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WEBVTT THE FESTIVITIES. DUKE: SHORTLY AFTER ALEX CORA, THEY WERE RED SOX AND THE WORLD SERIES TROPHY LANDED IN SAN JUAN, IT WAS OFF TO HIS HOMETOWN. THAT WAS WHERE THE CELEBRATION STARTED. ALEX’S HOMETOWN GIVING HIM A THUNDEROUS WELCOME. TO TELL EVERYBODY HOW MUCH I LOVE MY FAMILY, THAT WAS THE COOLEST MOMENT OF THE POSTSEASON. >> DID YOU GET A LITTLE EMOTIONAL? I DID, I HAD TO TAKE A STEP BACK. DUKE: SUCH A TERRIFIC ENERGY IN THE GROUND AND ON THE STAGE. >> I JUST KEPT LOOKING AT THE JOY ON ALEX’S FACE WHEN EVERYBODY WAS BEING INTRODUCED TODAY BECAUSE HE WAS A PROUD FATHER. >> IT WAS INCREDIBLE. THE SPIRIT, THE ENERGY AND PASSION, AND THE LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR THE FAMILY. DUKE: WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR ALEX, THE FIRST PUERTO RICAN BOARD MANAGER TO WIN A WORLD SERIES. >> I KNOW WHERE I AM FROM. I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. THERE WERE NOT TOO MANY MINORITY MANAGERS IN THE BIG LEAGUES. IF YOU START LOOKING AT YOURSELF LIKE THAT, YOU ARE GOING TO LIMIT YOURSELF. HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO THIS AGAIN. >> DOING IT NEXT YEAR? >> I AM NOT GUARANTEEING IT BUT THAT IS ONE OF THE GOALS. RHONDELLA: THAT WAS DUKE CASTIGLIONE REPORTING. RED SOX MANAGER ALEX CORA AND OTHER PLAYERS FLEW BACK TO BOSTON YESTERDAY. CORA IS EXPECTED TO BE AT THE PATRIOTS GAME

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It may be winter in New England, but members of the 2019 Boston Red Sox are spending the weekend with fans at the 5th Annual Baseball Winter Weekend at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.Along with talking about the upcoming season, we're getting a clearer picture about how many players might be skipping the team's planned White House visit in mid-February. Once a routine, non-partisan perk of winning it all, the traditional champions' visit to Washington has become especially politicized lately, with some teams declining the invitation; in other cases, individual players have stayed home.The Red Sox initially said the team will go, while leaving the decision up to individual members of the organization.But Friday night, Red Sox owner John Henry said that the team’s visit to the White House could be contingent on whether the federal government remains shut down."It's our intention to go," team chairman Tom Werner told the Boston Globe. "As John said, it's awkward if there’s a shutdown."Sam Kennedy said the Red Sox owners settled on what they have done in the past, giving the players an opportunity to visit and celebrate the World Series victory at the White House.Writers who follow the team said a few Red Sox players have already told the front office that they’ll be skipping the White House visit.Rafael Devers told reporters at the team's winter weekend that he was not going to go to the White House, but said it was not about taking a political stand. The 22-year-old Dominican Republic native said he wanted to focus on spring training and baseball. "The opportunity was presented and I just wasn't compelled to go."The World Series champions are scheduled to visit the White House on Feb. 15.The team planned to travel as a group from its spring training home in Fort Myers, Florida to Washington and return later that day. Catcher Blake Swihart, infielder Brock Holt and pitcher Ryan Brasier all said last week they were looking forward to a White House tour. "It's not every day you can just walk into the White House," Swihart said. "So it's going to be a cool experience.Eduardo Nunez said he was still deciding whether to go to White House. Nunez didn't get into what factors he may be weighing. The 31-year-old is a native of the Dominican Republic. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, a Puerto Rico native who has been outspoken about its need for hurricane relief, indicated on Thursday that he may skip the World Series celebration at the White House over President Donald Trump's policies toward the island.Cora previously said he would make the traditional champion's visit to Washington to argue for more help for the American island that was devastated by Hurricane Maria. But in the wake of reports this week that Trump tried to redirect funds from Puerto Rico to Florida and Texas, Cora repeatedly prefaced his comments on Thursday with, "If I go ....""We'll see what happens," Cora said before the annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "There's a lot of stuff going on right now as far as the government and the shutdown and all that. If I go, I'll represent Puerto Rico the right way."