Baseball is often so much more than just a sport, and baseball has frequently united fans on opposite sides of the sporting aisle. May 1, 2011, just 9 years ago, was one of those times.
An early season night baseball game in Philadelphia between division rivals Phillies and Mets turned into one of those moments. On that surreal evening, a gathering of over 45,000 fans who had gathered to cheer on their respective team learned collectively that Osama Bin Laden, the terror leader responsible for the attacks of September 11th, had been brought to justice and killed by American troops in Pakistan.
The game was nationally televised on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, and Ryan Madson was pitching to Daniel Murphy in the top of the ninth inning with the scored tied 1-1 when, via their Smartphones and Blackberries word spread throughout the crowd that Bin Laden was dead. In response, the previously partisan crowd began chanting “U-S-A” repeatedly.
History showed that the Mets won the game in 14 innings 2-1 with Taylor Buchholz getting the victory when Ronny Paulino doubled home David Wright.
