All of baseball had Boston’s back after tragedy struck.
I remember where I was that day. It was 3:15 p.m., and I had just walked into the bowling alley for my evening shift at work. I saw the television turned on to the news, and I saw the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City crumbled to the ground. I still don't know how I hadn't heard about the OKC bombing at school, but I spent the 45 minutes before work glued to the TV watching the coverage. I had no personal ties to the building, but in 16 short months Oklahoma City would be my new home, and I couldn't help but watch as my future city gathered downtown. It was April 19, 1995.
I remember where I was the next time too. I was at my parents’ house in Springfield, three months removed from losing my job and moving back home. I hadn’t been getting after it in my search for a new job, so it was not long after 8 a.m. when I crawled out of bed and saw my mom watching the coverage on the Today show. I didn’t look for a job that day. Like most of America, I sat and watched the city of New York covered in ashes and dust. It was September 11, 2001.
And I remember where I was on Monday. It was early afternoon, and I saw “#prayforboston” showing up all over my Twitter feed. My gut told me something was wrong, and a quick navigation to MSN confirmed my suspicions. At the finish line of one of the world’s greatest sporting events, somebody left two backpacks with crude bombs that destroyed city blocks and changed lives.
Earlier this week, the city of Boston suffered great loss, and America suffered with them. No sooner had disaster struck than Boston Marathon volunteers, race participants and people on the street jumped in to help people injured as a result of the bombs. Within a blink of an eye, tragedy was trumped by the power of the American spirit.
In moments like these, Americans are searching for something — anything — that will restore a sense of normalcy to the surroundings. And that’s where sporting events come into play. When the world changes, our favorite teams still find a way to make things easier. Games don’t take the pain away, but for a moment it suspends that pain into a state where fans can be fans and a city can rally around their favorite team for three hours.
I truly believe that for all the New Yorkers who remember the events of 9/11, many of them also remember the Mets-Braves game on September 21. That was the first Mets game in New York City after the World Trade Center attacks. In the bottom of the 8th, Mike Piazza hit a solo home run to give the Mets the lead for good. That moment served to help the healing process in New York. Even though all of this horror surrounded the city, that at-bat and that win helped New York feel like everything was going to be okay again.
That same feeling came back Tuesday night in the Boston Red Sox game against the Cleveland Indians. It wasn’t a comeback win, but the Sox put seven runs up in the second inning in a total domination of the Indians. Despite the fact that Boston was on the road, the victory helped restore positive feelings in the city. Even more amazing was the support of teams across the Major Leagues, playing “Sweet Caroline” and the “Cheers” theme song in support of the Sox. Yes, even the Yankees, Boston’s most hated rival, stood next to their arch enemies in support. In that moment, rivalries meant nothing. Unity meant everything.
News articles, sports magazines and television specials have expounded on the healing power of sports in situations like these. There is very little I could say to add value to that. But how grateful should we be to know that, even in times of great trial and tribulation, there is still something in which we can take comfort. We know that our favorite teams and our favorite athletes will still be there, waving the banner of victory, not just for their team but for the country.
God bless the city of Boston … and God bless America.