Posted on 08/25/2008 4:02:58 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
We all knew Barack Obama is a White Sox fan, but the presumed Democratic presidential nominee took it a bit further in an interview with ESPN.
Obama joked about the stereotype of Cubs fans, who probably are tired of being described as partying people-watchers instead of serious baseball fans.
"You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there," Obama said, according to transcripts released by ESPN. "People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball."
The interview, which took place Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C., will be aired on SportsCenter tonight at 5.
Here is the interview with ESPN's Stuart Scott, which will be rebroadcast during Tuesday’s 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. SportsCenters:
Barack Obama: “My favorite player when I was a kid was Dr. J. He had those old Nets shorts with the socks up to here. Those Converse Dr. J's, that was the outfit then.”
Stuart Scott: “If your vice president had to be an athlete, who would you pick?”
Obama: “Well, I'll tell you what. I'm a Chicago guy, so I'm thinking Walter Payton. ‘Sweetness.’ That guy had durability -- he could block as well as run. Michael -- doesn't lose, and, since I haven't won the presidency yet, that wouldn't be a bad teammate to have. I'd just keep on feeding him and figure he'd hit the last shot.”
Scott: “Because of human rights issues, there was a loud cry for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Games. If you had been President, faced with that, what would you have done?
Obama: “Well, I said very early on that I don't want Olympics to be overly politicized. But, when a host country is violating human rights, I think we have to say something. It would have been an appropriate statement for the President to say that, ‘I will not go to the opening games unless we have seen some progress on the issue of Tibet.’ If all of us are silent all the time, then human beings all across the globe are being silenced and being oppressed in ways that I don't think captures the Olympic Spirit.”
Scott: “Congress played a vital role through its hearings, and baseball union and players union into more frequent testing for performance enhancing drugs and stricter penalties. When you were watching the hearings, what did you think of them?”
Obama: “I love baseball. Baseball is America's pastime. I'd like to see the baseball Commissioner handle this without Congress being involved. We've got a lot of stuff on our plate.”
Scott: “If the Cubs and the White Sox both make it to the World Series?
Obama: “I would be going.”
Scott: “Who would you root for?
Obama: “Oh, that's easy. White Sox. I'm not one of these fair weather fans. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. Southside.”
I bet you can't see the irony in your post, can you? Thanks for the laugh!
News flash, Obambi - Sweetness is dead. Another brilliant VP pick there, Einstein.
Cubs fans - fair weather?!? Hardly. Every day Obambi says something which proves what a total nutcase he is. Sheesh.
Please add me to a Cubbies ping list!!!
I'm kind of busy. I sure the Armageddon you are prophesying doesn't occur. It would really be fitting as a big sign of end times if the Cubs won the World Series, and a few days later some schmuck nobody ever heard of waltzes into the White House to destroy the rest of our expectations about life; which include life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the Cubs always finding a way to be really really bad at the worst possible time.
Didn’t “Back to the Future” have them winning in 2015?
The Cub fans I used to know either pulled for the White Sox as well or they didn’t care. Of course that was before interleague play. OTOH, Barack may see the Cubs as the “white” team...sort of like Bryant Gumbel saw Ali as the true black boxer and Smokin’ Joe Frazier as the “white” boxer....
If you do, put me on it.
Edison Park Boy.
I hate to mention it, but you forgot ‘69.
And I can guarantee you if the Cubs make the world series he’ll milk it for all it’s worth.
Note most Cub fans I know are conservative. Sox fans are liberal.
The Sox fans booed Jim Thompson on the opening of their new park the man without whom the Sox would be in Florida
Excuse me while I go throw up. The TV just came on to show Kennedy.
A. Definitely would love to be on a Cubs and/or general baseball ping list,
B. Here’s the difference
Sox fan Barack Obama
Cubs fan Ronald Reagan
McCain is also a Cubs fan. I remember when the Dbacks started he got in trouble for saying he’d root for them but he will always root for the Cubs.
Park Ridge (unfortunately the hometown of She Who Shall Not Be Named) here.
Sign me up for the ping list. I’m a longtime Cubs fan. One of my greatest memories is going to Wrigley Field. The hair on my neck stood up, I was so excited....got to see three games and it was wonderful.
The Cubs almost made it to the World Series in 1984...only the Padres got in the way. At least they don’t have to worry about the Padres this year. Of course in 1984 there was just one round of playoffs before the World Series.
Well, in Chicago, it is a tradition for dead people to vote, but they don't usually hold office. What I think is amazing is that it appears that Obama may not know that Walter is dead. Either that, or his answer to the question is odd.
Baby boomer liberals, please die off soon. We need to make sure our scientists don't invent anything life-extending until they are gone.
Being the nice person I am, I’ll give Obama the benefit of the doubt on this one and say he took the question to mean he could pick anyone, alive or dead.
Similar to that “If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would you invite? Which includes dead people and even fictional characters.
On the other hand,
Cubs fan: Pablo Picasso.
≤}B^)
You can put me on the ping list!
Hell of a finish for the Sox huh?! Too bad Hawk didn’t call that game, he would have messed himself with glee.
THIS BALLGAME IS OVAH!
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