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Posted on 07/13/2003 1:16:24 AM PDT by MtnScout
Ari Fleischer By Adam Schefter Post Sports Writer
Sunday, July 13, 2003 - On the day he announced he was leaving his job as White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer said he was "going to do something more relaxing - like dismantle live nuclear weapons." Well, Monday he can start dismantling those weapons, along with his West Wing office. This week, Fleischer will be vacating the office he has held since President Bush's election, and he will be leaving it with the legacy of a right-winger and a make-believe center fielder.
Adam Schefter: How did you come to use the alias "Bernie Williams" when you checked into the Four Seasons Resort on the Caribbean island of Nevis on your honeymoon?
Ari Fleischer: When I travel, particularly out of the country, the Secret Service recommended that I travel under an alias. So the first, and only, opportunity I got to take a trip out of the country without the president was for my honeymoon. Taking the Secret Service's advice, I decided I was going to be a Yankee. So I thought about it and said: "Well, I could never get away with saying I'm Derek Jeter. And no one would believe that my name would be Alfonso Soriano." So I went with Bernie. Bernie Williams. At least that was credible.
AS: Did you consider using the name George Steinbrenner?
AF: No, because the whole purpose was not to become a target.
AS: Are there any bigger Yankees fans in Washington?
AF: Probably not. I suspect there are people who have more knowledge about the Yankees. But one of the biggest changes I'm looking forward to is reading the sports section first again. Right now, I get up at 5, and I sit down with a notepad and I read the news sections first. I'm really looking forward to dropping the notepad and reading the sports pages and then occasionally glancing at the news pages.
AS: Other than reading the sports pages, what now for you?
AF: Actually, this will be fun. I'll hit the speaking circuit, do some speeches. I will probably write a book. And I intend to help people understand how to handle the press. I'm going to talk to some professional sports team to see if I can help any of their players handle the press.
AS: Where did you get that idea?
AF: Major League Baseball brings all the top rookie prospects together for a four-day training program about what it's like to deal with life in the majors. Well, they brought them to the White House, and I spoke to these soon-to-be rookies on how to handle the press. And I really thought 19- and 20-year-old kids, who are cocky and on top of their game, wouldn't pay that much attention. And you could just see it in their eyes. They were fascinated by the stories I could tell them and my advice to them on how to deal with the press.
AS: What advice would you give rookies?
AF: Most important, it's a mental game, just like a baseball player will be out in the field. You know if you're in right field, if the ball's hit to you, you're doing a mental calculation of how many outs are there, where are runners, what base am I throwing to if I get the ball? You get your head in the game. Same thing works in the locker room. You need to be thinking about how you're going to answer the questions. Otherwise, you're going to end up the wrong way on the back section of the newspaper.
AS: If a George Stephanopoulos tell-all memoir fetched nearly $3 million, how much would Ari Fleischer's?
AF: I have no idea, but mine won't be tell-all. I'm not the kiss-and-tell type.
AS: What will you miss most about the White House?
AF: The president, no question. I believe in him so much. I believe in his policies. I believe in his leadership. I believe in the man as a manager. He's a great, fun person to be around. I'll miss the excitement and the buzz of the White House. Working at the White House is like permanently playing in the seventh game of the World Series. It has an intensity and an excitement that is second to none and will never be matched. But you can only do it so long. Because it's so intense and exciting, it can also wear you down. Especially when you work with the press all day.
AS: Most memorable moment of your run in the White House?
AF: Certainly Sept. 11 is the most memorable. I was traveling with the president that day, and I spent the entire day in his cabin with him on Air Force One, writing down history and recording everything he did and said. What I most remember is how the president instantly knew we were going to war, and how calm he was and how determined he was. And I tell you that because looking back, it's easy to say, "Well, of course we were going to go to war." Well, it wasn't. It easily could have been a decision for a different president to say, "We will go to sanctions, we will convene an international conference, we will slowly ratchet this up." This president, from the first moments, knew his job was to lead our nation to war and to bring justice to the people who did this.
AS: How does a nice Jewish boy from New York land the Southern nickname Ari-Bob?
AF: That's because my name is Ari, and President Bush had to Texanize it. But the nickname has kind of faded. Not many people call me that anymore. My wife, every now and then, will call me Ari-Bob. I think that's when I do something wrong.
AS: As much time as you spend with the president, what's the one thing people don't know about him?
AF: How funny he is. He's got a great, affable good nature. Constantly ribbing himself and the people he's with. He's a fun person to be around. He's self-deprecating. He lightens things up. To me, he is the perfect mix of serious and good-natured at the same time.
AS: Is walking a tightrope between the press and President Bush something that your days as a high school gymnast prepared you to do?
AF: I never thought about it that way. Maybe because my score in gymnastics in the floor exercise was always pretty low. In fact, I think you could take three of my scores, multiply it by three and still come underneath a perfect 10. So if I learned it there, I sure didn't do a good job here.
AS: Toughest question you fielded?
AF: The hardest to deal with were about the visits I was fortunate enough to accompany the president on, when he visits widows or widowers, mothers or fathers who have lost their children in war. The press asked me to describe those meetings, and they're very emotional and very poignant. But it's remarkable, particularly in the military. The survivors talk about how their son or daughter loved our country. And even in tragedy and death, there is always something uplifting about the strength and the faith of the American people.
AS: Are you aware that the people who support the Ari Fleischer fan-club website on the Internet (www.probush.com/arifanclub.htm), refer to you as "hot"?
AF: Just proves that Al Gore never should have invented the thing.
AS: What type of sports memorabilia could be spotted around your office in the White House?
AF: I've got a ton of it. I've got seven signed baseballs on my desk. One that Joe Torre sent me that is signed by everybody who played on the 2001 Yankees World Series team. I've got signed baseballs from Cal Ripken, Don Larsen, Wade Boggs, Tommy Lasorda, Ron Guidry. Guidry is still my favorite player. Matter of fact, there's a great story behind the Guidry ball. I used to date a girl from Cajun country in Louisiana, and on our first date, she told me Ron Guidry was her first cousin. On our second date, he was her second cousin. On our third date, he was down to third cousin. Pretty soon, it was: "Ron who? Did I ever tell you that?" So I was at her family's house in Louisiana for Christmas, and her dad gave me a signed Ron Guidry baseball because he actually is her cousin.
AS: So who signed the seventh baseball?
AF: Let me see if you know any of these names: Richard Faust, Chris Patton, Bob Shelton, John Boyd, Peter Paisley, David Main, Tom Scott, Bill Byers. Any of those ring a bell?
AS: No.
AF: That's because this is the baseball team I play on here. It's a bunch of old men who play hardball in Washington. You've got to be 30 and older to play in the league, 36 and older to pitch. And it's real hardball. We play with two umps and regular baseballs, and it is a fabulous getaway from this job. I had all the guys from the team come over to the White House for a West Wing tour. And they brought me a signed baseball. So actually, I have this ball from my team sitting on top of the other six.
AS: What is the piece of sports memorabilia you are proudest to have? BRONCOS MAILBAG
Denver Post sports writer Adam Schefter takes your questions and responds to the pick of the litter. To submit a question, click here. The next installment is slated for July 24.
AF: Well, let me tell you what else I do have. I have a ton. I've got three different images of Yankee Stadium up on the wall. I've got Yankee Stadium the year it opened, which I think was '23. I've got a little model of Yankee Stadium that my father-in-law gave to me. Then I also have a picture of President Bush when he took the mound at the first Yankees home game of the 2001 Series, when he threw that perfect strike. The president is standing on the mound, giving Yankee Stadium a big thumbs-up - what a wonderful moment for the country. My calendar on the wall is a Cooperstown Hall of Fame calendar. I keep the Yankees' schedule right over my right shoulder at my desk, so I can always turn to it and see who they're playing. I've got a Louisville Slugger bat that's got my name and the seal of the president on it. I've got my Yankees-Mets baseball hat from the 2000 Series. And I've got a little stuffed Dolphin with a Dan Marino jersey on it.
AS: How did you get to be the Miami Dolphins fan you are?
AF: I always have been. When I was a little kid, I loved the show "Flipper." Then, when I heard there was a football team called the Dolphins, that was all it took. I split with my parents and my brothers at a very young age when I became a Dolphins fan. Then I split with them again when I became a Republican. As far as I'm concerned, I'm 2-for-2.
"Know Him From Adam" is a weekly question-and-answer session conducted by Denver Post sports writer Adam Schefter with various athletes, actors, politicians and people in the news.
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