Former President George W. Bush shared a lighthearted story on Wednesday about his interaction with New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. This moment occurred before Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium, just weeks after the September 11 attacks.
During an event at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, Bush recounted the experience alongside Condoleezza Rice, his national security advisor during the attacks. Bush spoke of feeling immense pressure during the October 2001 World Series as he led the nation through a difficult time. Jeter had humorously advised him, “Don’t bounce it, they’ll boo you.” The audience at the event laughed along with Bush as he remembered the intense emotions he felt inside the stadium as he walked to the pitcher’s mound.
Bush described the scene during the 9/11 remembrance event at the presidential center. He mentioned looking at the catcher, who seemed very small, as the ball felt unusually heavy in his hand. Watching the crowd, Bush felt that people were full of resilience, thinking, “You can knock down our buildings, but you’re not going to touch our soul.”
He successfully threw the pitch over the plate and described the event as a personally memorable moment. “I mean, it was an amazing feeling,” Bush stated.
As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the memory remains vivid. The attacks involved al-Qaeda terrorists hijacking four commercial planes. Two of the flights hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing the towers to collapse and resulting in many casualties. Another flight hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while the fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives, including many firefighters and police officers.