911+MLB

"Baseball calls off entire schedule following terrorist attacks"

 **By Ronald Blum, Associated Press, 09/11/01** NEW YORK -- Major league baseball postponed its entire schedule of 15 games Tuesday night following terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig made the decision about 3 hours after the attacks began in New York. "In the interest of security and out of a sense of deep mourning for the national tragedy that has occurred today, all major league baseball games for today have been canceled," Selig said in a statement. Selig also called off the owners' quarterly meeting that was set to start Tuesday. He did not make any decisions about Wednesday's games. "I will continue to monitor the situation and a daily basis and make ongoing decisions accordingly," Selig said. "My deepest sympathy and prayers go out to the families and victims of this horrendous series of events." The NFL was mulling whether to postpone this weekend's schedule. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">"Regarding Sunday's games, we will make no decision today," league spokesman Joe Browne said. "We'll gather information and speak to several parties within the next 24 to 48 hours." <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">Baseball's minor leagues -- their regular seasons over -- postponed postseason games in all nine leagues that were to play Tuesday. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">"Out of respect to the families and friends of those people who lost their lives or were injured in today's tragic events, we have postponed all playoff games scheduled for tonight in the United States," said Mike Moore, president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body for the minors. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The International, Pacific Coast, Eastern, Southern, Texas, California, Florida State, Midwest and South Atlantic leagues were affected. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The stadium of one of minor league baseball team, the independent Newark Bears, has a view of the lower Manhattan skyline, where smoke filled the air after the World Trade Center was destroyed. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">Major League Soccer postponed all four games that had been scheduled for Wednesday night. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">In Columbus, Ohio, the U.S. Women's Cup doubleheader at Crew Stadium involving the United States against Japan and Germany vs. China was postponed. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The PGA Tour canceled Thursday's starts of the World Golf Championship and two other tournaments. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">Commissioner Tim Finchem said the American Express Championship in St. Louis, featuring Tiger Woods and top players from tours around the world, would begin Friday with 36 holes. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">"This is a sad, sad day in America," Woods said after playing a practice round, which he began about two hours before the initial attack on the World Trade Center. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The Tampa Bay Classic will open with 18 holes each on Friday and Saturday and a 36-hole conclusion. The same schedule has been applied to the Buy.com Tour event in Oregon. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The Senior Tour will remain on schedule, with a 54-hole event that starts Friday in North Carolina. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">With air traffic shut across the country, several golfers were unable to get to St. Louis. Among those stranded were PGA champion David Toms, Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">In hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs postponed their trip to Newfoundland after Canadian airports grounded all outgoing flights. The Leafs were to travel to Newfoundland for training camp. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">In Nyon, Switzerland, the Union of European Football Associations said this week's games will take place as scheduled despite the terrorist attacks. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The Swiss-based International Olympic Committee expressed a "profound sense of shock and disbelief" at the attacks. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">IOC president Jacques Rogge expressed "deepest sympathy" to the families of the victims and sent letters of condolence to President Bush, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica">The 2002 Winter Olympics are to be held in Salt Lake City in February.