Remembering the Mets Post-9/11 Game

On September 21st, 2001, I attended a baseball game unlike any other played before it. It was ten days after the attacks on New York City and Washington DC on 9/11 and was the first regular season game played in NY city since the attacks. It was the first time for many fans to return to normalcy. Some had their chance a few days earlier when the Rangers played the Devils in a preseason NHL game, but this game was much different.
You see there were several storylines for this game. It was the first game in NYC after 9/11 for the Mets after rescheduling their series versus the Pirates to Pittsburgh. It was also a site where Mets players, brass and manager Bobby Valentine volunteered to help the victims of the attacks. It was the first time for many fans encountering the new security protocols that are normal today. It was a time to quell the hysteria of many after the attacks. It was a time to begin the healing. John Buck's words rang clear, "Should we be hear? YES!" The fans were treated to a pregame show where the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority were all honored by the franchised and the admiring crowd. To honor them, the Mets wore hats from the members of these organizations. There was a 21 gun salute where Shea Stadium could hear a pin drop in the stadium filled to capacity. There was a change to the Mets scoreboard where the NYC skyline was mimicked. This night, and everyone after, a Red-White-Blue ribbon was attached to where the Towers were represented.

Not lost in this night was the importance of the game itself. However, the two hated rivals shook hands after the National Anthem. To them, we were all Americans. Unfortunately, the Mets were 4 games behind the Braves for first place and the series was critical. It was the reliable Braves rookie and Staten Island Native Jason Marquis against the Mets new addition Bruce Chen. In one of the most important games of the season, the Braves moved ahead late in the game. When in the eighth inning, Mets star Mike Piazza stepped to the plate with one on and took a Steve Karsay fastball over the centerfield fence for a two run homerun and the lead. 
If Hollywood wrote the script, it couldn't be more perfect! The home team star leads the team to victory in their darkest hour, but this day wasn't about baseball. It was nowhere near about it. It was about beginning the healing of many people. Honoring the loved one who made the greatest sacrifice. The men and women who climbed into a burning building not to return. The people who gave their lives in the hope to save one. 

For me, the most memorable moment of the weekend was hearing my grandfather, a WWII veteran, sing along to the national anthem with a tear dripping of out his left eye hoping his grandson wouldn't see. He was a man who fought for his country and thought he'd never see this day. I thought of John Amarante who sang the National Anthem at MSG and wasn't interrupted as normally, but not this day. His tears on "God Bless America" almost didn't let him finish. Listening to my grandfather, I realized what being an American was. Here was man who gave his youth to keep my family free. He never heard of an attack on mainland America and his home was threatened.  He did not take kindly to that. As Piazza's towering drive sailed over the stands, it began the resurgence to go back to our lives, but it wasn't complete. How could it be? War was upon and people would have to risk their lives for our safety. How could we repay them? How could we honor what they wanted to do?
Simple. Today, hug a cop. Tell a fireman, "Thank you", and let a veteran of Iraq/Afghanistan know their fight is appreciated. Let them know you appreciate what they did for us. And most importantly, never forget.