Have been in England for going on a month now and the coverage of this anniversary as well as the ongoing hearings in Liverpool has been stunning. Just amazing how pervasive it is. Yesterday I was having a late lunch in Chester which is about 30 miles from Liverpool and shortly before 3pm the bartender let it be known that the restaurant would be observing a moment of silence at 3:06pm. That made an impression on me. Even in NYC on the 9/11 anniversaries that kind of impromptu observation is rare. Last Saturday I attended the FA Cup semi at which 96 seats were set aside in remembrance. Prior to the match I was able to attend a lunch that was attended by some of the family members and at which Greg Dyke spoke with some passion about the duty the FA has to honor those lost and their families. On some level this is just symbolism but intuitively it felt to me like there was real conviction behind it. If you've followed sports for as long as most of us have I think you develop a good feel for when these ceremonies are perfunctory and when they're heartfelt. The momentum behind the current inquiry is palpable. As someone posted above, the court of public opinion doesn't get to render verdicts but it's almost unimaginable to think that the current proceedings won't result in some long-delayed justice.
