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CNN Sunday Morning

Spirit of America: Life Slowly Goes Back to Normal

Aired September 16, 2001 - 10:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's check back in with Bill Hemmer who joins from as close as you can get to ground zero this morning. What's going on there right now, Bill?

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning once again. Just to follow up on that. Anyone who's been to the Middle East and specifically Jerusalem knows how significant that move is for the renaming of that street there.

Paula, it is Sunday. Normally on a typical Sunday in the fall especially in September tens of thousands of Americans would be getting ready for the NFL. Week Two was supposed to be played today. That has been canceled. We haven't seen baseball played since last Monday of this past week. And Frank DeFord, a senior contributing writer for "Sports Illustrated," with us now live in Connecticut this morning.

And, Frank, it seems somewhat unkind words for me to talk about baseball and football here about two blocks from the World Trade Center but interesting to get your perspective -- the American way of life. What we're seeing is a cancellation of sports put on hold right now to recognize this national and somewhat international tragedy.

FRANK DEFORD, SENIOR WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Bill, I think it would have been good if we would have played -- if we'd gone back to the kind of normality that the president has suggested.

It's interesting that we were just talking about Israel and renaming the new street in Jerusalem after New York. And when the Israeli athletes in Munich were killed Israel wanted the Games to go on very desperately.

I spoke with many members of the families of those murdered athletes and to a person as bereaved as they were the one thing they were glad of is that the Games went on so that the terrorists did not have that additional feather in their cap.

I think it's very important for us to come together at this time and there is no better place for the public together come in America -- public of all types -- all different sorts of people than at a baseball or a football game and we missed that opportunity today.

HEMMER: Frank I'm curious to know how you strike the proper balance toward giving attention to what some consider normal way of life and also considering what we saw on Tuesday of this week in this city?

DEFORD: Bill, of course, that's the trick -- to walk that fine line. But, you know, we're human. We're full of all kinds of contradictory emotions. At the same time that we have grief now we also have a lot of anger. It's impossible to grieve for 24 hours a day and so the opportunity to come together to join together is in a way sort of very therapeutic. It doesn't mean that we're callous. It doesn't mean that we're not caring. It gives us, on the contrary, an opportunity to stand together -- to be, in a sense, a kind of American flag made up of ourselves.

And that's -- the only place that that can really take place is at a stadium -- it's a very consoling opportunity.

HEMMER: Frank, so many times that you and -- like us were paid to put our own words to significant events but I find it very difficult to find the right words in a case like this. When you sit down and put pen to paper what will you be writing about?

DEFORD: Well, I have written that particularly since I am a sports writer and I should more or less confine myself to that. But we must remember we are a large nation. We're full of so many diverse types. And as we mourn in different ways, as we were worship in different ways so do we celebrate in different ways. The opportunity to celebrate should be there.

I think it's unfortunate that those who wanted to go to games to take a respite from this terrible, terrible grief were denied that opportunity. I'm glad that the games will be back tomorrow and I think that will be good for America and help us on our way.

HEMMER: And, quickly, Frank, other than moments of silence and the Star Spangled Banner, which we can all anticipate at this point, what's the proper way to address this whether you're playing a baseball game in Cincinnati or San Francisco or football games next week?

DEFORD: Well, I do think it's proper to do what you did. For example, if you play golf on Sundays I think it's wise to get out there. If you go to church to go to church and pray perhaps a little more -- to be with your family. If just you walk in the woods then walk in the woods. Do whatever it is that you do to regain that equilibrium in your life.

HEMMER: Frank DeFord from Connecticut. Thanks for sharing your thoughts this morning, Frank -- much appreciated.

DEFORD: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Paula, we have seen quite a bit of activity down here in the past hour -- the past hour and a half. We'll talk more about that and the rescue operation that continues, again, two blocks from our location here on the south end of Manhattan. Paula?

ZAHN: And, Bill, at a time Frank DeFord described the necessity for Americans to try to get back to as normal as possible of life. The cold, hard reality is that there are thousands of people who have come to New York City -- those who live here, those who were forced to get here mostly by car are looking for their loved one.

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