HBO is set to debut a new series entitled ‘Sports in America.' I thought it would be a good idea to apply HBO's idea to Longwood students and ask them about one sports moment that truly affected them. Given that this is the first iteration of the "Sports at Longwood" series, I thought it best to start with a moment that mattered to me.
Sept. 11, 2001. We all know the story. Terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. I remember getting home from school that afternoon and watching the news with my parents that night not knowing what would happen next. Every man, woman and child in the country probably felt the exact same way as we did. At that moment, anything seemed possible.
The Major League Baseball season was in its final weeks when dawn broke on Sept. 11. The postseason was just around the corner and being the baseball fan I am, I could not wait for it to get started, but the events of that day put everything on hold. Baseball and football games were canceled or postponed. NASCAR moved their race at New Hampshire from September to November. The sports spectrum was thrown out of whack. All that was on television was news about 9/11.
Finally, baseball's postseason got underway and when the time came for the World Series, the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks were ready to duke it out. Now, I'm not a Yankees fan by any stretch of the imagination. I respect the history of the franchise and some of the talented men who have played for them through the years. However, there usually is something about them that just rubs me the wrong way. In this particular World Series, though, I was content with the Yankees winning it all, considering what their city had been through in the weeks leading up.
So what moment(s) really affected me? President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium will always stick with me. Say what you want to about the man and his policies, but he delivered what the crowd needed on that night. The stadium roared to life as he walked to the pitcher's mound and tossed a strike. Game 3 was the first game of the series held in Yankee Stadium and the home team won 2-1.
The second moment that really affected me was Luis Gonzalez's bloop single in Game 7, which gave the Diamondbacks the victory. The entire series had been hard fought by both teams, complete with late inning rallies and extra inning drama. Even though the Yankees lost the series, they still held their heads high because of what they had done for their city. In a way, they brought New York back from the brink and showed its citizens that life would get better in the times ahead. I know that when the time comes again, when New York needs the Yankees to provide healing, they will gladly do it.
Tell us about a sports moment that touched your life! Email Ben Maitland at john.maitland@live.longwood.edu to have your story heard!
