Wednesday at the White House

The Red Sox are headed tomorrow to Washington. They've got a 2:30 meeting with President Bush in the Rose Garden when, according to ESPN, they'll present him with a special RS jersey:

The white Red Sox jersey with the name "Bush" and the number "07" on the back traveled around the clubhouse. One by one, the World Series champions signed it with a blue Sharpie.

It's a gift from Boston's players to President Bush, who will preside at the annual White House ceremony honoring baseball's best on Wednesday.

Following the ceremony, they'll go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and visit with injured vets. I remember seeing pictures from a similar visit they made after the '04 series, and read some of the moving accounts from the players. According to that article, said Francona:

"You're looking at kids that have lost limbs but it was humbling. It was an honor to be there.

"Everybody wanted to stay and talk. I've heard a lot of the veteran guys telling the younger guys, this is what you'll remember about this trip," he said.

What a fantastic experience for them all.

Oh, and fantastic article in today's Globe by Gordon Edes. He follows Tim Wakefield's recent flight with the Blue Angels, and the parallel story of one of the Angels who got to see the Sox clinch the '04 championship. A beautifully written story, one that could have been maudlin or manipulative. It's neither. Have a kleenex handy.