9/11 firehouse visit gives Mets some perspective
The Mets continue a tradition that was started shortly after 9/11 as David Wright and Mike Pelfrey visit Ladder 10, Engine 10, the firehouse located next to Ground Zero. David Wright signs ball for fire fighter. (Sept. 10, 2010) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Standing in a firehouse across the street from Ground Zero, not far from a plaque commemorating the six firefighters from Ladder 10, Engine 10 who lost their lives on 9/11, Jeff Wilpon insisted upon moving on Friday.
He declined to criticize Mets players who didn't make the trip to Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Tuesday, praised those who did and spoke of a much bigger context. Wilpon, the Mets' chief operating officer and a member of the large contingent that visited wounded personnel during the team's series in Washington this week, said, "It wasn't mandatory. You can't get upset."
If management and players were upset about the absences of Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez from the Walter Reed trip, no one brought it to the firehouse Friday.
Wilpon appeared with David Wright and Mike Pelfrey, touring the building that has been restored since 9/11, meeting with New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano and listening to reflections such as those from firefighter John Morabito, who was working there nine years ago Saturday.
"By the end of the day, I thought, 'This was the end of mankind.' I had lost all hope," said Morabito, who escaped from one of the WTC lobbies and has resisted transferring so he can watch the development literally rise from the ashes.
Given that perspective, the Mets' Friday noontime visit was not the time or place to fulminate about "the Walter Reed Three" or even about the ups and downs of a rocky baseball season.
"It's minute," Wilpon said while cranes operated across Liberty Street, rebuilding the site. "I mean, people lost their lives here. And people are losing their lives every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, it's tough to win and lose [ballgames], but it doesn't compare."
He was proud that the Mets helped in at least a small way in the days after 9/11, offering Shea Stadium as a staging area for the recovery effort and supplying volunteer workers.
Wright, who had just been drafted by the Mets, his favorite team, recalled watching the first game after the attack. "I think the biggest hit - the one I remember most - in Mets history was the Mike Piazza home run the first game back,'' he said. "Even watching that today on the classic games, it sends chills up your spine."
"I still get chills," said Cassano, a Mets fan. "It made us feel like we were on the way back."
The visit Friday was meant to return the compliment; as Wright said, "To hear these guys' stories and let them know we appreciate everything they do."
Pelfrey recalled having watched the coverage of 9/11 after he got home from high school that day. The pitcher took it upon himself this week to post a note saying the Walter Reed visit was mandatory, even though management made no such demand.
"It would have been great to have all of them, but having 27 there, I thought, was pretty good," he said. As for the three who missed it, the pitcher added, "I don't see it being a problem. The thing is, it wasn't mandatory. These are grown men. Guys made their own decisions."
Wilpon was asked if the annual Walter Reed trip could become compulsory. "We'll take a look at it. We might do that," he said. "This way, it might take out any controversy."
