Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
At 5-feet-11, Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay might be considered smaller than most Major League Baseball players. But his size paid dividends Wednesday when the Cardinals met President Obama at the White House.
"The short guys had to be in the front, so I got to shake his hand twice,' said Jay, a Miami native who batted .297 in 159 games last year.
Jay said he didn't have a one-on-one conversation with Obama but he said the president looked him in the eye and said "Congratulations.'
"His speech was great,' Jay said. "He honored us for the way we came back in August. It was nice to see how much he knew about our series and how we came back in Game 6.'
Jay singled and scored the tying run in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 on Lance Berkman's 2-run single with two outs. Ryan Freese's home run in the 11th inning gave the Cardinals a 10-9 win. St. Louis clinched the series a day later with a 6-2 win.
Jay, 26, is hoping his status as a member of a World Series championship team will help spark a large turnout for a charity bowling tournament he is hosting Jan. 28.
Jon Jay's Celebrity Bowling Challenge, from 6-9 p.m. at Lucky Strike Lanes in Miami Beach, will raise money for the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.
"After the World Series, all this special stuff happened to me so I thought now is the time to get everything rolling,' he said.
"I saw how many people have lost jobs so it's something I really wanted to help out. I'm excited to organize my first ever charity event.'
Jay is getting help from other major leaguers including former University of Miami teammates and former players from Miami's Columbus High School.
Participants will include Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez, Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer and Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez, among others.
"Hopefully we can make an impact on other peoples' lives,' Jay said. "I'm hoping that one day this can be a big fundraiser in South Florida. Now, we're just trying to get this rolling.'
Individual tickets are $100 and team tickets are $450. For information go online to jonjaychallenge.eventbrite.com or call CAA Sports at 212-277.9000.
Jay has been working out in Tampa since Thursday. He will report to Cardinals spring training in Jupiter next month.
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