Last week saw the sports world pay its respects on the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
It’s always a somber day around the United States — a representation of a time that changed this nation and the world forever.
Acting as an outlet for an embattled nation some 18 years ago, Major League Baseball played an important role in helping this country return to normalcy.
Unfortunately, a policy embedded within the league’s bylaws prohibited players from paying homage to the unofficial American holiday this past week.
In particular, the New York Mets wanted to wear hats that paid respect to those who died and first responders who gave up everything on that September day.
It wasn’t to be. Led by Pete Alonso and others, the Mets decided to design cleats as their way to mark the somber occasion. It really wasn’t a great look for MLB.
In talking about this, former New York Mets great Mike Piazza took to social media on Monday to blast MLB in the most respectful of ways.
Piazza played for the Mets from 1998-05. He was smack dab in the middle of the events as a player based in New York City at the time of the attacks.
This is an emotional plea from the Hall of Famer more than anything else. He’s simply asking MLB to change its policy moving forward. It’s not like any other day around the baseball world.
Piazza himself helped those in New York City return to some sense of normalcy with this dramatic home run in the Mets’ first game back after the 9/11 attacks.
When the all-time great catcher talks about something this significant, MLB should listen.