Sporting events filled with moving tributes

From California to Queens, New York teams and the sports world Sunday honored the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on a day and night filled with moving tributes.

The night ceremonies took place at Citi Field and MetLife Stadium -- two buildings that did not exist Sept. 11, 2001.

At Citi Field, Mike Piazza headlined the ceremony before the Mets played the Cubs. Piazza, whose winning home run in the first sporting event in New York after Sept. 11 has lived on as a symbol of New York's resilience, caught a ceremonial first pitch from John Franco.

Franco, the Brooklyn native, threw the pitch on a field with Mets and Cubs players, uniformed personnel and families of Sept. 11 victims. The lights at Citi Field had been dimmed for a moment of silence. Marc Anthony sang the national anthem, as he did Sept. 21, 2001, the night of Piazza's eighth-inning home run against the Braves.

"The ceremony was very moving and very well done," Piazza said. "Coming back to the city and so many people coming up and saying how that particular night and that home run touched them and helped them heal a little bit, it's very humbling. I'm blessed to have come through in that situation."

At MetLife Stadium, where the Jets hosted the Cowboys, the World Trade Center site served as a backdrop as a live rendition of "Taps" was streamed into the stadium. A giant American flag was unfurled to cover the playing field for the anthem. That was done at every NFL stadium on opening weekend.

For games involving New York teams, the ceremonies started in Anaheim, Calif., where the Yankees played the Los Angeles Angels at 3:30 p.m.

The Angels and Yankees lined up on the baselines as if it were Opening Day or the first game of the World Series.

Six men representing uniformed services threw out ceremonial first pitches to three Angels and three Yankees who were on the 2001 team -- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. "It means a lot not only to New Yorkers but the whole country," Jeter said after the Yankees' 6-5 win. "We were happy to represent New York and represent the Yankee organization 10 years ago and we continue to do that."

The Yankees were wearing caps with "NYPD" or "FDNY" on the front for the ceremony. Joe Torre, the team's manager in 2001, stood in a suit and tie next to current manager Joe Girardi near home plate.

A video shown at every ballpark included images from all three locations that were attacked. The video ended with a shot of the Twin Towers and the words "We Shall Not Forget -- September 11, 2001".

The Mets also wore the "NYPD" and "FDNY" caps for their ceremony. Some players had hoped to wear them in the game -- as the Mets did in 2001 -- but MLB told them not to and the players relented. MLB wanted every team to wear special game caps adorned with a "9/11 Memorial" logo.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin wore an "FDNY" cap on the sideline during the Giants' 28-14 loss to the Redskins.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell served as the Redskins' honorary captain. Actor Robert De Niro appeared in a video honoring those who died at the Pentagon before a lone soldier played "Taps" at Arlington National Cemetery.

When it was over, "USA" chants broke out at FedEx Field. "To hear the chants of USA and hear the entire crowd sing the national anthem I mean, it says a lot," Giants lineman David Diehl said. "It's about pride of being an American and it was a touching moment."

Moments after that ceremony, an inspiring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was performed in Queens at the National Tennis Center before the U.S. Open women's singles final between Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur. Queen Latifah sang it along with a gospel choir.

With Erik Boland, Roderick Boone, David Lennon, Tom Rock, Zach Schonbrun and Jeff Williams