Baseball 9/11: Pres. Bush, Roger Clemens & The Yankees Lifted Up The Free World
August 30, 2009 · Patrick Read · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Moral Courage Lifted The Free World To Its Feet Again
Washington DC, August 30, 2009
Intended for the youth, this is the true story about 9/11, the New York Yankees and how a free people showed their courage by way of the All-American Past-Time.
I offer my solemn prayer to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including to the NY Fire Department. They climbed those stairs leading up to towers ablazed while weighed down by more than just equipment.
Their courage in the face of overwhelming odds is truly something we can all learn from, which is to never quit and never surrender, even when up against unparalleled odds. The outcome of their action on 9/11 saved thousands of lives and all life is precious. Every single one.
Some may not remember what happened on 9/11—perhaps you were too young and have only heard bits of information.
Allow me to share with you the true story about 9/11 and how President Bush, Baseball and Roger Clemens came to lift the spirit of those living in the “land of the free” after having suffered an incredible attack.
They also lifted the spirits for people in other nations wishing to become free too.
I was working at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAFS), where rockets blast off into outer space. Next door to CCAF is the Kennedy Space Center, home of the Space Shuttle.
I know what power it takes to launch a rocket, a power sometimes confused with something unnatural or fake. The power used to launch a rocket is not artificial; rather it comes right from the salt of the earth and not from a laboratory.
I was a Turnover Technician in 2001, working for a company that was building and starting-up Launch Pad 37B. We were hired by Boeing, who is a manufacturer of aircraft for air & space travel and had just built the worlds largest-ever rocket called the Delta IV.
I was a little overwhelmed about having such an important job, but was focused on just doing my best everyday and working as hard as I could.
I said my prayers every night and asked God to help those in need. Sometimes people get lost on God’s highway and they are the ones I was taught to pray for–never for myself.
I was going through my normal daily routine at the office on Sept. 11, it involved a lot of flipping through actual scientific data, following up with the building contractors, calling Boeing to make sure that each system was “set for go” and that they approved of what the builders had constructed.
I was sitting on the right side of our group arrangement when all of the sudden the phone rang. Thinking it was Boeing—who I was about to call—I picked up the phone and got the biggest shock of my life. My daughter hadn’t been born yet, which was also a shock because the miracle of life far outweighs everything else on the planet.
It was my supervisor calling from his cell phone on his way to work, “Pat, a small passenger plane just went into a World Trade Center Tower in New York City!”
His voice was shaky and he was clearly upset. He knew I had a background in Air Traffic Control and that I served the United States Air Force for six years, with another two years serving in the private industry. That job is kind of like being a traffic cop of the sky.
At first I didn’t believe him, “No way,” I reacted, “Passenger aircraft can’t fly that low over heavily populated areas in this country.”
“Oh no–Jesus!” he cried, “Another one just hit the other tower!”
I heard the crash on his radio in the background and immediately knew it was no accident. I fled our field engineer trailer and hurried over to the site safety trailer.
I rushed inside and saw it on TV, two large passenger jets (747’s) had crashed into the World Trade Center Towers, one after the other.
“They were hijacked,” I said aloud. The field engineer from Boeing looked at me.
I simply shook my head with a tear in my eye, “That was no accident.”
His left hand flew to his forehead, “We have people in there,” he cried.
“I know,” I said, gasping for air, “I am a New Yorker and have people in there too.”
I still wonder what that controller in Cleveland was thinking while not scrambling our fighters much earlier. Of course, there were a lot of other variables and small contributing factors as well and it is way too much weight for any one person to bear full responsibility; except for those directly responsible.
Thus the war is against all active terror groups set to destroy the Land of the Free. Their hate kills people.
It is hard to believe that some bad guys half way around the world (some right here, like the Lackawanna 6) would distort their own history so much and convince others to fly themselves into buildings full of innocent human life.
The bad guys did this only to serve their selfish want and desire.
The question is: Who benefitted the most from the War on Terror?
The answer is simple: The same country where the 9/11 hijackers resided, and where Bin Laden is originally from is who benefitted the most. The Kingdom that leads OPEC is the one who benefitted the most. Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi should tell their people that the “fight” is internal to each individual; not external to others and that is relative their own mind, body and soul.
It can be said that 9/11 was an attack on the entire free world–whose capital city is in New York. Terrorist used America to stage and spread their seed of hate and meant to intimidate the entire free world.
Saudi sent their Crowned Prince into New York City to offer his charity. He may have expected Rudy to bow down, because he said “It was American’s own Imperialism that was the cause of 9/11.” Rudy Giuliani swiftly turned away the crowned prince’s so-called charity and showed him the doorway out of our country in a display of sheer leadership.
Awe inspiring is that one jet, loaded with those having moral courage, was taken back by heroic Americans who overtook the flying-coward. Their action ultimately resulted in a suicidal-pilot crashing that plane into a remote area where no one else could be injured.
America has nothing to apologize for, President Obama. They hit us, not the other way around. We’re just a free people and they hate us for it.
America and President Bush did do right, despite what inaugural poets might prose over. America will continue the fight to emancipate all and that means everyone, because “ALL are Created equal” and ALL were created to be free.
CCAFS closed down for a long time after that attack of hate founded in distortion; and I sat glued to the TV watching on in disbelief. Utterly depressed and shaken to my core–those were people, not viruses.
The military blood in my veins boiled and my emotion ranged from complete despair over to anger and back to despair again. This roller coaster happened every single day and each American was on it.
To this day I weep when thinking about what I saw and what I heard on those fateful days in Sept. 2001.
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“WE WILL NEVER FORGET”
What pulled the country up form that dark depression, that utter sense of helplessness, hopelessness and anger?
For me, it was the American pastime. It was baseball.
Does the ESPN still remember, as does the MLB? I think so, but can’t tell for sure because sometimes they pick & choose who wins and who is to lose instead of just letting it all play out on the field in a normal flow of events. They like to interfere and interrupt with their cheer.
What lifted this nation back to its feet again after 9/11?
It was President Bush who did the talking for all of us after the attack. While standing in the rubble of Ground Zero and shouting on with the construction worker, ironworker, the police and firefighter—the country and the whole free world listened up.
“The people who knocked over these buildings will hear all of us soon!”
A thunderous applause erupted and ALL of Congress (even Nancy Pelosi) voted and passed a Declaration of War on Terror.
I will not forget, I promise my fallen brothers, it smolders in my soul like the rubble at ground zero. I will not forget.
“The nation sends its love.”
“Go get ‘em, George!”
“God Bless America!”
“USA—USA—USA!”
It’s called patriotism and as a country, we lost that somehow and are now only interested in name calling and hate. I think we learned that hate is a killer though, so don’t hate–but try and forgive.
This type moral courage displayed at Ground Zero lifted us all, as one nation under God once again. We stood united; we stood for justice, for peace and we stood for those who couldn’t stand anymore. United, we stood.
“The people who knocked down the buildings” are called terrorists—not just Al Qaeda, though some try to change that fact in order to serve their own selfish means to a self serving end.
If it were just about one man or one group, than other terror groups (like Hezbollah or the PLA) will be sure to strike at us again.
For now, our effort over there (play this as loud as you can) is focused on those who distort the Koran for their own selfish purpose and are the same that have had this country under attack for more than fifty years.
Moral Courage Lifted The Free World To Its Feet Again
For some reason that part of our history is not taught in school. Maybe the teachers are only serving their so-called “union,” who gives their people’s money to one political party to win. But as time has shown; in the end only the truth will prevail.
The word “union” is a bad one to use for anyone proclaiming to be independent. It’s also the name of the army that freed all people, who was not selfish. The great Union Army of the Civil War freed all and gave all independence—even the Irish Catholic who was brought here in shackles too.
Just ask Abe Lincoln, the Founder of the Republican Party and Great Emancipator; not just for one, but for all.
I can say that the War has been a success and hope has been spreading throughout the Middle East ever since. They had blue ink on their fingers, President Obama.
And our “reconstruction effort” is going just fine, Mr. Olberman–Count that if you can, MSNBC. That silly “how many days since the end of the war” propaganda is annoying to those who serve.
Of course, Keith would already have known that our military is in the normal process of reconstruction had he ever served. He didn’t serve though and that is why he doesn’t know. He just doesn’t get it.
Which brings me to Chris Mathews: this is a guy who thinks that the Democrats won the Battle of Gettysburg and he gleefully proclaimed it so on election night. Great, except for one thing–The Republicans won the Battle of Gettysburg, regardless of the chill up Chris Mathew’s leg.
His name was Abraham Lincoln and he “weren’t a democrat.” The distortion against our beautiful American history is purposeful and self serving–much like those who distort the Koran.
So again, what lifted the United States of American back to its feet again?
It was the type moral courage that Bud Selig once had when he cried, “play ball!”
It was the type moral courage that a man named Jack Buck, (watch his poem) who courageously stood on a baseball field after a terrorist attack on the free and addressed the whole world, saying:
“We are a blessed people and have rushed to help other nations; anything, anytime, anywhere…War is not in our nature… We won’t start it, but end the fight and will always protect what is right…We have no choice…and as our fathers did before, we shall win this unwanted war.”
I do it no justice; the fans did much better and so did Jack.
This is the type of courage that I like. It sends a chill down my spine and on my arms. The 21 gun salute didn’t hurt either. Take that one to the bank Mr. Mathews, let’s play some Hardball now.
And so it was, “play ball” and teach us all about moral courage—like our fathers did before and their fathers did too and so on through our great country’s history (though not taught anymore).
We can fight it out on a field during any given game (as long as we are free to do so) and watch on as spectators, like they did the Civil War, where men display courage to do the right thing.
It was President Bush who displayed Moral Courage when he flew to Yankee Stadium only mere weeks after that attack. We sat in fear for his safety, each of us, together as one.
Ole George stood up, stood tall, he walked right out to the mound after having received advice from another great American, the modern-day Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter who said, “Throw from the pitcher’s mound and don’t bounce it,” he smiled, “They’ll boo ya.”
Good ole “Joltin’ Jeter” has a lot of courage himself and knows how to keep people loose when big pressure is on as proven time and time again in the play offs, and World Championships. Thanks for that advice, Jete.
Our president, with us united behind him as one, walked tall and walked proud out to that mound. He glanced at the guest mound and shook it off without hesitation. He toed the professional rubber and gave the crowd a thumbs-up sign—who responded as loudly as I’ve ever heard any stadium—and he threw a fastball for a strike.
The whole world saw it and it defined what moral courage is all about. His approval ratings were the highest of any President in American History, under some tore him down for their own selfish reason.
But, the man who put the whole country on his shoulder wasn’t wearing a flak-jacket that day.
He had nothing on but a pinstriped baseball uniform. He was a gritty, aging bull-dog from Texas.
Two Texans, neither to be messed with on that day, stood up for this country and some in this country would eventually put them down. We forgive them for it too. Sometimes neighbors do stupid things to only help themselves, don’t they?
We all wondered if someone would take a shot or something bad would happen to Roger Clemens, yet there he stood in the wide open field of play, before a maxed-out stadium filled with 55,820 weary fans and an entire planet looking on.
He stood, tall, proud and resilient—a display of courage for us all to remember.
Roger Clemens threw for seven innings, allowing only three hits and one earned run. He even picked off Craig Counsel, the speedy Diamondback second baseman who thought he might get a false lead on New York and on Clemens. He was wrong and got called out.
Baseball healed a nation. Baseball lifted the Free World back up again, to its feet, for those who couldn’t stand anymore.
Clemens threw for all of us that day. He gutted out 109 pitches and 68 strikes. He walked three and struck out nine; and provided his own bridge to Mo (he didn’t even need any federal bail out money to do it).
The game took place on Oct. 30, a night game with field conditions “unknown.” A game filled with emotion seen in every fan’s eyes: tears, turmoil, pain, sweat, relief, and absolute joy.
The Yankees won that game for the world and did it with the help of its ever loyal market watching on.
A lot has happened since that day, and both Texans came under an attack from within this country. I remember the day that we got divided as Nancy Pelosi stood on the House floor in 2003 and proclaimed Bush as evil.
I thought I would take the time to remind you of some historical fact—not taught in school for some reason, but taught during the tribulation of life and recorded for those interested in truth.
I’m not sure where George is, but I know he took a bad beating in the press while others were looking for “what’s theirs.” He took that beating so much he has yet to defend himself properly. His courage and resolve have been shaken.
I do know what has happened to Clemens though. I’ve paid attention over the years. He has maintained his resolve and is still resilient. Part 1 &