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3-5-18 - Astros
The Houston Astros will visit the White House.
3-5-18 - Brooklyn Atlantics
First to meet a president were the Brooklyn Atlantics.
3-5-18
No turkey has ever refused a pardon.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Houston Astros To Visit The White House (History Of These Visits)
By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
The  Houston Astros have accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump to visit the White House on Monday, March 12.

Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a very exciting seven-game World Series to win their first title ever. The team first began with the name Colt .45s in 1962 and later changed their name to the Houston Astros in 1965, when they began playing in the Astrodome. In 2013 the Astros moved from the National League to the American League.

The previous World Champion Chicago Cubs (2016) visited the White House, by invitation of President Trump, in June of 2017.

Recent visits from other sports: In October of 2017 the 2016 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins visited the White House and in April of 2017, President Trump hosted the New England Patriots, the Super Bowl champion. The NBA champion Golden State Warriors did not attend last week, declining the invitation after winning the NBA title last season.

The first known official team meeting between a president and an organized baseball team at the White House was on August 30, 1865, when President Andrew Johnson met the Washington Nationals and the Brooklyn Atlantics. The Atlantics won the title of the National Association of Baseball Players. In 1924 the Washington Senators were the first professional baseball team to visit the White House, hosted by President Calvin Coolidge.

As far as the other three main sports: the NBA was founded in 1946. In 1963 the Boston Celtics became the first NBA champion to visit the White House, upon an invitation from President John F. Kennedy, a Massachusetts native. The NFL was founded in 1920. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the first Super Bowl champions to visit in 1980, when Jimmy Carter was president. The NHL was founded in 1917. The Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins broke the ice for the NHL as guests of President George H. W. Bush and were the first NHL team to visit the White House.

Baseball teams were the first to accept invitations to the White House, and since then, it has become an American tradition. The protocol is for the White House to extend an invitation to a team, usually to a champion. The team can accept or decline or the White House can also cancel a team visit for any reason and do not have to explain why. The White House can also re-schedule a visit.

In the past, teams have accepted and visited but some members of those teams have decided not to go. It is usually left as an individual decision, and that is the way it should be. Nobody should be forced to attend or feel pressure not to attend. Athletes are also protected by the First Amendment. After all, we're still a country made up of individuals, not groups, at least not until the robots take over.

Is it that important? Not at all, more symbolic, and in good sportsmanship more than anything else, and nobody should lose any sleep over it. I sure don't. It is like throwing the ceremonial First Pitch at a baseball game, or playing or singing the National Anthem prior to a sporting event. It is just another photo-op.

It is said that President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 clemency to a turkey, recorded in an 1865 dispatch by Washington reporter Noah Brooks, was the origin for the pardoning ceremony. This might be the oldest ceremonial tradition at the White House. To this day, no turkey has demonstrated against the pardon.

Oakland A's play-by-play announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is now entering his 24th season as the Voice of the A's for all Spanish broadcasts. For a sixth straight year, Pi-Gonzalez will also do selected games for the Los Angeles Angels on Fox Sports Network West in Southern California. Reprinted courtesy Amaury Pi-Gonzalez: That's Amaury's News and Commentary. For more information, visit: SportsRadioService

Pops
3-6-17 - Pops

Michael King (left), with an associate from USF (center), and Karla Granadino-King, are pictured at the Olympic Club in San Francisco,  proudly sharing with the world their  Pops Premium Rumpopo. A King family secret, Pops Premium Rumpopo is a  delicious rum cream liqueur recipe brewed in the family tradition.  The award winning recipe is a Belizean family favorite and now available at all Total Wine & More stores in California and Bay Area retailers.
For more information, visit https://www.bzecheers.com/rumpopo

Pops - Original
Pops Back Label