Collective

For those of us who have ever lost something and/or someone, the phrase "a welcoming distraction" rings as true as the affect the loss had on you. It could be a relationship that ended or mourning the loss of a beloved one or losing a job, home, car, etc. You just hope that sometime during the travails of moving forward that there is some momentary lapse of time, a moment to escape from the clouds above your head. You know the feeling well for your personal experiences and for events that have surrounded you over the years.

You also remember August 29, 2005.

You vividly recall September 11, 2001.

You couldn't forget September 13, 1996.

The next two weeks will be innudated with somber anniveraries and investigative reports of how the scars have yet to heal over time. Over time, we have had images of falling debris from the New York City skyline burned into our psyches. Even in our most salacious programming, we have a tinge of resentment towards our federal government as anyone who watches WWE Monday Night Raw may have been surprised or shocked by announcer Jim Ross' comments during some of the matches. Some of us who happen to be rap aficianados will also recall another circled date in the September calendar that reminds of how there is still a clamor for someone to uplift the genre from its doldrums. We are all still seeking something that seems minor to the cause until it makes you smile or shout or rush to buy a new Reggie Bush jersey.

It was 365 days ago on August 29, 2005 that an unorthodox-sounding name became synonymous with failure, ineptness and incompetence. That same name in some eyes became linked with generosity, courage and humanity. Hurricane Katrina, not Cash Money Records or Mardi Gras, introduced the American populus to the city of New Orleans. What we knew of the city and its metropolitain area was the French Quarter, jazz and the 'Aints. What we discovered about the city was the Ninth Ward, the weakness of the levees and the disparities between the haves and have-nots. What we knew was that an entire city could have potentially been lost before our very eyes. What we discovered was that there was also the beachfronts and riverwalks and casinoboats that much of coastal Mississippi survived on. What we knew was that there was a Category 3 strengthening after brushing over Florida. What we learned was that warnings, preparations and cries for assistance were still not enough to illict a greater and immediate response from our own nation.
What we learned was that athletes do know where they are from.
What we learned was that sports once more can provide a reprieve, even if no league took a hiatus.

It will be 1,826 days on September 11, 2006 since the United States was reacquainted with an old enemy in the most unexpected and worst way possible. You may have forgotten February 26, 1993 when terrorists tried to bring down the World Trade Center with bombs in the basement of the towers; bombs that would have toppled the structures onto the streets of lower Manhattan and flooded Battery Park City if the retaining walls in the foundation could not hold back the Hudson River. Six people were killed and many were injured. New York was lucky. America was lucky. We could have potentially lost more people thirteen years ago than the devestating losses suffered much later. Again, most around the world and especially here in the U.S. had forgotten. They reminded us of their hatred for our country when they flew two fully-fueled commercial planes into the towers. Another airliner hit the Pentagon in between the two hits onto the Twin Towers. A fourth was headed for the White House, but due to the courage and heroism of its passengers (including several scouts for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings), the plane crashed in suburban Pittsburgh.
It was an attack on the American way of life. It was an attack on our international history and policies. It was an attack on our internal ambivalence: a country as prosperous as ours with so much domestic ironies and strife. It was upto the sports world to remind us of what it means to be American.

This year has had its share of tragedies, even the unfortunate plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky just days ago. Yet it is how we observe some dark days of the recent past that will vault sports back into the forefront of rememberance. While the Yankees carried onto the World Series and captured the attention of Americans across the country, it was the Mets that carried the New York flag with an inspired run to end the season, starting with a dramatic 3-2 win over the rival Atlanta Braves on the first night of baseball after the 9/11 attacks. The loved-and-hated Yankee captain, Derek Jeter, had the most poignant symbol in my eyes at the time, doning a hat honoring fallen Port Authority Police members as they lost more of their force than the NYPD and FDNY. Each league honored the nation in its own way and have given ever-continuing support to the armed forces that are fighting on our behalf. In 2006, all eyes will be in New York as there is the chance for a second WS between both New York teams. The football Giants will open their season at the Meadowlands the night before against the Colts and the NFL will take a note from last year's post-Katrina doubleheader on Monday Night Football, on the anniversary itself.

The Saints went through the most difficult sports season in American pro sports history, having played every game away from their home, even the so-called home games in San Antonio, Baton Rouge and being the home team at the Meadowlands. Yet, a sporadic fan base and a sympathetic nation gave the franchise a slight pass on a 5-11 season. It could be divine intervention that Reggie Bush was drafted by the Saints, but he has already taken on the region as his own thanks to multiple donations and dedications. The franchise will reopen the Superdome later this month against the rival Falcons, but the memories will be as fresh as the paint that covers the tatters of temporary living.

How did I move beyond the attack on my hometown five years ago? I'll remind you of another coming anniverary. It will be 3,653 days on September 13, 2006. It is a day that lives in infamy to all rap fans and the hip-hop community. To a fault of his lifestyle and the pitfalls of fame, Tupac Amaru Shakur, known to the world as 2Pac, succumbed to complications from a fatal shooting in Las Vegas six days before. No solo black artist since Marvin Gaye had a pulse on the ENTIRE world from his words to his style to his actions. Some called him rap's Kurt Cobain because of the tragedy that befell him, but also because he defined a change in the genre; 2Pac was the first rap artist to make politics personal as opposed to the fluttered messages to the masses, one of the few to bare his soul and his hypocrises in each album, to bare our souls and hypocrises in each track. Five years ago on the fifth anniversary of his passing, we hosted a very special IDB in dedication. Special because we decided to play tracks that were not singles or major commercial successes, tracks that true fans could appreciate. Special because they were unfiltered and uncensored. Special because of the listeners from all over the world and a call from organizers of the annual vigil in Las Vegas. Special because we were still in shock of what took place in New York two days before. What was supposed to be a stand-alone anniversary because a necessary and welcomed distraction from fears of another attack and of the uncertain future of New York City.

How strong will sports galvanize the collective hearts of a nation this year?

Say What?!?!: Exactly... this is just wrong.