This weeks cover of Sports Illustrated was simply a blank page with, aside from the word Boston written across the page.2 days before this years Boston Marathon I posted a post to this blog entitled When Boston Forgets About Baseball. At that point I was referencing the ever true fact that on a yearly basis, our city casts aside the big 4 sports than on every other day of the year, instead turning their focus to the famed renewal of the annual Boston Marathon. Yet while every year we turn our eyes to the Boston Marathon at about 2:50 in the afternoon yesterday, even the athletic aspect of the Boston Marathon took a back seat. As said before, at exactly 2:50 in the afternoon, on April 15th 2013, 2 deadly explosions ripped apart Copley Square, killing 3 and injuring almost 2 hundred. Yet through this terrible tragedy one quote repeated by media members, witnesses and victims alike, seems to symbolize the compassion and heroic response of those surrounding the events. "When the worst of human nature strikes, it also showcases the best of human personality"
What happened yesterday was terrible, and while no amount of consolation can sooth the grief of the families of those killed or seriously injured, the sports community not only in Boston but across the nation has done its best to at least let those victimized by these attacks know the world feels their strife, and shares their unimaginable pain.
Below are some of those acts.
When he heard the news, Phoenix Coyotes Defense men Keith Yandle rushed to his equipment managers office with a sharpie, heavily bent on inscribing his support for Boston on his right skate.
Early yesterday morning, one of Chicago's mainstream news papers ran this picture, proclaiming it's support for Boston sports and in-turn its community.
During warm ups before yesterdays game between the Red Sox and Indians, the self adopted "anthem" of Boston Sweet Caroline was played across the entire MLB as that gesture of kindness was followed by a MLB wide moment of science.
Within Hours of the bombings, the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics did not delay as, when it came to the Bruins postpone their game with Ottawa and for the Celtics all out cancel their game scheduled to be played tonight. "You feel helpless and it's an empty feeling. It's tough to say what you felt, other than you're proud so many people are helping out and you start to hear back from people that you know and they're OK and you're happy. But, obviously, you know there are a lot of people who are getting different news and you feel pretty heartbroken for them." Bruins D-Man Andrew Ference said as the Bruins in particular flooded the world with an out poring of support.
Just after midnight, this last night new Patriot Danny Amendola pledged to the world that for every catch he makes this season he will donate 100$ to the Marathon Relief fund and for every dropped pass he would donate 200$. If Amendola has a season similar to the one he played last year, he would end the year with 63 catches or intern 6,300$ not to mention any dropped passes.
Despite playing today's game as scheduled, the Red Sox announced that over the next few days, the jersey picture above would be hanging in the Red Sox clubhouse. The 617 represents the Boston area code.
On September 11th 2001, without a doubt the deadliest terrorist attacks in world history rocked the nation but more specifically New York City. 12 years later, 2 twin bombs blasted apart the finish line of the Boston Marathon and for what seems like the first time in so many years Boston and New York stand united, a fact verbalized per se by the banner hanging on the front facing facade of New York's Yankee stadium. (Top right corner of picture)
This is perhaps one of the most heart warming testaments to the sheer fact that what happened yesterday really did break down the boundaries of sports and life, tearing up even the fiercest of rivalries and uniting cities now more connected to one another than ever before.
It cannot be stressed enough, people were brutally murdered yesterday and while what the sports world has done to support those victimized by the monster who planted these bombs has hopefully helped it cannot change the past.
3 People died yesterday, and that will never be forgotten.
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