Lovullo timed his workout so he could meet President Obama

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NEW YORK -- On Monday morning, interim manager Torey Lovullo arrived at the gym at the Red Sox team hotel and discovered that he had missed
President Barack Obama by a matter of minutes.

Obama, who was staying at the same hotel as the Red Sox, was in town to address the United Nations General Assembly and meet with other world leaders.

Lovullo vowed to arrive a bit early Tuesday and meet the president.

He arrived at the workout room at 8:30 Tuesday morning and saw the hall full of Secret Service agents and knew that this time, he had arrived in time.

"It was almost unbelievable,'' recounted Lovullo. "I walked into the same place that he was and we were both civilians. He had the same workout clothes that I did; he just had 15 security guards watching his workout. I took the advice of my stepson and just walked up to him freely and easily and just said, 'Mr. President, nice to meet you. My name's Torey Lovullo and I'm one of the Red Sox coaches - anticipating that he would have said, 'Hey, we had you guys (at the White House) a couple of years ago,' but, no.

"We talked about the White Sox, we talked about how our season is going. He's fairly dialed in to what's happening in Major League Baseball and we had a great conversation. He was comfortable and easy.''

Beyond the White Sox, Obama's hometown team, the two also discussed the recent dugout battle between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper.

"I asked him one question,'' said Lovullo. "I said, 'When are you leaving (the hotel)? Because it's been extremely inconvenient for (members of the Red Sox) to come and go here (due to heavy security measures).' He told me he was leaving (the hotel) and 10 o'clock and I said, 'Good.' It hasn't been easy. I like to get a cup of Starbucks in the morning and I had to go four blocks the other way. I said that to him and he apologized and said, 'I'm doing the best I can. It happens.'''

Lovullo reported that Obama was following a prescribed workout plan which included running on the treadmill and some free weights.

"He's got a great routine,'' said Lovullo. "He's in great shape. He actually sat down (on the bench) and asked if he could share the weights with me. I know how heavy they were for me and he didn't make them look so heavy. He made them look easy. He's a strong man.

Reflecting on the meeting, Lovullo said: "It was as normal as you could imagine. It was as exciting as you could probably imagine. And then I asked for a picture at the end of the conversation.''

Obama requested the picture be taken right before he left the workout area. Red Sox GM Mike Hazen, who happened into the gym, took the picture with an IPhone, and much to Lovullo's later dismay, didn't account for the bright lights in the background, making for a dark image of Lovullo and the president.

"It was a great experience,'' concluded Lovullo.

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