Sports world pays tribute to Sept. 11

Wednesday, September 11th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The sports world honors the anniversary of Sept. 11 with moments of silence in baseball, observances at European soccer games and a candlelight vigil at U.S. Olympic headquarters.

All major league night games Wednesday will pause in silence at 9:11 p.m. local time. A videotape then will be shown in memory of those who died in the attacks. During afternoon games, the moment of silence and video were scheduled for the seventh-inning stretch.

Wednesday's 16-game schedule was unaffected by the government's decision Tuesday to raise the United States' security alert warning to ``high risk.''

During the day baseball games, a logo was to be displayed on the field, outfield walls, bases and lineup cards, incorporating the Stars and Stripes, the major league baseball logo, a red-white-and-blue ribbon and the phrase ``We Shall Not Forget.''

Players' caps will feature the American flag, and each fan attending a game will receive a T-shirt featuring the logo. Fans will be encouraged to wear the T-shirt during the game, specifically for the moment of silence.

Some players, like Mets closer John Franco and Twins closer Eddie Guardado, would have preferred a day off to reflect. Commissioner Bud Selig made the call for the games to go on.

``I think it's important to play, for the same reason the president said it was important to try to get things back to normal,'' Selig said. ``It's a sensitive question, and I can see both sides. It's very personal. There's no right or wrong.

The U.S. Olympic Committee scheduled a morning ceremony, with its athletes holding a candlelight vigil at night.

USOC staff members and training center athletes were to observe two minutes of silence at 8:46 a.m. MDT throughout the complex in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Olympic torch at the visitors center will be lighted for 24 hours and flags at the USOC will fly at half-staff.

The Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park will be closed. The Meadowlands had a thoroughbred and simulcast card scheduled, and Monmouth Park had simulcast racing scheduled.

In England, Scotland, Germany and France, a minute of silence was to be observed before league soccer games. Players were to wear black armbands in the English Premier League.

In Italy, the anniversary was to be marked by a charity soccer game between Formula One race car drivers and fashion designers.

A minute's silence was scheduled for the Romanian Open men's tennis tournament in Bucharest.

English horse racing planned a minute of silence at Doncaster, Epsom and Hereford. All jockeys were to wear black armbands.

At Hereford, tributes were scheduled for the bond-trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost two-thirds of its New York employees in the attacks.

Record-holding jump jockey Tony McCoy said he will donate his riding fees and prize money to the Cantor Fitzgerald UK relief fund.

Even though the NFL does not play Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs have their own tribute.

A small replica of a football found among the debris of the World Trade Center will take an honored place in their locker room.

The item was found in the debris from the North Tower and bears the Chiefs logo. Coach Dick Vermeil said a New York police officer found the item while sifting through debris.

``It was on a treadmill,'' Vermeil said. ``It's a small Kansas City Chiefs carved football, gold and red, that's going to be on a trophy case. I understand it was on the 115th floor.''