Visit All World All Sports

by Digger

Beautiful bright sunny skies. Americans rushing to work. Professional athletes rejoicing or remorsing in their seasons. Children attending school. The morning of September 11, 2001 seemed like any other normal day... until...

War was officially declared on the United States of America.

New Yorkers and the world was stunned in horror when two hijacked jumbo jets flew directly into the World Trade Center Towers within minutes of each other. At 8:46 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 rammed into the North Tower. A stunned world watched in disbelief. Most not realizing this was an act of war.

9:03 a.m. The second hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 175, roared at full speed over downtown Manhattan before striking the South Tower. It was then realized this was no accident. Our great nation was under attack. Both Towers faultered under duress from excessive damage and heat leading to their collapse.

9:37 a.m. As a stunned world watched news reports from New York City, a third hijacked plane attacked. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia causing severe damage and further loss of life.

United Airlines Flight 93 was the fourth plane hijacked and was reported to have targeted either our White House or United States Capital. United 93 passengers phoned friends and relatives after being hijacked. Some were informed of what happened in New York and DC area. Many of the heroic passengers valiently fought for their lives... and for the lives of our citizens on the ground. They counter attacked the hijackers. Passenger Todd Beamer was heard telling other passengers "Let's Roll" as they readied to counter attack. As a result, United 93 passengers successfully thwarted the hijackers plans before reaching their intended target.

Air traffic controllers grounded all remaining in air flights. Landing them at closest airports to avoid further attacks/hijackings. No flights were allowed into U.S. airspace and none were allowed to leave.

It was soon learned who declared war. A fundamentalist terror network called Al-Qaeda.

Nearly 3,000 lives were taken on September 11, 2001. Thousands more lives of family members were changed forever. Most American's remember in exact detail where they were on this date. Never to forget. Our world changed forever.

I can remember receiving an early morning call from my close friend in Dallas. "Can you believe it?" he asked. I had no idea what he was talking about until being told to turn on CNN. I watched the smoke pouring out of the North Tower in disbelief. Just then, American 175 hit and I knew we were at war. This was the 2nd attack on WTC (1993).

For a brief while, American's daily lives were placed on hold. There was a sense of unity and patriotism growing to levels not felt since Ronald Reagan was our President. Even the politicians put aside their bickering long enough to present a united front.

My thoughts were consumed with prayers for those trapped in the buildings hoping they could find a successful escape. Hoping none of my friends, family members or former business associates fell victims in this tragedy. Thoughts remembering past visits from meetings to social events within the Towers... and watching them under construction as a child in the 70's.

At the time, Major League Baseball was embarking on its' annual pennant races. Games were put off until September 17. New York teams (Yankees & Mets) both added New York Police and Fire Department logo's to the front of ballcaps in recognition of the heroic men and women who perished on 9/11 trying to rescue those trapped inside the burning Towers. Stadiums across our great nation began playing God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch. Local players were lending a helping hand with cleanup crews and surviving family members.

When baseball finally returned in the New York area (Sept 21 @ Shea)... the game helped to distract fans from what had taken place only days earlier. It was also a sign of strength to show the world our country was going to bounce back. We will not go quietly into the night!

New York baseball fans will never forget the magical moments witnessed at Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series. The Yankees had returned from Arizona trailing the Diamondbacks two games to zero. Moral was tepid. Some fans were jittery making their way to the Stadium. New York City was on high security alert. Bomb sniffing dogs had been summoned to search every inch before fans began arriving. Fans were frisked before being allowed into Yankee Stadium. Police presence was felt throughout the Stadium and by viewers tuning in around the world.

The Yankees then played three consecutive thrilling World Series games which electrified New Yorkers. Three straight one run victories. The final two were come from behind last at bat wins. The Yankees trailed by two runs entering the ninth inning in Games 4 & 5. Both times they tied it up and sent it to extra innings. In Game 4, the first ever November World Series game, Tino Martinez crushed a two out home run to tie the game and Derek Jeter hit a two out game winning walk off home run. Game 5 magic returned as Scott Brosius stepped into the hero circle with a two out two run 9th inning homer to tie it up. Soriano delivered Chuck Knoblauch with a game winning single in the 12th.

Baseball was back. New York was alive. The Yankees held a 3 games to 2 lead heading back to Arizona. They eventually lost the Series in 7 games as Arizona pulled off some 9th inning magic of their own against closer Mariano Rivera. All was not lost. America was back on its' feet. Baseball helped settle things down when thousands of hearts were still heavy and dealing with losses from September 11th. Games 3,4 & 5 went a long way to helping normalcy return to New Yorkers lives.

September 11, 2001 should never be forgotten. America's guard should always be up. We will prevail in the war declaration brought to our shores. We will never go silently into the night.