Yesterday, he discovered a consolation prize. The baseball festivities at the White House were a pleasant Friday distraction after a week of haggling over campaign finance reform, regulatory actions and tax cuts. It turns out, they come here. One of the first is likely to be a team from the Capitol City Little League, which draws players from the area of the District that includes the White House.
Local coaches are downright giddy.
Each team usually bats through its roster and then the teams switch sides. Home runs are frequent, since pint-size fielders can't heave the ball very far or very accurately, but an official score is not kept. The absence of a ceremonial first pitch will be no obstacle for Bush. Bush, discussing his plans yesterday, sounded like a kid himself. And when you're a kid and you actually meet one of your baseball heroes or get an autograph on a ball, that's a big deal, too.