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Friday September 21, 2001
As the United States - and the world for that matter - began its return to some sense of order, I was reminded of a quote by Terence Mann, a character played by James Earl Jones in "Field of Dreams."
Mann, talking to Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner), said, "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
Nothing could be truer.
Since Major League Baseball restarted Monday after a six-day layoff due to the tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., baseball has reminded fans and Americans about all that is good in this country.
On Wednesday night, two individuals and one team brought joy and attention back to America's pastime.
The New York Yankees, playing with a new sense of urgency and for a seemingly greater cause, defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-3 at Comiskey Park behind the right arm of Roger Clemens.
With the win, Clemens improved his record to an eye-popping 20-1 and secured what will be an unprecedented sixth Cy Young Award.
After his record setting win, Clemens wore a New York Fire Department cap in honor of firefighters who died trying to save the lives of innocent people following the World Trade Center attacks.
What's most amazing about Clemens is that he's doing all this at the ripe age of 39.
He is 20 wins from 300, five strikeouts away from passing Bert Blyleven for third place on the all-time strikeout list, has the best winning percentage of any 20-game winner and has won more Cy Young Awards than any other pitcher.
Following Clemens' victory, the Seattle Mariners' secured the A.L. West crown. The M's defeated the Anaheim Angels 5-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at Safeco Field in Seattle.
More impressive than its division title or gaudy 106-40 record was what the Mariners did after the game.
Lead by utility player Mark McLemore, the Mariners - who need to finish just over .500 in the remaining games to become, statistically, the greatest team of all time - gathered at the pitching mound with an American flag and observed a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks.
This is what baseball is supposed to be about.
It doesn't matter that Seattle's roster is composed of millionaire players from a multitude of backgrounds. The Mariners came together for a great cause during a time when most teams would pop champagne bottles in celebration.
Seattle could defeat my beloved Yankees en route to a World Series crown and I would have no complaints.
Finally, St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Albert Pujols broke the National League rookie record for RBI in a season when he drove in his 120th run in a the Cardinals' 8-2 victory over Milwaukee.
Pujols, a lock for the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award, carried the Cardinals all season long and is the main reason St. Louis is in position to win the N.L. wildcard.
Pujols made St. Louis fans forget about that muscular redhead who hit all the home runs three years ago.
What was his name, anyway?
This is what's great about baseball - new heroes replace old heroes; legends continue to show why they are legends, and teams unite to help a nation deal with its pain and sorrow.
So, God bless America, and God bless America for baseball.
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