9-21-01 Plus 15

Fifteen years ago Jeff, his sister Thea, my stepfather Albert and I went to Shea Stadium for the night baseball returned to New York after the World Trade Center attacks.

I'll never forget that night. The Mets did it right: a solemn, moving pre-game ceremony, a little glamour courtesy of Liza Minelli and a win over the Braves courtesy primarily of Mike Piazza. Even Mayor Rudy Guiliani was a Mets fan that night. That game helped us heal.

Unfortunately, many retrospectives of post 9-11 sports of 2001 downplay the impact of the Mets. Instead they focus on the Yankees' appearance in the World Series.

But the Mets players were the ones involved in the relief efforts.It was Shea Stadium that served as a staging area for relief efforts.

The Mets were the first to wear NYPD, FDNY, EMS and OEM caps to show their solidarity with the relief efforts. They also donated their salaries from the game to relief efforts.

I've been a Mets fan for 30 years. 9-21-01 is a big reason for that.