David Lennon: 25 years later, Mets continue to help New York City heal from 9/11 attacks with annual visit to Ladder 25 firehouse
Mets alumni David Wright, John Franco and Todd Zeile visit Ladder 25 on the Upper West Side on Sept. 8, a continuation of the team’s quarter-century post-9/11 tradition. Credit: Ed Quinn
Twenty-five years ago, on the worst day in New York City’s history, Massapequa’s Dan Dunleavy was on a firetruck bound for Ground Zero, part of a group from Inwood at the northern tip of Manhattan.
“It was still snowing out there,” Dunleavy recalled. “From all the concrete dust and paper. Certain smells just remind me of it. Like a car fire sometimes, the smell that was going on at the Trade Center, the burning steel.”
Dunleavy, now 59, is the captain at Ladder 25/Division 3/Collapse Rescue 1 located on West 77th Street, where four pillars from the 2001 Mets — Al Leiter, John Franco, Todd Zeile and Robin Ventura — along with a younger captain, David Wright, visited Tuesday morning as a continuation of the team’s quarter-century post-9/11 tradition.
The scene was more like a family reunion, a relationship born from the worst tragedy anyone could possible imagine yet having developed into a bond strengthened by a singular purpose: to never forget. That slogan was posted high at this Upper West Side firehouse, along with a plaques bearing the names of the seven firefighters from Ladder 25 who were lost on that horrific day, and others claimed by 9/11-related illnesses from working at Ground Zero.
The Mets were among the first civilians to visit that site, a goodwill expedition led by manager Bobby Valentine and media relations icon Jay Horwitz. From there, and over these past 25 years, the team has kept up their annual pilgrimage to firehouses citywide. And as much as things have changed over nearly three decades, the memories remain vivid, and it helps with the healing — all this time later — that some things are still the same.
“Do you know the movie, ‘Remember the Titans?’ — this is our ‘Remember the Titans,' ” Horwitz said Tuesday morning. “It was personal for all these guys. Franco’s Brooklyn, Leiter’s New Jersey, Bobby V is Connecticut. And we’re just proud to be a part of this. I got a ring in ’86 — this is much better than a ring in ’86.”
Personal can’t begin to describe what it means for Franco, who ticked off a list of friends and family who are firefighters, as well as people he knew that died in the terrorist attack.
“You see the photos of the firemen who were lost that day, and then you have a kid come up to you with the same name and that was his son,” Franco said. “The kid could have been 5 years old at the time, and now he’s following in his dad’s or mom’s footsteps. That’s something special. They appreciate us coming back for that and showing respect for the men and women — not only the fire department, but police, Port Authority, all the rescue workers, construction workers, anybody who was down at Ground Zero.”
Wright’s dad, Rhon, is a former police chief in Virginia Beach, so giving back to first responders is as natural to him as drilling a fastball. Back in 2001, the newly drafted Wright wasn’t yet part of the Mets’ core doing what they could to help New York City recover, but he was quick to volunteer in the years that followed. And stay involved, which now means cross-country flights rather than a short car ride from Citi Field.
“It started with my father, obviously, who was a police officer for 30 or so years,” Wright said. “He instilled in my brothers and I the importance of a simple thank you when you see a firefighter, a police officer, walking down the street. That goes a long way.”
Another big impression was knowing that his teammates had the character to spring into action during the chaos of 9/11. Not like a first-responder, obviously. But in ways that could be still be impactful for those on the front lines, and laying the foundation for him to now carry on the tradition, too.
“These men and women are legitimately putting their lives on the line on a daily basis,” said Wright, who wore a “Bravest” jersey from the annual charity game between the firefighters and police at Citi Field. “And a lot of times, we are the ones put up on a pedestal where the roles should be reversed, and they should be on the pedestal. So it’s a role that I’ve appreciated. It’s a role that I’ve genuinely looked forward to and have a close connection with.”
The feeling is mutual. On Tuesday, FDNY Chief John Esposito shared the podium with Zeile on the firehouse floor, standing right below the memorial plaques. But after 25 years, anytime the Mets and firefighters get together, it’s like having a family member over at the house. Or a supportive longtime friend.
“It was therapeutic for us, and it was good for them, too,” Esposito said. “You really can’t say enough about what the Mets did. What was happening was bigger than them, and they were not above jumping and helping.”
Said Zeile: “I think we felt initially like we were going into a space that we didn’t belong. And when we found out there was an embracing core at Ground Zero, when we first went down, it gave us a little bit more ease to be able to try to do what we could as a group to promote some healing. It’s an honor to continue to come back.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
