ADIOS....OSAMA!

[DavidPratt_]

THE SCENE LAST NIGHT AT CITIZEN BANK PARK IN PHILADELPHIA WAS…SURREAL…

THE REACTION STARTED SLOWLY…AS FANS BEGAN TO HEAR THE NEWS THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN HAD BEEN KILLED…

THEN THE CHANTING GREW LOUDER AND LOUDER…

EVENTUALLY THERE 45 THOUSAND FANS YELLING OUT…”USA…USA”…

IT WAS THE ONLY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME BEING PLAYED SUNDAY NIGHT…AND IT WAS BEING BROADCAST TO A NATIONAL AUDIENCE ON ESPN…

IT WAS ALSO FITTING…THAT ONE OF THE TEAMS WAS FROM NEW YORK…

METS THIRD BASEMAN DAVID WRIGHT PUT IT THIS WAY…

“I DON’T LIKE TO GIVE PHILADLEPHIA FANS TOO MUCH CREDIT…BUT THEY GOT THIS ONE RIGHT”…

IN THE BOOTH WORKING THE GAME…WAS BOBBY VALENTINE…

WHO WAS THE MANAGER OF THE METS…ON SEPTEMBER THE 11TH 2001…

IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED…VALENTINE WAS AT SHEA STADIUM…AS IT WAS BEING USED AS A STAGING SITE…FOR RESCUE WORKERS…

HE WAS ALSO AT SHEA 10 DAYS AFTER THE ATTACK…AS THE METS PLAYED THE ATLANTA BRAVES IN ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONAL GAMES IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL…

THAT NIGHT MIKE PIAZZA HIT A 2 RUN SHOT IN THE 8TH…TO WIN IT FOR NEW YORK…

AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT…

ON TUESDAY…BEFORE THE METS BEGAN THEIR ROAD TRIP…THE TEAM PAID A VISIT TO WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER…

IN A TIME OF TRAGITY…THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SPECIAL HEALING POWER THAT SPORTS SUPPLIES…

IT WAS THE EMOTIONAL CORD JAMES EARL JONES WAS ABLE TO STRIKE…IN THE MOVIE…“FIELD OF DREAMS”…

AND IT WAS CERTAINLY ON DISPLAY LASTNIGHT AT CITIZEN BANK PARK…

THIS SEPTEMBER WILL MARK THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9-11…

AT GROUND ZERO…THE SCARS ARE STILL VISIBLE…

THE PAIN IS STILL THE HEARTS OF THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF THE VICTIMS…

AND NO ONE BELIEVES…THIS WAR ON TERROR IS OVER…

BUT SUNDAY THERE WAS SOME CLOSURE…AND FINALLY A SENSE OF JUSTICE…

AND NOWHERE WAS THAT MORE EVIDENT THAN IN PHILADELPHIA

DP