News
Cubs commemorate anniversary of 9/11
Admiral who survived Pentagon attack throws out first pitch
By Andrew Simon / MLB.com
09/11/09 3:31 PM ET
CHICAGO - Eight years after his harrowing day at the Pentagon, Admiral Timothy Keating threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field as part of the Cubs' efforts to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Keating, a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, was at the Pentagon when the attacks began on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Reports came in that one airplane had struck the World Trade Center, and then another. At 9:37 a.m. ET, another plane crashed into the Pentagon.
"I felt the building shake and there was a loud thump," Keating said. "I tried to get back down to the command center, but [with] the smoke and the flames, we just couldn't get through it. So we lost 24 kids that morning who were standing watch."
The Cubs learned Keating was in the area to attend the graduation of recruits at the Recruit Training Command Great Lakes boot camp and invited him to Friday's game against the Reds to represent the armed forces.
"It's a great personal honor, as a matter of fact," said Keating, who will retire soon after 42 years of service. "To be here at one of the true iconic places in all of America, to represent the men and women of the armed forces, doing what we want to do every day -- and that's going to a ball park and enjoying the freedom and liberty that those young men and women guarantee for us. It's a great personal and professional privilege."
After the Cubs made an announcement about the "Welcome Back Veterans" program, Keating threw out the ceremonial first pitch to catcher Koyie Hill. Beforehand, he said he was "mildly apprehensive," which means a lot from someone with experience flying planes off aircraft carriers in the dark, thousands of miles from land.
Although Keating's ball bounced just before reaching Hill's glove, it was right down the middle.
Afterward, the Dixon City and Dixon Rural Fire Departments Color Guard presented the colors, and Wayne Messmer sang "God Bless America," and the national anthem. Both teams wore red "Stars & Stripes" caps as part of the Sept. 11 commemoration.
Andrew Simon is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
