Bobby Valentine decided to mark the anniversary of 9/11 on Wednesday by talking about the Yankees not doing enough for New York after the Sept. 11, attacks.
Here he is taking credit for something he told his players not to take credit for:
"Let it be said that during the time from 9/11 to 9/21, the Yankees were (not around). You couldn't find a Yankee on the streets of New York City. You couldn't find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7. Many of them didn't live here, and so it wasn't their fault. And many of them did not partake in all that, so there was some of that jealousy going around. Like, 'Why are we so tired? Why are we wasted? Why have we been to the funerals and the firehouses, and the Yankees are getting all the credit for bringing baseball back?' And I said 'This isn't about credit, guys. This is about doing the right thing.'"
Members of Yankees visited a staging area for volunteers and rescue workers, a hospital that was treating injured victims and the Park Avenue Armory, where people gathered to await news of missing family members.
From an MLB.com article on Sept. 16, 2001.
"There was this lady, I never even got her name, but she was introduced to me by a paramedic," Bernie Williams said. "She had a look on her face of total devastation, and what can you say to a person like that? The only thing I could come up with was 'I think you need a hug.' I hugged her and she started crying. It was very emotional, and something I'll never forget." Williams was one of a dozen or so Yankees players and coaches to caravan around the city, stopping at the rescue staging area at the Javits Center, the Armory and St. Vincent's Hospital. "I hope it made a difference," said Scott Brosius. "You could say hello, shake someone's hand, take a picture with them, and just for a moment, get a smile from them. I know it was good for us to go down there, I hope it was good for them also. I hope we were able to lift their spirits for a few moments."
Yankees team president Randy Levine responded to Valentine's comments, saying it was "very sad" that he chose to make these statements.
According to ESPN:
"Bobby Valentine should know better than to be pointing fingers on a day like today. Today is a day of reflection and prayer. The Yankees, as has been well documented, visited Ground Zero, the Armory, the Javits Center, St Vincent's Hospital and many other places during that time. We continue to honor the 9-11 victims and responders. On this day, he would have been better to have kept his thoughts to himself rather than seeking credit, which is very sad to me."
Beneath the head-scratching comments, Valentine's deeper point was, "Hey, the Mets did a lot," and he's right about that. Here is Mike Piazza's iconic home run, which many credit with returning a sense of normalcy and cheer to a wounded city.
