Sports Commentary: 10 years of 9/11, sports and memories

PETE PAGUAGA—Sports Editor
In four days it will mark the 10th anniversary of one of the worst days in our great country’s history.
Everyone knows where he or she was that day, and exactly what they were doing when the first tower was hit.
I know I do.
I was in the sixth grade, sitting in music class when the North Tower was hit at 8:46 a.m. I was 11 years old; I didn’t know what was going on, the school didn’t tell all the students what was going on.
My sister was in eighth grade at the time, her class was told what happened. She then told me on the bus on the way home and the first thing that came to my mind was the well-being of my father and grandfather. They both worked in New York City.
Even though I was just 11, I understood what had happened. I was scared for a long time, always thinking about what might happen next.
After the attacks, many sporting events were cancelled for that day. Many of that week’s NFL games were called off as well.  Whether you agree or not, sports have a major impact on our society and community at large.  Sports are something that can captivate a group of people and even a country; that’s why I love sports.
The 1980 Miracle on Ice is one sporting moment that comes to my mind. Even the little league team from Keystone, Penn. this season had that effect.
But in a Mets game on Sept. 21, 2001—the first baseball game in New York after the attacks—Mike Piazza hit and a go-ahead homerun in the 8th inning that sent Shea Stadium into a frenzy that hadn’t been seen since their World Series in 1986.
Even as a die-hard Yankees fan and an 11-year-old I was exuberant and applauded because it wasn’t about Yankees and Mets or any other team. It was about being a New Yorker and an American. That night, like I have been every night since Sept. 11, 2001 I was damn proud to be an American and a New Yorker.
That October, the Yankees went back to the World Series for the fourth-straight year. Let’s be honest; if you’re not a Yankees fan, you likely hate them, but the 2001 World Series was different.  Even though they ended up losing the Series to the Diamondbacks, there was a different feel throughout New York and baseball. It felt like everyone was pushing for the Yankees, not just because they wanted the Yankees to win, but they wanted New York to win.
Sept. 11 changed this country forever; I know it changed my life forever even though I didn’t lose anyone in the attacks. I was still affected because I am an American and even more I am a New Yorker.
Sports is what helped me get back to the norm of my life after the attacks