Dan Rubenstein

It's early in the morning on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, at a hotel in Pittsburgh. John Franco is lying in bed. Franco is a 40 year old left handed relief pitcher for the New York Mets. And this morning something feels off. He turns 41 in a few days, but that's not it. His body feels fine. A few years ago, Franco was the best closer in the league. Recently, he's made the transition to setup man. He enters games in the late innings to preserve the lead before the Mets hand the ball to their new closer. He's more a workhorse than a star these days, but still he's valuable. Just last year his Mets won the pennant. And though they're hovering around.500 this season, they still have an outside shot at the playoffs. It'll take a lot of work, sure, but there's still time to pull it off. Grinding it out without the glory has never bothered Franco. Really. It's the opposite. He wears an orange T shirt under his jersey every game in honor of his dad, a New York City sanitation worker. It was his dad who taught him the value of hard work. Franco may have been a bigger star in the past, but he's never felt more a part of a team than he does at this stage of his career. For the last 12 years, he's been living his dream to be a baseball player in New York City, his hometown. So as he lies in bed this morning in Pittsburgh, he asks himself, why am I feeling off? He cracks the door of his room and scoops up a copy of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. He flips through the paper as he makes a cup of coffee in the cheap bathroom coffee maker. Then the phone rings. John, it's Donald Fear. Are you near a tv? Fear is the head of the Players Association. It's a weird way to start a conversation this early in the morning. Before he can even find the remote, Fear continues. I'm going to need to cancel our meeting today. John is still confused as he fumbles with the remote. The head of the Players association then takes a deep breath. John, a plane hit the World Trade Center. I need to get back to New York. Franco then squints his eyes and tries to understand what he just heard. His guess is it must have been a small plane or something. He wants to get back to his paper, but he can't let go of the thought. So he turns on the TV.

Bryant Gumbel

It's 8:52 here in New York. I'm Bryant Gumbel. We understand that there has been a plane crash on the southern tip of Manhattan. You're looking at the World Trade Center. We understand that a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. We don't know anything more than that.

Dan Rubenstein

John stares at the TV and realizes he's still holding the phone. There's a silence on the line with fear. I hope your family is okay, Johnny. Franco feels a shiver as fear hangs up. There was a loud sound that I can only describe as it sounded like a missile, not an airplane. Then there was a loud explosion and immediately lots of screaming out on the streets. Now he knows what felt off when he woke up. Franco frantically dials his wife, Rose. The phone rings. He waits for her to pick up a chilling start to the worst day of his life.

Jason Concepcion

I'm Jason Concepcion and welcome to six Trophies, a podcast hosted by myself and four time New York Times bestselling author Shea Serrano. Each week Shea and I are finding the best of the NBA storylines and then handing out six pop culture themed trophies for six basketball related activities. Listen to six Trophies with Jason Concepcion and Chase Serrano on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Leon Naifak

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Raza Jaffrey

I'm Raza Jaffrey and In the new season of the Spy who We go back in time to meet Benedict Arnold, the spy who betrayed the American Revolution. As America fights for freedom from Britain, Arnold emerges as one of the rebels greatest generals. But when his loyalty is pushed to the limit, he turns spy and devises a plot to shatter the rebellion and make George Washington a prisoner. Follow the Spy who Now Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also listen to the full season of the Spy who Betrayed the American Revolution early and ad free on Audible

Dan Rubenstein

from Wondry. I'm Dan Rubenstein and this is Sports wars. Nine eleven changed America forever. More than 3,000 people perished and the country lived with the threat of further acts of violence after the attacks. Major League Baseball, like every other major American sports league, took a brief pause. Then the league determined that returning to the field could help the nation to heal. The sport's leaders, players and coaches were united. A sense of fear would not keep them from completing their season. Both teams in New York would play instrumental roles as baseball resumed. They'd provide something to cheer and smile about John Franco and the Mets would also help to restore a sense of normalcy to America's biggest city. Despite an elevated threat of terrorism, fans showed up for ball games in New York. The games were filled with fervor and hope that the national pastime would would help heal a city and a nation. This is episode one, Mets Magic.

News Reporter

This just in. You are looking at, obviously, a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade center. And we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade center.

Dan Rubenstein

It's almost 9am on September 11, 2001. Just minutes earlier, a large commercial jet crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Now, Mets pitcher John Franco is waiting for his wife Rose to pick up the phone at their home in the New York City borough of Staten Island. His heart leaps into his throat when she picks up. He asks her if she's watching the news. Where are the kids? She tells him they're at school in Brooklyn, that they should be okay. She asks where he is. He tells her that he's still at the hotel in Pittsburgh and that he really hopes the kids aren't watching this. Before he can say another word, though, Franco sees yet another horrifying image on his hotel tv.

News Reporter

Right.

Dan Rubenstein

Oh my God. Another plane has just hit. It hit another building, flew right into the middle of it. Explosion. John covers his mouth and stares in shock. He's got friends in those towers and even more friends who will be running into those burning buildings. After 12 years playing in New York, doing countless events with firemen and police officers, he knows dozens of first responders. Their lives are all at risk. Franco is speechless on the phone with Rose for another few minutes. She wants to know how he'll get home from Pittsburgh. He pauses and then says he has no idea. There's a knock on the door. Franco opens it and finds a few of his teammates. They're here to check on him. The other guys on the team are from all over the country and the world. They all know New York is John's whole world. They know his favorite pizza joints, the delis, where they make his favorite chicken parm. Over the years, John has taken many of his teammates to his favorite haunts around town. New York is everything to Franco. For as long as he can remember, Franco's entire identity has been built on his status as New York's homegrown baseball star. He grew up in an Italian section of Brooklyn. For college, he ventured as far as a different borough, Queens, where he became a star at St. John's throwing two no hitters. The promise of a big league career finally lured him away from the city and he made his Major League baseball debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1984. Before long, he was fooling enough hitters with the late movement on his changeup to become the Reds full time closer. Franco even made three all Star teams with Cincinnati. Deep down, though, he always hoped there was a way to get back home to play in New York. Franco also missed Bensonhurst, the poor Brooklyn neighborhood where he knew all the best pizza joints. It was in those pizzerias that people used to sit and relive the memories of the 1969 Miracle Mets. Everyone in Brooklyn knew Johnny and his story. He felt like his success in the big leagues was as much for them as it was for him. Finally, in 1989, Franco's dreams came true. The Reds traded him to the Mets. Franco came home to pitch at Shea Stadium, the same park at which he'd grown up shouting from the bleachers. Franco then spent the next decade closing games for the Mets. The team was pretty lackluster for many of those seasons. By the end of the 90s, Franco had lost enough on his fastball that he got moved out of the closer role. Still, he was just happy to contribute however he could. Around that time, as Franco made his transition to setup man, the Mets started winning. Just last year, Franco pitched in the World Series for the first time ever in his career against the damn Yankees. In the first ever Subway Series. Franco pitched in four of the games, recording the Mets only win of the series in Game 3 at Shea Stadium, no less. For some guys, that would have been the highlight of an entire career. Winning a World Series game in front of a hometown. But Jon Franco's never been a me guy. Back in 96, the Mets celebrated John Franco Day to honor his 300th career save. A huge deal. A major league record for a lefty at the time. And fittingly enough, the celebration would turn out to be a perfect tribute to the pitcher. In the first inning of the game, Sammy Sosa hit a homer and did a little too much celebrating. So the Mets threw a brush back pitch at another Cubs batter. As soon as they were back on the mound, the Cubs promptly returned the favor. And just like that, both benches cleared and Franco didn't hesitate. He ran on the field to defend his teammates, only to be ejected from the game. Yes, Jon Franco was ejected on John Franco Day. Anything for his team, anything for his town. Which is why today, on September 11, he's in such incredible pain. As Franco stares at the tv, watching the billowing smoke above the Twin Towers, his life, his memories, his New York flashes through his mind. Then more news breaks. The Pentagon, just across the river from D.C. has been hit. As Franco tries to process what that could mean, one of the Twin Towers crumbles and vanishes into a massive cloud of smoke and dust. Look, you want to be careful here. We don't want to get too far ahead of this, but obviously this has all the appearances of an extraordinarily well coordinated and devastating terrorist attack here in the United States. Teammates are now squirrel scrambling from room to room. Nobody knows what to do. News stations are replaying images of the tower going down when there's a new report. Another plane, a fourth, just crashed in Pennsylvania, only about 80 miles from the Pittsburgh hotel where the Mets are staying. Franco's mind starts racing frantically. He feels dizzy, disoriented. It's not just New York. Suddenly he feels like the whole world is closing in on him. No sooner has the thought crossed his mind when the remaining tower crumbles to the ground. Franco is still holding the phone against his ear. He's watching the television screen in frozen horror with his wife still on the other end of the line. He makes sure she and the kids will be able to get to her parents house safely and hangs up. Word then arrives that the Mets game against the Pirates is officially canceled. The league also isn't sure that the Mets are safe at their hotel. So before Franco knows it, he and his teammates have been herded onto a bus and head for a more remote part of Pennsylvania. Soon the bus arrives at a Ramada Inn outside Pittsburgh. The mood is somber, quiet. The team spends the afternoon glued to the TVs in the lobby. With flights grounded, Franco wonders how long he'll be trapped here, away from his wife and kids. Hours pass. Finally, the team announces they'll be returning to New York that night by bus. And what should be a six hour ride takes almost nine. As the bus finally makes its way through Jersey, the Mets get their first view of the New York City skyline. Every player gathers on the right side of the bus on the George Washington Bridge. It's then they finally see the grim image, the hazy lights and smoke where the mighty Twin Towers once stood. Franco gasps at the sight. He and many of his teammates start to weep as the bus makes its way to Shea Stadium. Franco and his teammates sit in stunned silence for the rest of the ride. It's September 17th at PNC Park. Jon Franco can't believe he's already back in Pittsburgh. The Pirates new stadium just opened in March. It's full of thoughtful tributes to the team's rich history. The view of the city from the field is breathtaking. As Franco scans the skyline, all he can think about is how his hometown will never be the same. It's only been six days since the terrorist attacks of 9 11. John has barely slept. Back in New York, first responders have been working around the clock to try and rescue any survivors and clean up the immense wreckage. The Mets, though, didn't stay back and sit at home. Mets manager Bobby Valentine led a delegation of players who visited the site. Franco, superstar, catcher Mike Piazza and many of their teammates traveled to Ground Zero. While there, they handed out Mets hats to the men and women who were working tirelessly. A tiny token on behalf of a grateful city. The first responders were touched by the gesture and offered their own hats in exchange, hats with lettering like FDNY and nypd. Franco and his teammates were so moved that they agreed to wear the hats whenever they got back on the field. When exactly that will be? Nobody fully knows. In the MLB commissioner's office, there had been intense debate all week about whether to resume the season. Many officials were hesitant. A common refrain heard around the offices was, it's just a baseball game. They wondered, Would fans be safe if there were another terrorist attack? Do sports even matter? In the shadow of the 911 tragedy, these types of strong emotions colored the conversations. Nobody in baseball's league office knew exactly when or how to return to the diamond. As far as Franco can tell, though, there's zero uncertainty among his Mets teammates. They all agree if the Mets can get back on the field, they can help fans recover some sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos and deep sorrow. Walking the streets of New York these last few days, Franco barely recognized his city. Armed soldiers and policemen patrol the streets. Every single interaction was colored by a palpable sense of anxiety. So when MLB commissioner Bud Selig made the decision to resume the season, Franco knew it was an important opportunity, a chance to remind fans what New York was really all about. He felt proud that the Mets were one of the first teams to get back on the diamond. Now, back in Pittsburgh, Franco is looking stoic, staring up at the city's skyline as both teams line up for the national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, Players on both teams are emotional as they listen to the Star Spangled Banner. TV cameras catch Franco, the emotional Mets reliever fighting back tears and linger on him for a moment. As usual, he's wearing his trademark orange New York City sanitation worker undershirt. Over that is his Mets jersey with a captain's letter C stitched onto the fabric. The ballpark is only about half full. At first pitch, Franco knows people are still unsure if it's safe to attend a ball game to be a part of a crowd. He doesn't blame them. Some of the players even look conflicted about playing a game. As Franco scans the sparsely populated stands, he sees fans waving small American flags and hears them cheer for the visiting New Yorkers. The game gets underway and both teams seem a little sluggish, perhaps overwhelmed by the weight of the moment. It's tied 1:1 going into the bottom of the eighth as manager Bobby Valentine signals to John Franco in the bullpen with a lump in his throat. Franco jogs across the outfield and takes the mound. As he begins his warm up tosses, he tries to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand, shutting down the Pirates. He has to preserve this tie, not just to keep the Mets playoff hopes alive. He has to do it as a distraction for his devastated friends and family, for his city. The first batter strikes out swinging. The next ground out to third. The next ground out to short, 13 pitches. A 1, 2, 3 inning. Franco has had so many of these innings in his career, but this one just feels more important as Franco jogs towards the dugout. He's collected, but intense as cheers fill the stadium. His performance set the tone and the Mets rally behind their captain. They feed off of his love for his city and his passion for the game and score three runs in the ninth. When the final Pirates hitter goes down swinging, Franco breathes a sigh of relief. He's thrilled to be the winning pitcher on this night. It's all temporary, though. He knows the hard part is still to come. A victory in Pittsburgh tonight will give the New York faithful something to celebrate. But the lefty knows that the city can't really start to heal until the Mets come home and win one at Shea. Their first chance will be Friday.

Josh Hartnett

What does it take to go racing in the fastest cars in the world? Oscar Piastri. Your head's trying to get ripped one way, your body's trying to go another. Let's stroll.

Dan Rubenstein

It's very extreme in the sense of how close you're racing.

Josh Hartnett

Wheel to wheel, we've been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula One, McLaren and Aston Martin.

Dan Rubenstein

I'm London Arts. They build a beautiful bit of machinery that I get to then go and have fun in.

Josh Hartnett

They open the doors to their factories as the 2024 season reached its peak. I'm Josh Hartnett. This is F1 back at base. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Michelle Obama

As Americans, we're constantly grappling with a fundamental question. Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we strive to create the world as it should be? Our answers tend to ebb and flow through the decades, but once, just after a war that nearly tore us apart, we came as close as we've come to answering it. And it's a story worth a closer look. I'm Michelle Obama, and I'm proud to announce Higher Ground's new podcast, the Unfinished Promise. Guided by bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell and featuring my husband, Barack Obama, this limited series uncovers the untold stories of reconstruction, what they mean for us today, and how our past can shape the future we choose to build. Reconstruction the Unfinished Promise is available now on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dan Rubenstein

It's September 21, 2001, and the Mets are back at Shea Stadium. It's the first sporting event in New York since the terrorist attacks on September 11th. And tonight, during pregame warm ups, superstar catcher Mike Piazza is chatting with John Franco on the field. The stands begin to fill with New Yorkers. The two agree it's going to be an emotional night. Franco's career is winding down while Piazza is in his prime. A perennial All Star and one of the best hitting catchers of all time, Piazza has a deep respect for his New York native teammate. When Piazza was first acquired in a 1998 trade, Franco didn't hesitate to give up his beloved jersey number, the 31, to Piazza, even though Franco had worn it for 15 years. On top of that, when Mike moved to the city, Franco invited him to stay at his house so he'd have a place to stay while he got a feel for New York. Now, just a few years into his Mets career, Piazza's already a legend at Shea. Goateed and muscular, he's the Mets best player and one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. Piazza and Franco know the city is counting on them tonight, not just because they're clinging to playoff hopes as they face their arch rivals, the Atlanta Braves. Shea is just 24 miles from ground Zero, where first responders are still working day and night to try and find survivors or bodies and give desperate families some answers. The city still has a climate of fear and anxiety, but tonight the Old ballpark is packed with more than 41,000 eager fans. Piazza knows that for the fans, the game can be a temporary escape from all the pain. And a win can have a healing effect on the crow. In a pre game ceremony, dozens of bagpipe players from the NYPD Pipers enter the stadium playing an emotional rendition of America the Beautiful. Piazza stands on the first baseline alongside his teammates with tears in his eyes. Although he's aware of tonight's importance, like most of the players, Piazza is conflicted about playing. He's worried that the naysayers were right, that it's too soon to be back out in New York. But with emotions running at such a fever pitch, Piazza knows that the field is exactly where he's capable of delivering the kind of heroics that might play a small role in helping people to start recovering from the tragedy. As soldiers march in, the bagpipers transition to playing the Marines hymn and the American flags in the crowd wave feverishly. Piazza soaks it in. The moment is overwhelming. Minutes later, after Diana Ross sings the national anthem, Mayor Rudy Giuliani embraces Piazza and all of his teammates. Giuliani is a lifelong Yankees fan. He never misses a playoff game where he's always wearing his trademark Yankees hat and starter jacket. Tonight, Giuliani wears an NYPD cap and FDNY jacket and spends a few minutes wishing both teams well. Meaningful baseball games are usually a fixture in the Bronx in September for the Yankees, but tonight it's Queens that has the eyes of the nation. And now Piazza is determined to give the fans the show they want to see. It's the bottom of the eighth inning. The Mets need this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, but they trail the Braves 2 1. Piazza is in the on deck circle taking warm up cuts. He looks into the dugout and sees John Franco seething. Franco was charged with the go ahead run in the top half of the inning and Piazza knows that Johnny feels like he let his city down. The superstar catcher then makes eye contact with Franco. Nothing really needs to be said. He's got his captain's back. With a runner on, Piazza steps to the plate.

Sports Announcer

And here's the man the Mets want up in this spot. Down a run late in the game,

Dan Rubenstein

Piazza already has two doubles on the night. He's late. Laser focus at the plate. Sensing that this is a huge moment, he knows that this is the opportunity he was envisioning during the national anthem.

Sports Announcer

And it's hit deep to left center. Andrew Jones on the run. This one has a chance. Cobra Mike Piazza and the mixed lead. 3 2.

Dan Rubenstein

As Piazza circles the bases, he remains focused. With a steely look on his face, he jogs briskly as the stadium erupts in chaos. As he makes his way back to the dugout, he's mobbed by teammates and finally cracks a huge grin.

Sports Announcer

This crowd was ready. They wanted to shout and scream all night, and boy, did they get an opportunity from Mike Piazza.

Dan Rubenstein

Moments later, he takes a breath brief curtain call as the frenzied crowd screams to praise its hero. It's the ninth inning, and now the Mets just need to hold on for the 32 win. From his crouch behind the plate, Piazza sees that the entire stadium is still on its feet. He can barely hear the umpire talking to him, and he's only about a foot away. One more out, thinks Piazza.

Sports Announcer

Slowly, it could end the ball game. There's one Mets win. Put this one in the books. Shea Stadium has something to smile about.

Dan Rubenstein

Jon Franco and Mike Piazza's mission is complete. Though the Mets would ultimately fall short of making the playoffs, they accomplish something far more important. They helped America start to exhale and heal after a national tragedy. This wasn't the end of the story for the 2001 baseball season in New York City, though. In the coming weeks, the focus will shift across town to the Yankees, who are gearing up for a historic run that would keep the emotional recovery going throughout the fall. In our next episode, we shift to the Bronx and look at how the Yankees did their part to help the city and the nation after 911 one player, Derek Jeter, comes through with an especially heroic performance, a performance that helps New Yorkers to rally around the Yanks in unforgettable ways as their team makes one of the most memorable World Series series runs in baseball history. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Sports Wars. If you did, you can subscribe to our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, wondery.com or wherever. You're listening to this right now. If you're listening on a smartphone, tap or swipe over the COVID art of this podcast. You'll find the episode notes and some offers from our sponsors. By supporting our sponsors, you help us offer you the show for free. If you like what you've heard, we'd love for you to give us a five star rating and tell your friends how to subscribe. Another way to support us is to answer a short survey@wondery.com survey and tell us which Sports wars stories you'd like to hear and a quick note about the conversations you've been hearing. We can't know exactly what was said, but this dialogue is based on our best research and we use many sources for our stories, including articles from Fox Sports, the Atlantic, CBS Sports, MLB.com, eSPN.com, video pieces from CNN, HBO, MLB Network, and more. I'm your host, Dan Rubenstein. I also co host the Solid Verbal College Football podcast with new episodes dropping each week all year long. Scott Turkin wrote this story, edited by Sam Sam Dingman Produced by Jaron Descalo, Gabe Goodwin and Gabe Riven sound design by Jason Freeman. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Marshall Louie and Hernan Lopez. For wondering,

Raza Jaffrey

I'm Raza Jaffrey. And in the new season of the Spy who We open the file on Benedict Arnold, the Spy who Betrayed the American Revolution. America is fighting to free itself from the British Empire and one of its foremost generals is Benedict Arnold. He's a smuggler turned battlefield hero and admired for his aggressive tactics. But when a war wound, a new wife, debts and politics test his loyalty to the mags, he turns spy and devises a plot to shatter the revolution and help Britain capture rebel commander in chief General George Washington. And that plot would make him the most infamous traitor in U.S. history. Follow the Spy who Now Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also listen to the full season of the Spy who Betrayed the American Revolution early and ad free on audible.