The Mets Help A City And Nation Heal

I'm sure we all remember what we were doing on this date eight years ago when we either saw or heard the news.

I remember my wife and I had just dropped our second son, Metsfan99 off at Pre-K, and went into a Duncan Donuts to grab something to drink. It was there we saw the horrific events on TV while it was happening.

Days later I had found that my niece was supposed to be at the WTC for a job interview, but it was luckily rescheduled. A guy I knew from high school perished. A good friend from college made it out, barely. He was saved on two different occasions by FDNY personnel who were running up the stairs as he was running down.

This post is not to bring back sad memories. If I have done so, I apologize. We here at 24 Hours... give our heartfelt sympathy to those who were adversely affected by this day.

I want to turn our attention to September 21, 2001. Mets Vs. Braves. The Mets mounted a terrific comeback to beat the Braves 3-2, capped by a dramatic 8th inning two run HR by fan favorite Mike Piazza.

This was more than a baseball game. It was a terrific come back by a team and a city that was clawing to put their lives (and season) back into order.

The Mets were in the news during the 10 day lay-off by providing help to workers down at ground zero. It was a nice touch that they wore caps of such revered public servants as FDNY, NYPD, an others.

This one night, this one great comeback against their arch nemesis, the Atlanta Braves, was the start in a nations healing. We were able to cheer as fans, and able to start healing as a city and a country.

I have always loved this team, but I don't know if I was ever more proud of them (1973 and 1986 included) as I was when they filled us with pride and excitement all in the same night.

Mike Piazza will one day grace the halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he did more than that eight years ago. He, along with our Mets, will forever be enshrined in our hearts. Our team, our boys, our frustrating organization did what no other sport nor franchise could do. The showed us how to heal, how to dream again, and how to cheer.