NEW YORK — In a way, Don Mattingly was about as far from the hustle and bustle of downtown New York City as an ex-ballplayer could be on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
The former New York Yankees captain was cleaning out stalls on his horse farm in Indiana when he heard the horrible news on the radio: Two planes had crashed into the Twin Towers in Manhattan, destroying the World Trade Center landmarks and undoubtedly killing thousands of people.
So he went inside.
“I felt like I watched TV for like three weeks straight,” Mattingly said. “Just couldn’t take my eyes off the TV.”
Within a month, he returned to New York for a visit.
“Unbelievable,” he recalled. “Devastating.”
Mattingly, now managing the Miami Marlins, was back in New York on Tuesday as Major League Baseball once again commemorated the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks with ceremonies at ballparks all across the country.
A moment of silence to honor victims and first responders was held before every game. Players, coaches and umpires wore caps with a “We Shall Not Forget” ribbon patch, and MLB planned to donate all royalties from the sales of those hats to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Pentagon Memorial Fund and the Flight 93 National Memorial.
“Obviously, a tough day for a lot of people. Obviously, a lot going on in the city,” Mattingly said. “It feels good to be a small part of that.”
Fire Department of New York Commissioner Daniel Nigro threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Mets captain John Franco, who grew up in Brooklyn and wore an FDNY cap. FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson sang “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Before the game, Mattingly and Mets manager Mickey Callaway wore NYPD hats as they conducted interviews.
“It’s a day that needs to be remembered and I’m proud to be a New Yorker and have this hat on,” Callaway said. “I don’t think it’ll ever be forgotten. I’m glad that baseball recognizes it every year.”
— The Associated Press
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Scoreboard
MLB: Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3
Full story |
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