President Attends All-Star Tee Ball Game VIDEO PODCAST

PHOTO GALLERY President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush stand with the All-Star Tee Ball teams and participants on the South Portico Wednesday, July 16, 2008, following a double-header at the White House, pitting Eastern U.S. against Central U.S. and Southern U.S. against Western U.S. White House photo by Eric Draper

President Bush Attends All-Star Tee Ball Game on the South Lawn FULL STREAMING VIDEO South Lawn 3:37 P.M. EDT. PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE THE PRESIDENT: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this historic occasion. The Commissioner and I -- that would be Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame -- (applause) -- welcome you for the first All-Star game here on the South Lawn of the White House. We've got 50 players from 50 states, plus the District of Columbia,

who have come to show off their great baseball skills. And we're excited you're here. We welcome you, we welcome your families.

We want to thank Kenny Chesney for lending his great talent. We're proud you're here, Kenny. (Applause.) Thanks for coming.

President George W. Bush and baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, left, cheer on players participating in the Tee Ball on the South Lawn All-Star Game Wednesday, July 16, 2008, where the teams Eastern U.S. vs.Central U.S., and Southern U.S. vs. Western U.S., played in an afternoon doubleheader at the White House. White House photo by Chris Greenberg

I do want to welcome our baseball coaches today. We've got four fabulous coaches who've agreed to come: Ryne Sandberg -- (applause) -- Hall of Famer. He's kind of pulling for the Cubs this year. (Laughter.) John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves. (Applause.) Our second game coaches: From the Baltimore Orioles, Kevin Millar. (Applause.) Here he is. And finally, two-time All-Star, Rick Monday. (Applause.) There he is. Hi, Rick. Thanks for coming. I do want to welcome our announcers today -- Mike and Mike. Yes, sir! (Applause.) Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg. We're proud you guys are here. We expect them to call a good game.

I do want to say that a member of my Cabinet, Carlos Gutierrez, has joined us. Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming. (Applause.)

And finally, Mr. Commissioner, we are so lucky to have Shelby Shayler with us today. She will be presenting you and I with the first ball -- but not quite yet. Before we do, we're going to recite the Little League Oath.

Are the players ready? All right, here we go. "I trust in God. I love my country. And I will respect its laws. I will play fair, and strive to win. But win or lose, I will always do my best."

Play ball! (Applause.)

END 3:40 P.M. EDT For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 16, 2008

Thomas J. Madison Jr. Biography

President Bush intends to nominate Thomas J. Madison, of New York, to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at the Department of Transportation. Mr. Madison currently serves as President of the Spectra Subsurface Imaging Group. Prior to this, he worked as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Secretary for Transportation to the Governor of New York. Mr. Madison received his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 15, 2008

Biography - Mr. Madison joined Governor Pataki’s staff in 1995 as a regional representative in the Southern Tier. He also served in a variety of roles, including, the governor's deputy appointments secretary, deputy executive director of the state Consumer Protection Board and the director of state and local government affairs. During his tenure at the CPB, Madison managed the creation and implementation of the state’s “Do Not Call Telemarketing Registry”—the largest such registry in the U.S. at the time.

From 1997 to 1999, Madison served as Deputy Broome County Executive under Jeffrey P. Kraham. During this time he helped restructure the executive branch of county government and coordinate expansions of the county’s regional airport, parks system, and Veterans’ Memorial Arena. He also worked to construct new county court and library facilities and chaired both the Board of Acquisitions and Contracts and the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. Prior to joining the governor’s staff, he worked for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Corporation, Sen. Thomas W. Libous, the late Assemblyman Richard H. Miller and T.J. Madison Construction, his father’s Binghamton-based
company.

Mr. Madison has served on the Board of Commissioners of the New York State Bridge Authority since 2006, bringing a wealth of transportation and executive management experience. He previously served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation, Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Transportation, Chairman of the New York State Public Transportation Safety Board and MTA Capital Program Review Board, and as a Member of the Peace Bridge Authority and Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

Presently Tom serves as president of Spectra Subsurface Imaging LLC, an affiliate of Spectra Environmental Group Inc. (www.spectraenv.com). He is also V.P. of Spectra's Infrastructure Services division in Latham, N.Y.

Tom received his bachelor’s in political science (class of 1988), with a minor in international relations from SUNY Geneseo.

He and his wife, Tracy, have two children, Morgan and Brooks, and reside in Halfmoon, N.Y.

SOURCES:

• white House Personnel Announcement
• Spotlight on Geneseo Alumni
• Change of pace: bond issues can be structured
• Board of the New York State Bridge Authority
• Madison Jr. joins environmental group