9/11 In Memoriam

Looking back on that fatefull day in September, it is hard to believe that already 3 years have passed since the attacks on American soil. The days that followed showed a nation in shock and disbelief - pausing from the daily routines of normal life. No one felt like doing anything - even the sports world was at a stand still. Americans needed something to help get things back to normal again. Sports played a big role in helping to reestablish that return to normalcy, howbeit with a solemn reminder of how trivial things like sports were in light of the bigger picture. I am reminded of a patriotic poem recited by a Hall of Fame announcer before the first baseball game after the attacks that served as a boost to a wounded nation.

Here is the late Jack Buck's Tribute to America:

Since this nation was founded, under God,
More than 200 years ago, We have been the bastion of freedom
The light that keeps the free world aglow.

We do not covet the possessions of others,
We are blessed with the bounty we share.
We have rushed to help other nations,
...anything... anytime... anywhere.

War is just not our nature.
We won't start, but we will end, the fight.
If we are involved, we shall be resolved,
To protect what we know is right.

We have been challenged by a cowardly foe,
Who strikes and then hides from our view.
With one voice we say, "There is no choice today,
There is only one thing to do."

Everyone is saying -- the same thing -- and praying,
That we end these senseless moments we are living.
As our fathers did before, we shall win this unwanted war,
And our children will enjoy the future we'll be giving.

Let us never forget the events of September 11th and the precious lives that were lost. Always remember that the price of freedom is never free.