WASHINGTON, May 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush in a photo opportunity with the New England Patriots:

The Rose Garden

1:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Welcome back. The mighty New England Pats have returned, just like he told me they would. It's such an honor to welcome the team back here. I'm especially glad to see Tom Brady. I'm trying to figure out what it's like to be around a real celebrity. (Laughter.)

Bob Kraft is a owner who knows how to win. And congratulations on winning the Super Bowl. (Applause.) What I appreciate is the fact that in the contracts you sign with the players that you include a commitment to participate in at least 10 public service events each year. I appreciate the commitment. I also appreciate the players' commitment, as well.

You've got a great head coach, obviously. You can't win Super Bowls 66 percent of the time in a three-year period unless you've got a great coach. (Applause.) Congratulations.

I want to congratulate all the players who are here. For those of you who weren't here two years ago, this is a pretty cool place to come. I want to congratulate the people who work to make a team go well, the trainers and the person -- the equipment personnel, the people who never get the -- who never get heralded. I understand it's -- the players, obviously, are the ones that make it happen, but there are a lot of people behind the scenes that have worked long and hard to support these guys. And I want to congratulate you, as well.

I appreciate Sununu, the Senator from New Hampshire. He's a huge fan of the team, as is Ed Markey and Jim McGovern, people from the mighty Massachusetts delegation. We're proud you're here. Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Andy Card, the Chief of Staff here at the White House, is a longtime Patriots fan. He's constantly reminding me how great the Pats are, on a Sunday-by- Sunday basis. And Andrew Natsios, as well, is a Pats fan. Obviously, we've got quite a few here. If the Rose Garden were bigger, there would be a lot more people here, I assume. Welcome. I'm glad you're here.

The thing -- a couple of things impressed me. One, you never lost a home game. That's really good marketing. (Laughter.) That's a smart way to do it -- to fill up your stadium and have your fans go home happy every game. I watched some of your games. I appreciate the dramatic comebacks that you were capable of making. I like it when a kicker ends up winning the game. You like it when the kicker ends up winning the game. I know Adam is with us today. I am really impressed at how cool you are under fire, and how -- like, I need a few suggestions before a press conference, if you don't mind.

I also appreciate so very much the coach. I don't know what it's like in the locker room, but I remember when you were here last year -- or two years ago -- and you said you were going to say a few words and you said like four words. (Laughter.)

COACH BELICHICK: I got carried away.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, right. You got carried away. (Laughter and applause.)

Here's what I like about this team: They had a thousand hours of volunteer service to communities in Massachusetts and New England. That's a lot of hours for people who are spending a lot time practicing and reading play books. That is an unbelievably important example for champions to set for others. I know you supported the Boys and Girls Club and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, the ROSE Fund to end domestic violence. I really want to thank you for that. Listen, it's one thing to be a champ on the field, and obviously, that's what every player strives for. But to be able to be a complete person like you have been is really important. And you set such a good example of what it means to serve something greater than yourself.

I know there's a lot of fans that come to your game. You also know there are fans that are rooting for you who wear the uniform of the United States military - a lot of Pats fans out there who are scattered around the world, doing everything they can to defend us and to protect us. They are cheering in places like Afghanistan  and in Iraq  and in other countries. It is -- I can't tell you how important it is for them to see the action from home, to see the great players performing on the field of play. It's also important for them to know that our players care for them a lot, that they understand that we're grateful for their service, and grateful to their families, as well, for the sacrifices they're making.

We have got some unbelievable troops, fantastic men and women who understand -- (applause) -- people understand that they're serving something important, and that is security for our country, and peace and freedom around the world. And the fact that players are willing to serve their communities reinforces that service of our troops.

So thanks for what you do. Congratulations for getting back here to the Rose Garden. My hope, of course, is that I'm back here again to see you next year. (Laughter.) Your hope is that you come back. (Applause.)

Welcome back. Congratulations. (Applause.)

END 1:40 P.M. EDT

http://www.usnewswire.com/

A presidential victory pat

03:48 PM EDT on Monday, May 10, 2004

By JOHN E. MULLIGAN
Journal Washington bureau

projo.com | Providence, R.I. | New England Patriots

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2003 Championship Bling Bling!

By the numbers...here.

A diamond jubilee as Patriots get their rings

By Adam Kilgore, Globe Correspondent  |  June 14, 2004

BROOKLINE -- In the middle of an hour-long procession of luxury cars, sport utility vehicles, and limousines pulling up to a red carpet in front of an opulent house, Adam Vinatieri pretty much said it all.

"This," the Patriots kicker said last night, "is all right."

It was that kind of night for the Patriots, who received their 2003 Super Bowl rings at owner Robert Kraft's house during a celebratory dinner. As the players pulled up, Kraft greeted each one with a hug in the entryway to his palatial home. Coach Bill Belichick was one of the last to arrive.

"So many days out of the year, we're one game at a time, one day at a time," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "But this is one night when we can embelish."

"This is why we play," linebacker Ted Johnson said. "The ring is a huge symbol of what we were able to accomplish. This event gives some closure to last season."

It also gives their fingers some serious weight to carry. Each ring -- which Bruschi estimated at more than $20,000 -- weighs 3.8 ounces and 5.05 carats. It is 33 percent larger than the team's ring from the 2001 season, has 104 diamonds, and is the heaviest Super Bowl ring ever.

There are 15 full-cut gems that run across the crest of the ring, symbolizing New England's 15-game winning streak. Along the bottom are 12 diamonds, representing the 12-0 home record (including exhibition games). Ted Washington, who came back from Oakland, Calif., to pick up his jewelry, had the biggest ring at size 17.5.

"The real standard was, the ring in 2001, when they put it on the bar you could see it for three stools," Kraft said. "This is a six-stool ring."

"It's the best Super Bowl ring ever," Bruschi said. "The best ring in the history of the NFL went to one of the best teams in the history of the NFL."

Like the 2001 edition, the rings were cast in 14-carat white gold, which is becoming a tradition for New England -- the Patriots are the only team to use white gold on Super Bowl rings.

The Patriots are getting used to these ring ceremonies. They have created a mini-dynasty in the past three years, winning two Super Bowls and posting a 17-2 record last season.

"I'm still surprised at what we've accomplished," said running back Kevin Faulk, who rolled up to Kraft's cobblestone driveway in a stretch limo.

But he won't forget, thanks to the images of a pair of Lombardi Trophies on the centerpiece of the ring. On the crest is an aerial view of Gillette Stadium with "WORLD" across the top and "CHAMPIONS" on the bottom.

"We get these tonight, and it symbolizes what we did last year," Vinatieri said. "This is the last time we get to celebrate. Some players play their entire careers and don't get even a sniff of a ring like this."

As excited as players were to receive their rings -- some showed at 5:40 for the 6 p.m. dinner -- some said they weren't satisfied.

And filling them up is a matter that won't wait until fall, not with minicamp starting last week. After the luxury of last night -- with Tom Brady pulling up in a limo and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel pulling up in a limousine-bus hybrid -- the players and staff won't have much time to forget what earned them the rings.

"Tomorrow it's back to work," Faulk said, "to try and win another one." 

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