Honoring the world champion Cubs was a fitting final official act for Obama
By Dave Sheinin January 16 at 5:49 PM
On a superficial level, what went down Monday at the White House was a standard-issue, by-the-script ceremony honoring another professional sports champion at the seat of American power. The president made some remarks. The team gave him a personalized jersey. They all smiled for the cameras. The players departed and tweeted from the bus on their way to the airport about how cool an experience it was.
But circumstances being what they were, and the times being what they are, this was no normal ceremony. For beginners, those were the Chicago Cubs, still adorable and still adored by vast swaths of the nation — not to mention the West Wing — gathered there in the East Room on Monday afternoon. And that was President Obama, a South Side Chicagoan and avowed White Sox fan, gushing about the attributes of the rival North Siders standing behind him.
And these are the final days of the Obama administration — Monday’s ceremony being his final official event — with the scaffolding and wooden stands already constructed a few steps from the White House for Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday. It had taken the Cubs 108 years to win a World Series title, and it took Obama about two seconds to break out the what-took-you-so-long jokes.
“They said this day would never come,” Obama said, opening his remarks, as the crowd roared with laughter. “Here is something none of my predecessors ever got to say: Welcome to the White House, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. .?.?. It took you long enough. And I’ve only got four days left.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/honoring-the-world-champion-cubs-was-a-fitting-final-official-act-for-obama/2017/01/16/8f394846-dc0c-11e6-918c-99ede3c8cafa_story.html?utm_term=.5efa16f12024&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1
