WASHINGTON - In the morning were a series of meetings, including the daily briefing on the state of the economy in the midst of announcements that hundreds of car dealerships across the nation are going to be shuttered.

Later in the afternoon was a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss weighty world issues.

So, no, the Phillies' little stopover at the White House to meet President Obama wasn't the most important event that's ever taken place at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Hell, it wasn't even the most important thing that happened yesterday.

It was a pretty nice perk, though, for the team that had already experienced the sheer exhilaration of creating a dogpile near the mound after the winning the World Series, the outpouring of civic adoration during the parade down Broad Street, the valediction of receiving their gaudy championship rings.

And it was fun to watch the players' faces as they stood on the podium behind Obama during his 7-minute speech, fun to see big-league ballplayers who become accustomed to having others look up to them be just a little in awe of the company they were keeping.

It's not uncommon to see players become a little starry-eyed if a well-known actor or entertainer drops by the clubhouse. And that admiration is often mutual. Even famous singers and actors often act as though they'd like to trade places with the players.

The president of the United States, though, trumps all of them.

No matter how they felt about his politics - and let's face it, most folks with seven-figure salaries tend to see things through Republican-colored glasses - it was hard not to be impressed.

Standing in front of the Truman Balcony on the South Lawn (it's impossible not to think of all the history that's taken place on that expanse of grass, especially Nixon's helicopter lifting off to take him to his California exile after he resigned), the Rose Garden to their right, the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial on the horizon, even the most cynical among them had to be impressed.

Second baseman Chase Utley, normally so phlegmatic, was practically bubbly. His eyes danced as he talked about shortstop Jimmy Rollins casually challenging Obama to a little hoops on the White House court.

Rollins, who campaigned for Obama, trying to shrug off the fact he was one the president had singled out by making a wiseguy remark about how he knew his name for 1 day at least.

Sure, most of the president's prepared remarks were backed by some thorough research. But he's also a sports nut, and a White Sox fan, and that showed through.

He started by paying homage to Harry Kalas, the late Hall of Fame broadcaster whose death before a Phillies game at Nationals Park in April was the reason this visit was taking place a month later than originally planned.

He deftly compared his underdog status in the early days of presidential campaigning to the Phillies' ability to overcome the odds in winning the World Series. He recalled a speech he gave in Chester the day after Game 5 of the World Series was interrupted.

He made a connection with his audience by noting that Vice President Joe Biden and his campaign manager, David Plouffe, are both big Phillies fans. He twitted Cubs fans for having not had a World Series championship to celebrate for 101 years.

He singled out several individuals - Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino (like Obama, born in Hawaii) and Brad Lidge and manager Charlie Manuel and Utley and Rollins.

Somehow, though, there was a human scale to it all, too, something beyond background that somebody else had organized on his behalf.

After accepting the obligatory Phillies jersey from Rollins, the president ad-libbed, "Can I have your ring, too?"

As the group assembled for a photo opportunity afterward, Obama quipped, "All right, everybody, say cheese." Pause. "Try cheesesteak."

And when his talk was finished, Obama headed straight for broadcaster Gary Matthews and gave him a hug. It turns out that when Matthews was a Cubs coach, his daughter Paige and Malia Obama had a dance class together.

Over Sarge's shoulder was the swing set that has been built for Malia and Sasha. As the media were leaving the grounds, they were briefly interrupted by the first dog, Bo, going for a walk.

No, it might not have been the most important event at the White House yesterday. But it was impossible not to get the impression that Obama enjoyed the break from the serious business of running the country.

And, in the end, it shouldn't have been the most important thing the Phillies did yesterday, either. Except, maybe, as a reminder that if they'd like to come back and be feted at the White House again, they will have to start playing better than they did Thursday. *

Send e-mail to hagenp@phillynews.com.