 Well, thank you all and welcome to the White House. It's a pleasure to have you here, just as it was a pleasure not only to have these gentlemen here but to watch them in the 83rd World Series. It isn't true that I was announcing ball games at that time. I considered parachuting here into the Rose Garden for this ceremony, but the secret service had a little something to say about it. Well, today's celebration can be traced back to October 17, 1960, when a corporation called the Metropolitan Baseball Club of New York was awarded a National League franchise. The old professor, Casey, you can look it up, Stengel, was hired to be the first manager, and play began in 1962 with Gil Hodges, Roger Craig, Gus Bell, Don Zimmer, and Marvin Thornberry leading the way. Although from his commercials I'm not sure Marvel would agree about that leading the way part. You come a long way from that 40 and 120 record the amazing Mets posted in 1962, a record that prompted old Casey to give us another of his celebrated remarks when he said, can anybody play this here game? Well, not only did the Mets show America that the other team from New York could play this game, but they did it their way. The Mets made him say, you got to believe. That's what it reminds me of the story everything does these days. It was about a baseball rookie and his know-it-all manager had a lot of problems with him, but a crucial game in the pennant race tied up in the bottom of the ninth, and this rookie was called down as a pinch hitter, and he went in and won the ball game with a booming home run over the right center field bleachers. As he rounded third and crossed home plate with a big grin on his face and his hand extended, the manager was waiting for him, and the manager ripped into him, said your stance was all wrong, your swing was awkward, you held your arms too high. When he paused for a breath, the kids said, yeah, but how about that distance? Well, what a distance J. Davy Johnson went, led by all stars Gary Carter, who incidentally was something of a fine diplomat recently in Central America with the vice president for all of us. Keith Hernandez, Daryl Strawberry, all forged a season, and everybody was magnificent. The little guys, Lenny Dykstra, Wally Backman, the relief tandem of Roger McDowell and Jesse Orozco, the starters, the firm of Gooden, Oida Darling and Fernandez, and of course the most valuable players, Ray Knight, who wasn't sure that he would be in baseball much less a met at the start of the season. I went these fellas to know I pitched three games for the Cardinals in a world series. It was the 1926 World Series. I waited until 1952 to pitch the games. It was in a movie. I had an edge on all of you here in the sense that I had the script in advance, so I knew it was going to come out all right. Well, all my life, I believe that if you truly have faith, your dream will come true. And your dream began in spring training and culminated by bringing the championship to the Big Apple. It took you through 108 regular season wins and hard fought victories in the playoffs. And even after being down to your last strike three times in game six, you came back to epitomize what that other bard of baseball, Yogi Berra, once said, the game isn't over till it's over. So believe me, even this lifelong Cubs fan had to dish out the praise. You have certainly done yourselves the city of New York and all America proud. And I'm sure you wouldn't have heard Casey's feelings a bit, either. So congratulations, champs, and God bless you all. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, members of the White House staff, Congress, the Senate, we are indeed very pleased to be here today. We're pleased and we're proud as the Metz family. We strove to get where we are, and we're proud to be the world champions. In 1986 and start of 87 and through 87, we hope to represent baseball and this country in the splendid way that this administration has represented the United States and the world. Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, we'd like to tell you now that this is a beautiful rose garden and we intend to be back here next year. We're only giving half the gifts today, one to the President, one to the Vice President. The rest of the uniform will come next year. Mr. President. When you were saying that everyone was pleased to be here, I'm sure some of those congressmen down there and those senators are pleased to be here too. I know someone right here. I know someone right here. Oh, yeah. Thank you. This is beautiful wives. What is going to say? Mother, no mothers here. Wives and girlfriends. That's family. You guys get credit for the weather. Yeah. Karen. Yeah. Kim. Maybe a cab or something. Yeah. Very good. All this works now. Sure of it. Yeah. Maybe now. I'm looking around. I don't see Dom. They start throwing those things. Yeah. But if this is. Thank you for having us. Thank you for having us. I'll be just on the way out. Thanks for taking a optimistic rest. Really. Very, very nice. Thank you. Thank you very much. Now you can get rid of your royals. I tell Gary we got to watch him on that hand for your comment about his diplomacy. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. He was dead down there. Appreciate it. Vice President.