We went to watch batting practice before the game, and got a great spot next to the right-field foul pole. Nick Swisher and Joba Chamberlain, two of the nicest guys on the team, were standing in right field shagging fly balls and then throwing them into the stands. When a ball made its way into the corner and Joba came to retrieve it, he caught my eye. I immediately pointed to my son, Brandon, who was staring wide-eyed at Joba with a big smile on his face. Joba handed me the ball.

This being a year where my kids had to choose who got to go to which game, Brandon was nice enough to call home and tell his big brother, Avery, that Avery could have the ball when he brought it home.

The Yankees won the game and the series, meaning there would be no Game 4. As it turns out, though, it looks like Avery might get a chance to see a playoff game this year after all, as I may have secured a pair of tickets to an ALCS game. My kids and I have a rough life, huh?

This year, I once again note the degree to which we are moving on. There will be memorial services of course, but the President’s remarks at his most recent press conference show the shift in emphasis:

I’ll have further remarks tomorrow, but for now let me just note that tomorrow is a National Day of Service and Remembrance and I hope each of us finds a way to serve our fellow citizens — not only to reaffirm our deepest values as Americans, but to rekindle that spirit of unity and common purpose that we felt in the days that followed that September morning.

As was the case last year, I think this is an altogether healthy thing. We should not forget; we should never forget. But there will never come a time when September 11th isn’t the anniversary of the attacks. If we use the occasion as an annual reminder to do something positive, like a National Day of Service, then the day won’t fade into obscurity the way that Pearl Harbor Day has, for instance. As the grief fades, this grim anniversary will come to stand as a regular reminder of the American values that were attacked that day. I can live with that.

Sadly, there’s something else to note about the ninth anniversary of September 11, 2001. The national spirit of unity and community that enveloped us in 2001 has, as one would expect, long since faded. But this year, somewhat suddenly and for no apparent reason, the opposite sentiment – that of hatred, cruelty, and division seems to have sprung up and captured the national spotlight. It is evident in protests, sometimes peaceful but sometimes violent, against the building of places of worship in America, and it’s evident in the suggested burning of sacred religious texts by those of different faiths. Again, I turn to the President’s remarks:

Anne Kornblut: Thank you, Mr. President. Nine years after the September 11th attacks, why do you think it is that we are now seeing such an increase in suspicion and outright resentment of Islam, especially given that it has been one of your priorities to increase — to improve relations with the Muslim world?

President Obama: I think that at a time when the country is anxious generally and going through a tough time, then fears can surface, suspicions, divisions can surface in a society. And so I think that plays a role in it.

One of the things that I most admired about President Bush was after 9/11, him being crystal-clear about the fact that we were not at war with Islam. We were at war with terrorists and murderers who had perverted Islam, had stolen its banner to carry out their outrageous acts. And I was so proud of the country rallying around that idea, that notion that we are not going to be divided by religion; we’re not going to be divided by ethnicity. We are all Americans. We stand together against those who would try to do us harm.

And that’s what we’ve done over the last nine years. And we should take great pride in that. And I think it is absolutely important now for the overwhelming majority of the American people to hang on to that thing that is best in us, a belief in religious tolerance, clarity about who our enemies are — our enemies are al Qaeda and their allies who are trying to kill us, but have killed more Muslims than just about anybody on Earth. We have to make sure that we don’t start turning on each other.

And I will do everything that I can as long as I am President of the United States to remind the American people that we are one nation under God, and we may call that God different names but we remain one nation. And as somebody who relies heavily on my Christian faith in my job, I understand the passions that religious faith can raise. But I’m also respectful that people of different faiths can practice their religion, even if they don’t subscribe to the exact same notions that I do, and that they are still good people, and they are my neighbors and they are my friends, and they are fighting alongside us in our battles.

And I want to make sure that this country retains that sense of purpose. And I think [September 11th] is a wonderful day for us to remind ourselves of that.

And in response to a later question:

We’ve got millions of Muslim Americans, our fellow citizens, in this country. They’re going to school with our kids. They’re our neighbors. They’re our friends. They’re our coworkers. And when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive, what are we saying to them?

I’ve got Muslims who are fighting in Afghanistan in the uniform of the United States armed services. They’re out there putting their lives on the line for us. And we’ve got to make sure that we are crystal-clear for our sakes and their sakes they are Americans and we honor their service. And part of honoring their service is making sure that they understand that WE DON’T DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEM AND US. IT’S JUST US.

[Emphasis added by me]

It’s easy to say that all of this is just politics rearing its ugly head right before a midterm election. But that was the case in 2006 and 2002 as well. And, one could argue, even more so the case in 2004 and 2008, when a Presidential election was on the line.

I think this is something else. A lot of people will believe just about anything they hear repeated enough times on television or the Internet, like the idea that the President of the United States is a secret Muslim who was born in Kenya, or that mosque-goers in lower Manhattan are the equivalent of Al-Qaeda terrorists. The media attention that naturally follows controversial speech provides cover for two kinds of people: those too lazy to think critically about “Today’s Top Story,” and those who actually harbor bigoted feelings towards entire groups of people who are different than they are.

I hope that September 11th truly becomes our annual reminder to “reaffirm our deepest values as Americans.” I also hope that in future years, it serves as a defense against those who would intentionally divide us for the sake of drawing attention to themselves, regardless of their motives. As the President also said repeatedly in his press conference, “We are not there yet.”

Here’s hoping we’re moving in the right direction.

God Bless America.

A couple of days later, it was gone. I have no idea from where it came, nor where it went. I’m just glad I took a picture of it so I know I didn’t dream it…

And to add insult to injury, someone on the street was harassing them about ticket prices, prompting one of them to yell “I am not a Jet! I am not a Jet!” to passersby. I’m sure this is not what the Jets had in mind for a marketing strategy…

Fortunately, that last group includes New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who, surrounded by religious leaders of many different faiths, gave an impassioned speech about religious freedom while announcing that the petition for the building’s landmark status has been denied, clearing the way for construction to begin.

Today, the New York Times ran an article about the woman in charge of the mosque project. Here are some things I learned from reading the article that I’m sure Newt, Sarah & Glenn don’t want anyone to focus on:

• It’s not just a mosque, it’s a 15-floor Muslim Community Center, which will include a mosque, along with a swimming pool, art classes, baby sitting, and a complete program of inter-faith joint projects with other religious groups in the area.
• The first thing the organizer, Ms. Daisy Khan, did when she began planning the project in 2005 was call Joy Levitt, executive director of the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan’s Upper West side. Ms. Levitt, who is a rabbi, advised Ms. Khan about some of the big problems she’d have launching a Muslim community center in New York: the lack of sufficient stroller parking for members with small children, and a place for the Muslim street cart vendors to store their wares while using the facility.
• At Ms. Khan’s first public presentation about the center (a voluntary presentation at a Lower Manhattan community board meeting), she received support from the United Jewish Federation of New York, Trinity Church, and the September 11 Families for a Peaceful Tomorrow.
• The mosque’s Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf (Ms. Khan’s husband), moved to the United States as a teenager, and attended Columbia University. He is currently 62 years old. His sermons are reported to contain “sweet spirituality,” rather than “rules and regulations or politics.”
• His congregation currently meets at a mosque twelve blocks from Ground Zero (the proposed center is two blocks from Ground Zero – in the former Burlington Coat Factory building). The current mosque was built twenty years ago. In twenty years (including the nine years since the terrorist attacks), no one has complained about the existing mosque’s presence.
• After marrying in 1997, Ms. Khan and Imam Feisal started an organization advocating the melding of Islamic observance with women’s rights and modernity. After 9/11, their group spoke out against religious violence, Imam Feisal advised the FBI, and Ms. Khan joined the board of the 9/11 memorial and museum.
• Sharif el-Gamal, the developer that funded the project, sustained an eye injury while handing out water to emergency workers on 9/11.

These folks sound like monsters, huh?

Here’s the thing: I can understand how the pain the victim’s families feel will never truly go away. I can also understand how the mere mention of anything connected to 9/11 or Ground Zero dredges up memories of that awful day, and how that will likely always be unpleasant for those who lost loved ones. These folks will have my empathy for as long as I live, as they will endure the dull ache of loss for as long as they live.

I can understand all of that. What I can’t understand is how so many people, many of them community leaders and elected officials, can state or imply that any Muslim who is in any way connected to a mosque that’s located in Lower Manhattan is in some way connected with, or even remotely similar to, the evil creatures that killed 3,000 innocent civilians by flying planes into office buildings.

The only thing that the average mosque-goer has in common with the 9/11 terrorists is that they both claim to worship the same God. I say “claim” because I’m sure many Muslims would argue that the things the terrorists did and said in the name of Allah were nothing more than a misappropriation of one of the world’s great religions to justify evil behavior. But ignoring that technicality, a shared religion is a pretty weak link between two groups of people, and certainly no reason to deny American citizens one of their basic civil rights. If this mosque does become a reminder of the terrorist attacks, or a symbol of victory for Al Qaeda, I dare say it will be predominantly because of the ignorant and incendiary remarks of these protesters than anything the mosque-goers or community center organizers will have said or done.

All of that said, I think those in charge of the center have missed, and are still missing, a golden opportunity here. I would love to see them on television every single day, talking to people about some of the things I mentioned above, stressing their planned inter-faith community programs, and publicly standing up in defense of American freedom of religion and against the actions of Al Qaeda and terrorists everywhere. If they were to actively pursue such a course of action, I think the media focus they have achieved thus far would go a long way toward removing some of the mystique surrounding Islam for many Americans, and highlight the clear difference between peace-loving Muslims and radical, extremist terrorists.

Mr. Gamal refuses to do this, mainly because he feels he shouldn’t have to. “This is not a debate,” he says. “I’m an American. I’m a New Yorker. I’m exercising my freedoms in this country.” It’s hard not to respect his stance. But eventually, I hope he changes his mind. Not because he has any obligation to do so, but because of the great benefit it will provide American Muslims and American non-Muslims alike to hear about his center’s role in the Lower Manhattan community.

(Click on the image to enlarge it if you have trouble reading it here)

As we walked by the sign, a couple of tourists were reading it as well. One of them said to the other, “Wow, check this out. They closed the ESPNZone TODAY. Damn – we just missed it.” Now, remember, this is mid-July. The first sentence of the letter does say, “ESPN Zone operations in Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. were discontinued today.” But immediately above that sentence is the date the letter was written: June 16, 2010. Perhaps this guy thought they replaced the signs every day?

I just hope he made it home OK. I can imagine him looking at his plane ticket and saying, “Aw, jeez, honey – the flight left a half hour ago. We missed it AGAIN. I guess we’ll just have to try again tomorrow…”

It’s always hard to tell from the outside, especially in a building who’s lobby has a high ceiling like this one does, but I’m guessing the building is around twenty stories tall at this point (or roughly 200 of it’s eventual 1,776 feet). So they’ve got a long way to go. But I think we can stop calling the Trade Center site “the pit” now. Also, the glass and steel building just behind and slightly to the left of the Freedom Tower is the rebuilt Seven World Trade Center. It’s been built and open for business for quite some time now, but I’d venture to guess that most people don’t know that, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never posted a photo of it on this blog.

They’re also making progress on the national memorial (two reflecting pools which outline the footprint of the original two towers), although that’s not as visible to the naked eye right now, so I didn’t attempt to photograph it.

That’s the update. I’ll try to follow the progress when I get the chance to be downtown…

He was also one mean sonofabitch, who let his passion for winning make him vindictive, and occasionally afoul of the law (he was suspended from baseball twice – and reinstated both times). He changed the game of baseball, changed the Yankees, and even changed The House that Ruth Built. In short, he changed just about everything he touched. Some people hated him for it while it was happening, but the baseball world is mourning him today.

My personal memories of George Steinbrenner, aside from all the “Bronx Zoo” antics of the late 70′s – the arguments, the firing of managers, the controversy-baiting game he played with the New York sportswriters – was how such a tough man could have such a big heart. In 1981, when I was twelve years old, Yankee pitcher Tommy John’s youngest son fell out of the third-story window of their home. He required brain surgery and then lay in a coma for 17 days before making a full recovery. I remember reading that George Steinbrenner paid all of the doctor’s bills, and offered to pay for Travis’ college education when he recovered. In later years, I read similar stories about him spending money to fund drug rehabilitation (for players like Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry) and helping out Jorge Posada’s son, who was diagnosed with craniosynostosis at the age of ten days old. Over the years, he’s setup many charitable foundations, usually to fund scholarships for kids, particularly those who’s parents were police officers or firefighters killed in the line of duty. Thankfully, these charities, along with the New York Yankees, were a family business, and his four children have taken the reins ever since Mr. Steinbrenner’s health began to fail.

Thanks, Boss. Not just for all the championships, but for instilling the Yankees with the consistent expectation of excellence. Many reviled you for this trait, called you cut-throat or mercenary, and accused you of “buying championships.” But as you used to say, “Winning is important. It’s a way of life.” You taught your kids (and me, and eventually my kids) that it is important to set goals and it is okay to be disappointed when you don’t achieve them. Failure teaches lessons; it drives improvement. Trying hard is great, but it should never be the goal. Success should always be the goal. I get the feeling that this will be your legacy in the Bronx. I look forward to many more years of exciting baseball as a result of your tutelage.

Back in May of 2000 (May 7th, to be exact), my family and I went to Yankee Stadium for a game, and realized when we got there that it was Bob Sheppard day. The Yankees honored Mr. Sheppard with several gifts, brought him out on the field, had him read the lineups, and then gave him the day off. It was the first Yankee game I had ever been to where Bob Sheppard wasn’t the announcer, and it remained the only such game until 2008. At that game, they gave each fan a commemorative pin:

If you click on the image above, you’ll hear a few of Mr. Sheppard’s most common announcements, strung together in a fitting goodbye message . . . to himself.

I also found this YouTube video (from that same day in May of 2000), which features Bob Sheppard announcing the many Yankee greats for which we all remember him best, as well as some recollections by some of those Yankee greats:

Rest in Peace, Mr. Sheppard. And thanks for the many, many memories…