“You like those 30 for 30 shows. Have you seen the new one?” my dad asked. He was referring to the series of short films produced by ESPN that take an in-depth look at famous athletes and pivotal moments in sports history, using interviews to provide fresh perspectives.
And they do it all in 30 minutes (24 minutes if you watch it on Apple TV).
As an avid sports fan who loves documentaries but has little spare time, these compact versions are the perfect solution. I’ve seen several, including ones featuring the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, the Wayne Gretzky trade, the O.J. Simpson case, and outcast Olympian Marion Jones.
So far, I haven’t been disappointed. So when my dad mentioned a new installment, I was intrigued. That was before I found out it focused on the first World Series game being played in New York following the 9/11 attacks. What was really interesting was that instead of centering on the game itself, the program focused on the First Pitch, which was being thrown by George W. Bush.
“I remember that,” I told my dad, recalling how nervous I felt watching the president take that long walk to the mound, just 6 weeks after the horrific tragedy. “I still can’t believe he did that.”
What I didn’t realize is that it almost didn’t happen; that even on the day of the game, secret service had yet to give Bush the green light. According to the documentary, even after searching Yankee Stadium for three days, they still weren’t 100 percent confident about sending the president to the middle of the field (even though he would be wearing a bullet-proof jacket).
But Bush — a lifelong baseball fan and former owner of the Texas Rangers — believed the game could play a key role in helping New York’s healing process, and backing down wasn’t an option.
Others felt the same way. Actor (and well-known Yankees fan) Billy Crystal called baseball a “life raft in New York,” and former Yankee Derek Jeter said he was relieved to see baseball resume six days after 9/11, and welcomed the opportunity to give fans something to cheer about, if only for a few hours.
“He knew what it would mean to all Americans,” said Laura Bush, who admitted to being very nervous in the hours leading up to the game.
Her husband was too, but he knew he couldn’t let it show, and so he decided to focus on the pitch itself rather than the enormity of the situation. And it was during that warm-up pitching session in the Yankee clubhouse that the most memorable moment of the documentary took place. As Jeter walked by the mound, taking in the secret service agents and nervous-looking officials, he joked to the commander-in-chief, “You better throw from the mound. If you throw in front of it, they’re going to boo you. And you better throw a strike,” he said, smiling.
He did, in fact, throw a perfect strike, which was greeted with a thunderous applause and chants of “USA” from the fans.
By tossing that pitch, Bush gave the fans exactly what they needed. But it was Jeter who did just what Bush needed by offering him a distraction — something he probably picked up during his time as captain of one of the most famous and successful franchises of all time. Because although it was important that Bush not make a fool of himself, the true power in Jeter’s ribbing was that it helped Bush focus on something other than what I’m sure was going on in his head: “What if I — what if we — get attacked?”
It reminded me of a far less significant moment in history, but one close to my heart. It was my wedding day, and I was in the limo with my dad, unsuccessfully trying to hide my nerves. And so my dad, having done this before with two of my sisters, knew he had to do something to take the edge off. So he started talking about the Giants, who were off to a 3-0 start. And just like that, instead of thinking about the fact that I’d be walking down the aisle, in heals, with all those people watching me, I was talking about Eli Manning.
My dad had thrown a perfect strike.
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