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Show r 11 -- U 1004 Inside Sports Baseball soothes New York in 'Nine Innings From Ground Zero' ByGtergo Dlckii Zap2K didn't take long for HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg to realize he had a documentary on his hands. It was just prior to Game 3 of the 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. The atmosphere had been tense in the city since the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, and the anxiety in and around Yankee Stadium was palpable that late October night, as reflected by the extremely tight security. Greenburg, who was in attendance, recalls the scene. "Three Air Force helicopters came swooping in about an hour prior to game time," he says, "and the president arrived. And so I assumed the president was going to be in the third row, and like Harry Truman and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, toss out the first pitch. It But lo and behold, he marched out onto the field. And I didn't necessarily vote for the man, hut at that moment, when the chants of USA! USA! pounded throughout the stadium, you knew you were a part of something that was a little bit extraordinary, and not just a baseball game. "And then, on the way home that night, after the Yanks had won, I was going through an overpass, and there were 10 police lined up ... so I put out my hand all 10 police right and high-five- d in a row, which obviously you would never do in normal times. But there was a connection with the policemen and the firefighters at that point in New York. And so at that moment, I said, "You know what? I'm living a documentary.' " The result, three years later, is "Nine Innings the hour-lon- g From Ground Zero," which debuts Tuesday, Sept 14, on HBO. by Greenburg, the film tells the story of how baseball served as a necessary distraction and even salve for the people of New York in the weeks following the attacks that destroyed a piece of their city. President George W. Bush, former Mayor Rudolph . Giuliani, ballplayers Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius and Mark Grace, New York personalities Liza Min-nel- li and Curtis Sliwa, and family members of those lost or injured in the attacks are among those offering their takes on what happened that fall .in New York, augmented by news ed is about political gain; I really, truly believe that, like the filmmakers, all we were trying to do was look back on a piece of difficult American history and try to heal as many wounds as we could, and remind people of how difficult a time it was. It's analogous to someone having a concussion and not remembering when the accident happened. And I think a lot of us have forgotten how harrowing a time it really was." Through it all, the Yankees, hated and resented in normal times, became sentimental favorites that fall - even in, of all places, Boston. "That was fun," Greenburg says, "nnrHmilnrlv when we're nhle to go up to Boston and show some of the taped footage of Boston fans holding up Yankee signs. I think that will be the last time you see that kind of a sign being held in Fenway Park." that for her. "I don't think the film wants to ' send the impression that baseball Pennsylvania teenager Brielle Saracmi, whose father, Victor, was a pilot aboard the jet that crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. She had written a letter to Jeter explaining her situation and asking to meet him, and one day shortly thereafter she received a surprise phone call was able to lift everyone's spirits," Greenburg continues, "because many people in this country don't even follow baseball. But for those that do love the game, this was their tie. This was a way to get back to normal." Participating in "Nine Innings" helped as well, especially for Giuliani. "I think anything that'll heal the wounds of that time for so many, for Rudy, ifs something that he looks back on and wants to be a part of," Greenburg says, "because he was so much a part of Wednesday Friday September 15, 2004 September 17, 2004 footage. One such interview was with the story as it was unfolding in New York City. I dont think this from the Yankees star shortstop. "Brielle Saracini's mom said, You never know whaf 8 going to touch someone and put a smile back on their face,' " Greenburg says. "And so, she knew that her daughter needed something just to get her out from under the loss of her father. And baseball was able to do The Week in Sports NFL Football Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers. 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