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by Joe Gandolfo-jgand@pcfootball.net
(05-31-02)
I still remember where I was. I
don't think I will ever forget where I was when I heard the
news.
I was getting ready for work in
my living room, sitting in front of the TV watching SportsCenter
as usual. ESPN News broke in with a special bulletin, with some
news that The World Trade Center in New York had been attacked.
They wanted us to turn to ABC News for more details.
I didn’t think much of it and I
thought that it wasn’t a big deal because they didn’t give out
very many details. I continued to watch SportsCenter as I put my
shoes on, and I saw it down on their sports ticker. They usually
flashed the scores from the previous night’s games, but on this
September morning they flashed something that I will never
forget –
WTC collapse after…
…planes crashed into towers…
…tune to ABC for more details.
The first thing that I thought
was “What?” “WHAT?!? NO FUCKING WAY!!!”
I grabbed the remote and punched
the buttons to switch to ABC as fast as I could…
…and that’s when I saw it…
…a huge cloud of dust in the
place where the Twin Towers once stood.
It was at this moment that my
wife decided to come out of the bedroom. The first thing she saw
was the look on my face. She kept asking me what was wrong and
my mouth could barely form the words. “The World Trade Center in
New York was attacked. Both of the towers have collapsed.
They’re gone.”
She came in and watched the TV
with me, and we both sat there, dumbfounded as they replayed the
collapse of Tower 1. Neither one of us could believe what had
happened. But there was more – a plane had crashed into the
Pentagon as well. Not only that, but there was another plane
still out there, and it was a plane that was supposed to be on
its way to the West Coast! Specifically LAX!
Since I live in the Southern
California area my mind raced as I tried to think of all the
targets that terrorists could possibly hit out here. The most
obvious was the Boeing plant at the Long Beach Airport just a
few miles down the street from where I live. The next one was
TRW, just a few miles away from where I work! Both companies
are defense contractors, and they would have made some pretty
good targets. I called into work to get some advice on whether
I should come in or not because we didn’t know if we were going
to be safe. I was told to come on in.
I went in and kept a radio at my
desk so that I could get the latest news and pass it on to
everyone else at the office. As the day wore on we gradually
heard the story. About how the planes were hijacked and
deliberately crashed into the towers. We also heard of the
fourth plane that had gone down in a Pennsylvania field, and how
they weren’t sure if it had been hijacked or had gone down on
its own. Later we would hear the stories of how the passengers
had decided to fight back, and paid for their bravery with their
lives.
We all know the story that
followed – the rescue effort that turned into recovery. The
clean up of what became known as “Ground Zero” which was just
completed yesterday. The deployment of troops to Afghanistan to
find Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Queda network. W’s stirring
call to arms before a joint session of congress. The donations
that poured in to New York and the tributes that followed.
So I know what you are thinking.
What does any of this have to do with PC Football?
Nothing…
…and everything.
Recently there was a football
game played – a real football game. But these were not NFL
players that took the field. No, these were true heroes. These
were the players from the FDNY Bravest Football Club and the
NYPD Finest Football Club. Both of these teams met in the 30th
annual “Fun City Bowl” on May 19th. The game was
originally slated for St. John’s University, but because of the
demand for tickets it was moved to Giants Stadium in New Jersey
– directly across from Ground Zero.
The game itself was a penalty
filled affair. These were not NFL-tested veterans on the field.
These were cops and firefighters that played football because
they loved the game. But more importantly, they played to honor
their lost brothers. Lost in the rubble of the Twin Towers, but
never forgotten in their hearts. This fact was in evidence
before the game, as the “Bravest” recognized the surviving
family members of the 22 team members out of the 343
firefighters who were lost on September 11th. Group
after group of parents, widows, and children were escorted to
midfield to receive the player’s framed jersey bearing a plaque
inscribed “Forever a hero on our team.” The NYPD was fortunate
not to lose any team members that day, but they did honor the 23
fellow officers who perished on 9/11.
In the end the NYPD prevailed
10-0 to record their 9th straight win over the FDNY,
and take a 21-9 lead in the series, but none of that mattered.
What mattered was that they had come together to raise money for
9/11 charities, and to honor their brethren.
That is what I have tried to do
recently.
I made a new roster for Madden
2002. I created the FDNY Bravest and the NYPD Finest and put
them into their own file. I used the teams that were created by
Bly Gilmore on MaddenMania, which evened up the Maniac and
Instigator rosters, and moved those players onto the FDNY and
NYPD rosters. I had intended to change the names of the players
on both teams to reflect the rosters for the fire and police
teams. I was able to find the actual roster for the FDNY, but I
am unable to fine the roster for the NYPD. I have included the
file for the FDNY, which contains the FDNY names, along with
positions, numbers, height and weight.
If anybody out there can find
the NYPD roster and wants to make the changes, I invite you to
do so. I also ask that if you do find them, if you could share
them with the rest of us who have the rosters, we would be very
grateful. In this way we can all pay tribute to those men who
gave their lives on that terrible day every time we play with
these teams.
I know that is what I will be
doing every time I play with those rosters.
Until next time….
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