First Fan Shows White Sox His House

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http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090420&content_id=4354752&vkey=news_cws&fext=jsp&c_id=cws

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By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

04/20/09 9:22 PM ET

Octavio Dotel will never forget how he spent an off-day between otherwise normal, early-season road series in Tampa Bay and Baltimore on April 20, 2009.

The White Sox reliever was part of the group that numbered near 30 people who traveled to Washington, D.C., on Monday and received a special tour of the White House. There also was a meeting with President Barack Obama, the nation's highest-ranking White Sox fan, during which time the president shook hands with each person in the group and asked what they did for the team.

At that point, Dotel made a special request of the nation's leader. He asked for and received a hug from President Obama.

And why did the Dominican Republic native make such a request?

"Because this is a guy I've been following. It's exciting to see him," said Dotel to a pool reporter, after the White Sox contingency returned to its Baltimore hotel. "He's such a powerful man. I never met him before, and it's really, really neat to be around him.

"Just to be close to him and have that chance ... I saw the opportunity to ask for a hug. He said, 'Of course.' That was really nice of him."

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