FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mike Catapano was sitting in his sixth-grade music class when panic suddenly filled the room.His instructor was distraught, having just heard that each of the towers at the World Trade Center, where one of his loved ones worked, had been hit by a plane.Youre young, so you dont really know exactly whats happening, the New York Jets linebacker recalled of the Sept. 11 attacks. Was it a crash? Was it an attack? Youre just so confused.Catapano, the only player on the Jets roster who was born and raised in New York, grew up in the Long Island village of Bayville -- about 35 miles from lower Manhattan.I remember hearing that the World Trade Center went down, Catapano said in an interview with The Associated Press. I wasnt really sure where that was at the time, and then everybody started saying, `twin towers.Thats when I was like, `Oh my God!His thoughts immediately turned to an uncle who worked at a nearby building. Then, his mother, Barbara -- like many other worried parents -- showed up at the school to bring him home.My mom was freaking out and buying all kinds of food from the supermarket, thinking that we might be going to war or something, said Catapano, who was 11 at the time. It was just pandemonium. For a little kid, it was just kind of all a blur. But I remember everyone around me kind of being in a panic.Once back home, Catapano and his mother flipped on the TV to try to make sense of everything that was happening.We just stared at the screen in horror, he recalled.Anxious moments eventually gave way to relief as the Catapanos confirmed, one by one, that all of their immediate family members were OK. That included his uncle and a few firefighters, including two who were first responders.His music instructor and several classmates at St. Dominic Elementary School in Oyster Bay werent nearly as lucky.Neither were many of his neighbors.It was all around us, Catapano said. As anybody in New York knows, it was just a terrible, terrible day.Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, including 2,750 at the World Trade Center.I remember one of my classmates being on TV and announcing his fathers name as one of the victims, Catapano said. Its just horrible. ... When you say 15 years, it seems like a long time ago. But, its really just like yesterday.During the days and weeks after the attacks, Catapano remembers joining his mother, a member of the neighborhood Rotary Club, going door-to-door bringing food and checks to people who lost the breadwinners of their household.They did the same with families affected near his grandmothers home in nearby Bethpage.Sunday marks the 15-year anniversary of the attacks, and Catapano will be on the field at MetLife Stadium for the Jets season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.Rookie Jordan Jenkins, the projected starter, is dealing with a calf injury and hasnt practiced all week. That could open the door for Catapano to make his first NFL start.He is excited for the possibility, but the game will take on even greater meaning for Catapano and his family.I remember the country really coming together right after the attacks, even as a little kid, Catapano said. I could sense that, and Im sure you will feel that in the stands Sunday. Thats a special thing. It shows the resiliency of humans, the resiliency of the United States. Its much bigger than the game of football.Its cool to be a part of those feelings and kind of put it on the field and do it for those people in the stands.The memories of that day in 2001 will again be all around him before the game when the Jets hold a pregame tribute to remember the victims. Members of Tuesdays Children, an organization that supports youth, families and communities impacted by terrorism and traumatic loss, will participate.Representatives from the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation will be honorary captains, along with members of the Jets 2001 team, who will also be featured in a video shown during the ceremony remembering 9/11.Current players will wear commemorative helmet stickers, and coaches will have lapel pins on their shirts.Catapano will also carry lots of emotions with him onto the field, and feels a responsibility to those former classmates, friends and neighbors who will spend part of that day grieving for lost loved ones.It takes it to a bigger picture outside of football when youre representing New York and its Sept. 11, Catapano said. It makes you think about more than the game itself and how important the game can be to other people in New York. Im just proud to be able to represent New York.---Follow Dennis Waszak at http://twitter.com/DWAZ73---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLSteve Largent Womens Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Marquise Blair Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/d-k-metcalf-jersey/ . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. Custom Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. HOUSTON -- Lance McCullers isnt reveling in his success after two straight 10-strikeout games.Houstons 22-year-old starter remains focused on improving.Its a good two starts, but tomorrow its back to what I can do to try to help the team win against Toronto the following week, he said. So thats all Im really thinking about right now.McCullers fanned 10 in six solid innings, Colby Rasmus broke out of a slump with a two-run homer and the Astros beat the New York Yankees 4-1 on Wednesday night.McCullers (6-4) allowed five hits and one run and his 10 strikeouts tied a season high.All in all hes becoming a little more of a complete pitcher the more that he utilizes all his weapons, manager A.J. Hinch said.He kept the Yankees off-balance by throwing almost as many curveballs as fastballs, but to Brian McCann it seemed like more than that.Hes got one of the better curveballs youre going to see and out of 90 pitches it seemed like he threw 89 of them, McCann said. He has a great arm and a really good curveball.Rasmus snapped an 0-for-29 skid when he sent an off-speed pitch from Masahiro Tanaka (7-3) into the seats behind the bullpen in right-center field to make it 4-0 with one out in the third.He said he hasnt felt right most of this month after getting an ear infection early in July.My ear had a little bit to do with it, kind of got me down those few days there to get my balance off and what not, he said. I was trying to play through it and suck it up. I got that kind of tamed now ... so Im hoping that can get me on a good roll and I can help this team win some ball games.Ken Giles and Luke Gregerson pitched a scoreless inning each before Will Harris got his 11th save by striking out two in the ninth.Tanaka, who entered the game with a 1.50 ERA in nine road starts, allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings for the loss. He had thrown 12 1/3 straight scoreless innings on the road before an RBI single by Carlos Gomez with one out in the first inning.He had the onee bad inning.dddddddddddd. He left the (splitter) up, he left a couple pitches up that inning, manager Joe Girardi said. They made him work. He had a real easy first inning and then after that they really made him work. The one inning really did him in.Marwin Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a single to start the third. He advanced to second on a groundout and took third on a wild pitch. A single by Carlos Correa came next to score Gonzalez and push the lead to 2-0.Rasmus then collected his first hit since July 5, when he also homered and drove in two runs, on his 12th homer this season.McCann cut the lead to 4-1 when he led off the fourth inning with a home run to center field.Didi Gregorius singled with one out before McCullers walked Starlin Castro. But McCullers ended the threat by striking out the next two batters to end the inning.McCullers then struck out the side in the fifth to make it five in a row.McCanns homer was the highlight of the night for the Yankees, who managed just four other hits, which were all singles, and struck out a season-high 15 times.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: Houston 3B Luis Valbuena was out of the lineup after leaving Tuesdays game in the second inning with a strained right hamstring. Hinch said he was feeling better on Wednesday and was confident that he would avoid a trip to the disabled list. ... Gomez left the game before the third inning with a strained right hamstring, but said after the game that he didnt think it was serious.UP NEXTYankees: New York has a day off Thursday before opening a three-game series at Tampa Bay with Ivan Nova (7-5, 4.65) on the mound.Astros: Houston is off on Thursday before Collin McHugh (7-6, 4.18) starts in the opener of a three-game series at Detroit. McHugh allowed two runs and six hits in six innings of a win over the Angels on Saturday. ' ' '