In the months leading up to the September 11 attacks, Major League Baseball player Robin Ventura experienced moments of connection that would take on new meaning after the tragedy. Ventura, then an active ballplayer, recalls a chance interaction with Chris Quackenbush, a friend of New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, that resurfaced vividly in the aftermath of the attacks.

Ventura first met Quackenbush during batting practice at a Mets game in the summer of 2001. He noticed Quackenbush’s young son watching his father with a gaze full of admiration and awe, impressed to see him on the field. The memory stayed with Ventura long after the event itself, particularly as a father himself. “I’d had my son probably three years before, and I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, it would be so great to...’,” Ventura said in a recent interview, reflecting on the bond between parent and child.

Quackenbush was among those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. Visiting the memorial pools at the World Trade Center site, Ventura often finds himself looking for Quackenbush’s name. The loss of Quackenbush and the future he would never know weighs heavily on Ventura’s thoughts, as do the grief and the helplessness felt by many in the wake of the disaster. “You’re going back to how insignificant you are at that moment,” he said, describing the sense of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the tragedy.

Now 59 years old, Ventura’s life has evolved. His children are grown, and he has transitioned from playing professionally to coaching the baseball team at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University. While baseball has served as a source of comfort and community in difficult times, Ventura admits that it’s unclear how much the sport was able to soothe the collective grief following 9/11. “You feel a little overwhelmed by all of it,” he noted.

For Ventura and many others connected to the events of that day, the experience remains a profound reminder of loss, resilience, and the enduring impact of shared grief beyond the baseball field.