Philadelphia Phillies Visit the White House

President Barack Obama turned Phillie Phanatic for a day, praising the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies as "an underdog team that loved to prove the prognosticators wrong."

"And so we share something in common there, because nobody thought I was going to win either," he said to laughter at a White House reception yesterday.

Obama talked up Manager Charlie Manuel and players such as Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, as well as fellow Hawaiian Shane Victorino. And he thanked shortstop Jimmy Rollins for making calls on behalf of Obama's campaign last year.

Rollins presented Obama with a jersey and baseball, but the president wanted more -- he jokingly asked for Rollins's World Series ring.

Rollins told reporters later that the event meant a lot to him.

"To have the first black president in office, number 44, it kind of just brings it all together," he said. "It was like something that was meant to be -- he won the presidency, we won the World Series."