Bush Gives Fear a Bronx Cheer at World Series

By EDWIN CHEN

Oct. 31, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK — Setting a defiant example, President Bush flew to New York on Tuesday evening to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the third game of the World Series, even as his administration warned of a possible terrorist attack in the coming days and as Vice President Dick Cheney returned quietly to an undisclosed “secure location.”

Bush, bare-headed, wore a New York Fire Department jacket as he walked to the pitcher’s mound. He gave a thumbs-up to acknowledge the cheers of the sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd and then, with no further ado, threw what appeared to be a gentle strike across home plate.

As the president walked off the field, the crowd roared its approval and began to chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

Bush then posed for photos with the opposing managers on the sidelines and then greeted a number of Yankee greats, including Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Whitey Ford, before joining Yankee owner George Steinbrenner in his box.

Bush’s quick trip to New York and back reflected both his love of baseball--he was an owner and general partner of the Texas Rangers--and his desire to see the country return to some sense of normality.

The president’s high-profile appearance on prime-time television underscored anew his message to the American people: Continue your daily activities amid the war on terrorism.

“It’s a difficult and fine line that we walk, but I think America understands,” said Thomas J. Ridge, director of the White House Office of Homeland Security.

Earlier in the day, Ari Fleischer, the president’s press secretary, explained Bush’s decision to attend the game between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks: “The World Series is a time of great excitement for many Americans. The president’s going to participate in that--just like many Americans watch and enjoy the World Series. It helps to keep the fabric of our country strong.”

Fleischer said Bush decided to make the trip after fully weighing an FBI alert, issued Monday evening, that there is “credible” reason to believe terrorists may attack again in the coming week. Bush’s wife, Laura, who had been in New York all day, accompanied him to the game.

“Obviously, the president follows the advice of the Secret Service, and he has full faith in the ability of the Secret Service to keep himself safe any time, anywhere,” Fleischer said.

Fans Filter Through Metal Detectors

Like his two previous visits to New York since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bush’s trip Tuesday was swathed in extraordinary security--with 1,000 or more police officers at Yankee Stadium, as well as bomb-sniffing dogs and hazardous-material specialists. Fans were barred from taking bags or knapsacks into the stadium, and they had to pass through metal detectors before entering.

Despite encountering long lines as a result of the increased security, the 57,000 fans attending Game 3 appeared to be generally upbeat. Many shared pleasant exchanges with stadium workers, who handed out miniature U.S. flag pins.

“Anything can happen if someone wants to make something happen,” said Jerry Laveroni, director of team security for the Yankees. “But the precaution and the awareness that we’ve had [since Sept. 11], I think we’re finely tuned to prevent anything of any drastic measure from happening.”

The precautions were also in the skies above the stadium, which were closed to commercial flights. Security cameras monitored crowd activity, officials said.

Bush’s jaunt to New York was the second time in two days that he took something of a calculated gamble while making a show of not giving in to fear.

On Monday, he went to the State Department to deliver a previously scheduled speech, even though an employee there had been diagnosed with the inhalation form of anthrax.

“I think the president understands that the American people are worried, the American people are anxious,” Fleischer told reporters Tuesday.

But he defended the conflicting White House message of returning to “normal” while under threat of continued terrorist attacks.

“When it comes to the balance of going on with normal lives and with adjusting to a heightened state of security alert, the American people get it. They do understand that it’s possible to do both. They do understand it’s possible to go to work every day, to take their children to school every day, to enjoy after-work, after-school activities while knowing that the law-enforcement community is on a heightened state of alert,” Fleischer said.

But he conceded that public anxiety may be widespread.

“It’s not like life was on Sept. 10. . . . Events on Sept. 11 have obviously affected the American psyche and affected our country, affected the actions we’re taking.”

Ridge concurred.

“I say, go to work, take your child to school. If you’ve got a softball game or a soccer game this afternoon, go to the game,” he said. “America has to continue to be America.”

Before he went to New York, Bush visited a high school in Rockville, Md., a Washington suburb, to encourage students to learn more about America and its values by listening to military veterans.

Times staff writers Geraldine Baum, Jason Reid and Josh Steiner in New York contributed to this report.