Like most people I sat around my computer most of the day watching the surreal scene play out. My son was approximately 11 at the time. We were scheduled to play a fall league game that day around 6:00. I was head coach, so I got phone calls and e-mails asking if we were going to play. I sort of felt like we shouldn't let what happened change the way we lived our lives. But I honestly didn't know what to do. I talked it over with my folks and we decided to show up and see what happened.
I remember showing up at the field. But the main thing I remember is how quiet everything was. No planes flying overhead. Not much traffic driving by the field. No yelling, no screaming. Even the kids were quiet (relatively). I remember that all but one of my players showed up. I remember the other team showing up. I remember a lot of shocked faces. I remember discussing what we should do about the game. But what I don't remember is the game. I couldn't tell you if we played or not. (My sports reporter assistant coach who did an article on the game a few years ago says we did). I couldn't tell you if we won or lost.
I hate to keep using the word surreal over and over, but that's what it was. The memories of how I felt at the ballfield are almost as strong as the memories of how I felt watching the drama play out on the computer.
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