CHICAGO — Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman was shooed away from the 100-story John Hancock Center Tuesday morning and told by a Chicago policeman: “My advice to everybody would be to get out of Chicago and go to a farm.”

        This was about 9 a.m. Chicago time, while the Hancock Center was being evacuated. The Reds were staying across the street at the Westin Hotel. Their Tuesday night game with the Cubs was canceled.

        Brennaman said he was watching TV Tuesday morning when he saw live video of the second plane crashing into the World Trade Center.

        “I came down here to get a look around and I couldn't believe what was going on on the street,” Brennaman said.

        Hundreds of people filled the street and were heading for the train station to get home. Cars were being towed from the street between the Westin and the Hancock Center.

        Shortly thereafter, numerous Reds players began to fill the Westin's lobby.

        “We had dinner up on the 96th floor of the Hancock Tower (Monday) night, and I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a building like that collapse with so many people still inside,” reliever Scott Sullivan said.

        Said Jose Rijo: “What kind of madmen would do something like this? You watch the footage on TV and you think you're watching a movie. But you know you're not, because thousands of people are dead.”

        Reds traveling secretary Gary Wahoff received word from Major League Baseball security in Cincinnati about 10:40 a.m. Chicago time that the Reds' game Tuesday was canceled. He called the Cubs to confirm it and then came to the Westin's lobby to begin notifying players and coaches. At that time, the word was that only the games in Chicago and New York were being canceled.

        “All the games should be canceled,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “What, we're supposed to go out there and entertain people after this?”

        About an hour later, the news came on the TV screen that all major-league games Tuesday were canceled.

        In the wake of the tragedy, many in the team's traveling party were reluctant to get on a plane again.

        “Even if they cancel the rest of the games of the series (through Thursday), we will probably bus home rather than fly, because I don't think I could get some of these guys on a plane right now,” Wahoff said.

        Many players received the news from friends and loved ones via the telephone: Dennys Reyes and Juan Castro received calls from their mothers in Mexico; Chris Reitsma from his wife in Calgary; Sullivan from his father in Alabama; Scott MacRae from his parents in Atlanta.

        “New York City is so big that most of us know people from there or know a friend of a friend,” MacRae said. “The father of Jim Manias (who plays in the Reds' minor leagues) works in Manhattan and saw the World Trade Center collapse. It is just unbelievable.”

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