“You couldn’t find a Yankee on the streets of New York City. You couldn’t find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7.” Unsurprisingly, Valentine is wrong.
Bobby Valentine decided to mark the anniversary of 9/11 on Wednesday by talking about the Yankees not doing enough for New York after the Sept. 11, attacks.
Adam Hunger / Reuters
"Let it be said that during the time from 9/11 to 9/21, the Yankees were (not around). You couldn't find a Yankee on the streets of New York City. You couldn't find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7. Many of them didn't live here, and so it wasn't their fault. And many of them did not partake in all that, so there was some of that jealousy going around. Like, 'Why are we so tired? Why are we wasted? Why have we been to the funerals and the firehouses, and the Yankees are getting all the credit for bringing baseball back?' And I said 'This isn't about credit, guys. This is about doing the right thing.'"
Via deadspin.com
Members of Yankees visited a staging area for volunteers and rescue workers, a hospital that was treating injured victims and the Park Avenue Armory, where people gathered to await news of missing family members.
Koji Sasahara, File / AP
"There was this lady, I never even got her name, but she was introduced to me by a paramedic," Bernie Williams said. "She had a look on her face of total devastation, and what can you say to a person like that? The only thing I could come up with was 'I think you need a hug.' I hugged her and she started crying. It was very emotional, and something I'll never forget." Williams was one of a dozen or so Yankees players and coaches to caravan around the city, stopping at the rescue staging area at the Javits Center, the Armory and St. Vincent's Hospital. "I hope it made a difference," said Scott Brosius. "You could say hello, shake someone's hand, take a picture with them, and just for a moment, get a smile from them. I know it was good for us to go down there, I hope it was good for them also. I hope we were able to lift their spirits for a few moments."
Via mlb.mlb.com