Astros To Visit Trump, The White House On Monday

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Astros accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump two months ago to visit the White House to be honored by the Commander-in-Chief for their World Series title. On Monday (March 12), the champs will be there.

The White House announced this week they'll have the Astros in the East Room of the White House at high noon — 11 a.m. Texas time.

"This is a tradition and an honor," Astros team president Reid Ryan said in January when the team accepted. "For many people, this might be their only time to ever be invited to the White House. And as the representatives of baseball and the World Series champs, when the White House calls and invites you to come up, it's something that as an organization we felt both a responsibility and an obligation to be part of."

The Astros won the club's first-ever World Series last fall after a memorable run in the playoffs that included a win over the Boston Red Sox in the AL Divisional Series, a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees in the AL Championship and then a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Carlos Beltran, who retired after the Series, announced he would not visit with the rest of the team.

Beltran said President Donald Trump's position at the White House had no effect on his decision, but did declare the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Maria's damage in Puerto Rico was disappointing.

"There's no doubt I'm disappointed and I'm not the only one," said Beltran, a Puerto Rican native. "Being part of the United States, you expect to at least get the same benefits (when) tragedies like this happen."

Beltran, 40, was a nine-time all-star who won his only World Series ring last fall. He retired after the season, and he said he doesn't feel he belongs to any baseball team anymore.

"My family ... that's the team I feel I belong to right now," he said.

Then there's the nature of lots of anti-Trump sentiment in the entertainment and sports world. After the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title last summer, its players openly lobbied against a White House visit. Trump then rescinded his invitation. Then there was this ESPN commentator who called out the Astros, saying the team was on the "wrong side of history."

Patch will have a recap of the team's visit on Monday, which is only one of three days in March the team isn'y playing a Spring Training game.

The Astros are 10-5 in the Grapefruit League so, which is second behind the New York Yankees (10-3).

Image: Josh Reddick (22) of the Houston Astros celebrates with a belt as Carlos Correa (1) holds the World Series Trophy during the Houston Astros Victory Parade on November 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 to win the 2017 World Series. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)