After 17 years, September 11th has become more routine. No longer do the national news services preempt their normal news to replay happened on that faithful day in 2001. The memorial service at the World Trade Center is no longer front-page headlines and outside of the new 2 World Trade Center, all the new buildings have been completed.
Life has gone on.
That’s why it’s very important keeps remembering September 11th. The NFL generally only takes their moment of silence if the date happens on a Sunday, but it falls right smack through the pennant race for MLB.
And the Mets to their credit are always front and center with the remembrance when the team happens to play at home.
Today is no exception.
Sure, it’s a shame MLB won’t allow them to wear the first responder hats during the game, like they did back after the tragedy happened in 2001, but they will wear them during batting practice and pregame, while honoring first responders before the game.
Time goes on though. None of the current Mets were here in 2001, in fact only David Wright and Jose Reyes were playing in the minors at the time.
Even current manager Mickey Callaway was a player back then for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Unlike most of the members of the Mets organization, Callaway didn’t have that much experience in New York before this season.
“All of us remember where we were,” Callaway said. “And waking to all the phone calls and watching the news all day. But to be a manager of a team in New York on this day is a privilege.”
That’s why the Mets get it, as well as the Yankees, when they are home. This is a day that should be remembered, and the distraction of baseball is something that helped healed this city.
It happened back in 2001, Mets came back 10 days after the tragedy. Things weren’t the same here and the goings on at Ground Zero dominated everything. But for one night everyone cried and cheered. Just remembering that game with the Met players in tears and then sharing hugs with the Atlanta Braves – their biggest rival – was refreshing in itself.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani – and noted Yankee fan – said it was the only time he received a standing ovation at Shea Stadium.
And what a game with Mike Piazza coming up with the game-winning homer in the eighth inning.
That game started helped start the healing process in the city, which became stronger because of the tragedy.
And life goes on. Seventeen years later, we still reflect and remember what happened back on the faithful Tuesday.
The Mets are doing it right, like they always have.
We should never forget.
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