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CNN Sunday Morning
South Lawn Sluggers Prepare for Game at White House
Aired May 06, 2001 - 09:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is opening day at the White House. Two local little league T-balls teams will slug it out on the South Lawn of the White House. I guess it's good they have bulletproof glass in the windows there, right? The kids won't break anything. Well, you know, they might hit a home run and make or break a window. But I guess they can't do that, right? It's part of President Bush's initiative to bring pint-sized baseball players to the White House.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's go now to our White House/baseball correspondent -- CNN's White House correspondent, Kelly Wallace standing by.
Did you get to talk to any of the players, Kelly?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I did not, Kyra. I'm looking forward to seeing them later. But some of my colleagues did. And it's so funny because they don't seem nervous at all about strutting their stuff in front of the commander-in-chief.
As you guys noting, this is going to be a day for the history books and a day when this reporter and her colleagues feel like they got the best assignment of them all.
Well, let's start off with a little of a pre-game show. First, the teams, two local little league teams from the Washington area, filled with what can only be incredibly, exciting six and seven year olds will be squaring off. They will be wearing separate jerseys today. But on this day, they will both be called the South Lawn Sluggers.
Sportscaster Bob Costas will be providing color commentary such as each player's favorite food or color. And of course, the first fan, President Bush, who was just paling around with the New York Yankees on Friday, will be there cheering from the sidelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it's a chance for moms and dads to bring T-ball teams to celebrate the great sport of baseball right here on the hollowed grounds of the White House. Yankee Stadium is hollowed grounds; so is the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: And White House groundskeepers were busy building a T- ball field last week. With the official batting tee placed at home plate. Only about one inning is likely to be played today with each of these players getting chance at the tee. And so some of my colleagues went out and asked these players about strutting their stuff here at the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: I mean very excited. I mean you get to hit -- and hit home runs and run on the bases.
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: I think it will be fun.
WALLACE: And also on hand, a major league superstar, Boston Red Sox shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra. Perhaps he'll be offering the kids some tips.
After the game, it'll time for some hot dogs and hamburgers with the president and the first lady. This, the inaugural game of this new T-ball league, Kyra, though, more games expected to played later this month and next month.
PHILLIPS: All right. Sounds like -- all right, whose idea was all of this, Kelly?
WALLACE: Well, that's the person that we're trying to find out. We do know that the President, as you know Kyra, is a huge baseball fan. And he did want to try and do something to build more attention to baseball, America's favorite pastime. And so he did ask his aides to try to come up with some ideas. One aide apparently came up with the idea of T-ball.
I'm told it looks like that aide may be Karen Hughes, one of -- his counselor and one of his top advisers. And then a staffer started putting it together. It kind of steamrolled into something Hughes and even the White House had imagined with tons of calls, lots of parents interested, lots of teams wanting to be here. So this looks like something the White House is very pleased about how it's turned out so far.
O'BRIEN: Well now, Kelly, aside from the family members and the staff that will be there, if you're on a public tour today, will you get to see some of this? Will they usher people through?
WALLACE: Well, you know, Miles, tours, I believe, at the White House -- on Sunday and Monday, there are not tours. So not likely to have...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: So there's no fans in this fans related...
WALLACE: We'll be there.
O'BRIEN: Oh, good. Well, you better cheer loud.
(CROSSTALK) PHILLIPS: Kelly will be out there with her pom-poms.
WALLACE: I'll be there. Oh, OK; thank you, Kyra. But I -- no pom-poms, thank you. But the kids that are coming here to the White House -- I could just kill you -- come here to the White House will get to get a tour of the White House. They're coming here about 1:00. They'll get a private tour of the White House. Then they'll change into their jerseys and the president gets here. They'll see him land as he comes here from Camp David. And then the game gets underway about 3:00.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's set the record straight. She wasn't a cheerleader. She was class president. OK? That is for the record.
O'BRIEN: Just stay away from that chicken.
WALLACE: Vice president, not president.
PHILLIPS: OK.
O'BRIEN: That chicken is going to cause trouble. Trust me. Stay away from him. All right?
WALLACE: All righty.
PHILLIPS: See you soon Kelly.
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