Osama bin Laden Dead; Mets, Phils Play On
I was kind of surprised they didn’t stop the Mets-Phillies game Sunday night to show President Obama’s announcement on the big screen that Osama bin Laden had been killed. I’m not criticizing the non-decision — I don’t know if there is any precedent for that in sports. But it wouldn’t have been inappropriate.
Clearly, it was something the crowd would have wanted to see, as evidenced by the “USA, USA” chants that filled Citizens Bank Park as word spread. It’s the news for which America has been waiting ten years.
Some things are more important than baseball — this is definitely one of them. I doubt any of the players would have minded taking a break for ten minutes so everyone could watch the president deliver the news.
There is a precedent – Knicks vs Bulls PLAYOFF GAME: The OJ Chase!
May Bin Laden rot in hell!
Hey JJ,
They broke into NBC’s coverage of the game, but they didn’t stop the game itself, did they?
Mark,
Not only did they stop the game but they broadcasted the chase on the overhead scoreboard. Being a huge Knick fan, I was incensed because it was a great game and the Knicks were up at the time.
The ironic thing is that I can’t remember who won the game. The Bulls won the series after the Knicks had a 2-0 game lead. I’m pretty sure this was the series known for the John Starks “Dunk” over Jordan.
Unbelievable but true……
I did some research — it was actually Game 5 of the Finals against the Rockets. The Knicks won the game. I’m reading that NBC did a split screen of the game and the chase (which I remember). I don’t see anywhere that they actually stopped the game. But I’m not doubting your memory!!
Thanks Mark. Those years with the knicks blurred into a decade of disappointment. I can’t even watch pro-basketball anymore. All they do now is run up and down the court and dunk. The concept of “team” does not exist.
All I remember is – every year they lost to Jordan and the Bulls!