For Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay and several of his teammates, today's whirlwind visit to Washington and the White House will be memorable for the destination and lasting for the inevitable question it allows them to answer.

"It's the whole experience," Jay said. "You're going to the White House, of course, and then when people say, 'Why are you going to the White House?', you can always say, 'We won a championship.'"

To mark their World Series victory, the Cardinals will make the customary visit to the White House this afternoon to meet briefly with President Barack Obama and be honored during a ceremony in the East Room. The whole appearance with the president, which will start shortly after 2 p.m. (St. Louis time) and include the presentation of an "Obama" Cardinals jersey to the president, is expected to last less than 30 minutes.

The Cardinals' visit to Washington will include a stop at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. There the Cardinals are scheduled to visit with patients and their families.

A majority of the members of the 2011 Cardinals team are expected to attend, including Game 7 starter Chris Carpenter and All-Stars Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker will also be in the traveling party. Four players who are no longer with the team — Edwin Jackson, Arthur Rhodes, Gerald Laird and Corey Patterson — are scheduled to travel with the Cardinals from St. Louis or join the team this afternoon in Washington.

Albert Pujols, Rafael Furcal and Adam Wainwright will not attend, according to the club. Pujols declined an invitation. Furcal said he had a scheduling conflict, and Wainwright did not want to skip two days of his rehab schedule as he works to be ready for opening day after missing all of 2011.

Hitting coach Mark McGwire is the only coach expected to attend alongside many members of the front office and ownership, including general manager John Mozeliak and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.