Mets legend David Wright (right) reads the plaques honoring the Ladder 25 firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. (Screenshot)
The New York Mets continued their tradition of visiting local firehouses in the days leading up to the anniversary of Sept. 11, stopping by Ladder 25/Division 3/Collapse Rescue 1 in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Alumni Todd Zeile, John Franco, Al Leiter, and Robin Ventura — all members of the 2001 club — were joined by team legend David Wright, who hosts the Battle of the Badges each year at Citi Field.
“This is a day that, as sad as it is, I look forward to each year to come pay my respects to the wall of remembrance and hear the different stories from the different firehouses,” Wright, who did not make his debut with the Mets until 2004, said. “I’ve been fortunate to come up through the organization under the Jay Horowitzes and the Todd Zeiles and the Al Letiers, the Johnny Francos, the Mike Piazzas, the Robin Venturas. They taught me the importance not only of coming back and saying thank you, but of carrying on the tradition that the Mets have had since 9/11 of visiting the firehouses, having lunch with the brave men and women of these firehouses.”
Zeile, Franco, Leiter, and Ventura have regularly made the trip back every year to pay their respects. They first made their way to Ground Zero just days after the terror attacks in hopes of boosting morale as recovery efforts continued.
“This is something that we enjoy to do,” Franco, a Brooklyn native, said. “We enjoy visiting these firemen, thanking them. Some of them here are probably children of the firemen maybe that were lost that day. It’s something that the organization, I give a lot of credit to. We continue the tradition. Myself, Robin, Al, and Todd were on the team. To see David Wright here, who carried the torch when we left, David always does the right thing. He’s a good ambassador to follow the tradition.”
Ladder 25 lost seven firefighters on Sept. 11, and commemorative plaques prominently hang in the firehouse to this day.
“It’s still very important to us,” Ventura said. “It doesn’t take a lot to get us here. It’s important enough for us to travel and get here for at least the week. The Mets do a great job of supporting us, getting us out there, and letting us have fun. It’s important to us too.”
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