Thursday afternoon to celebrate their World Series championship last season. "Frankly, the 2018 Red Sox were unstoppable. I watched," Trump said during the ceremony on the White House Lawn. Trump recapped the team's successful playoff run and expressed his appreciation for baseball. He also praised the team for playing "like champions" throughout the season. “This is a very high honor. It’s something that we appreciate very highly,” pitcher Chris Sale said.“I know, celebrating a Red Sox victory is tough for you, given that you’re a Yankees fan and all. But we really want to way, ‘Thank you,’ for your hospitality today,” said outfielder J. D. Martinez, who also presented the president with a team jersey. While many members of the team celebrated, others were notably absent. Nearly a dozen players, including American League MVP Mookie Betts, skipped the ceremony.Team manager Alex Cora announced last week he would not attend, citing his frustration with the administration's efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane.For decades, championship teams have visited the White House in a moment of ritual and tradition. Athletic excellence is celebrated, lame jokes are told and the president is given yet another jersey bearing his name. Under Trump, though, the visits often have become politicized, featuring athlete protests and, in the case of the Boston Red Sox, raising questions about a racial divide. The Red Sox organization stressed that the clubhouse was not divided on the issue; no player or coach was pressured to go, and players who decided not to attend have stressed there is no ill will toward those who will shake Trump's hand.Pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, a Venezuelan native, offered his perspective before the team's game Wednesday in Baltimore: "For me, it's not a big deal. It's your decision. Make a choice. I'll respect it. I don't think that's a big deal. If you want to go or you don't want to go, that's your decision. "A championship team's coach rarely, if ever, misses the White House visit, a tradition that began in earnest in 1924 when Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington Senators. Cora had considered attending Thursday's White House event to call attention to the plight of those in Puerto Rico, where it is estimated that Hurricane Maria caused nearly 3,000 deaths. But in the end, he opted not to go. "Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting," Cora said in a statement. "Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I've used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don't feel comfortable celebrating in the White House. "The racial disparity between the players who were attending and staying away received attention after a tweet from pitcher David Price, an African American who said he would not attend. Price retweeted longtime Boston sports columnist Steve Buckley, who had noted, "Basically, it's the white Sox who'll be going. "Price, who has nearly 1.8 million followers on Twitter, added, "I just feel like more than 38k should see this tweet," a reference to Buckley's Twitter following of roughly 38,000. But while the retweet set off speculation that Price was angry about the players attending, the pitcher later said he was calling out Buckley's observation, telling the Boston Globe that the columnist's post "was an insensitive tweet that needs to be seen by more people. "Those around the Red Sox locker room stressed that a player's decision to attend was a personal choice and not, in many cases, political. "Politically, it didn't matter who was in the White House. If I have an opportunity to go to the White House and meet the president, I'm going to go," relief pitcher Heath Hembree said Wednesday. "Nobody tried to persuade me. They have their reasons why not to go. "For some players, it may be their only chance for a White House invite. It also reflects a larger trend across baseball: A number of players hail from Trump-friendly states like Texas and Florida, while the sport has also seen a surge in Latino players and a decline in African Americans.Having also won World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, the Red Sox - who also visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday - have been honored at the White House under both Republican and Democratic presidents. And players on previous teams in all major sports have skipped White House visits under previous administrations. Basketball legend Larry Bird famously missed the Boston Celtics' White House visit in 1984 by saying of Ronald Reagan, "If the president wants to see me, he knows where to find me. "But the events have taken on sharp political overtones since Trump took office.When the New England Patriots visited in 2017, Trump's first year in office, far fewer players attended than when the franchise won a title under Barack Obama.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump welcomed the Boston Red Sox to the White House Thursday afternoon to celebrate their 2018 World Series win. “Each Red Sox player is a shining example of excellence living out an American sporting tradition that goes back many generations,” Trump said, honoring the team on the White House South Lawn. Trump, a native of New York, joked about the Red Sox’s defeat of the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, telling players “I think I’ll be neutral in this one.” Some members of the team opted against neutrality. Team manager Alex Cora, who is Puerto Rican, declined to attend the White House celebration, pointing to disagreements with Trump’s political positions, including his administration's handling of hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Other players who declined the invitation included Mookie Betts, David Price, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rafael Devers, Hector Velazquez, Xander Bogaerts, Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez, according to the Boston Globe. All of them are people of color. They aren't the first championship players to decline an invitation to a celebratory White House visit since Trump took office. The University of Virginia men’s basketball team recently decided not to attend a White House ceremony after their 2019 NCAA win. And Trump has made clear that some teams, such as the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia Eagles, were not welcome at the White House amid widespread criticism by players on those teams of the president and his policies. After the brief ceremony on the South Lawn, Trump invited the Red Sox inside the White House for a private tour of the Lincoln Bedroom.