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Neil Diamond Thanks Yankees For 'Sweet Caroline' Boston Tribute

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Yankees paid tribute to victims of the Boston Marathon bombings by playing the Fenway Park favorite "Sweet Caroline" at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

Other teams around the majors did the same. The popular sing-along song has been featured at Red Sox home games since 2002.

The Yankees honored Boston, home of their longtime rivals, by playing the Neil Diamond hit over the public-address system after the third inning against Arizona. Yankees fans sang along, and some people in the crowd wore Red Sox hats and jerseys.

Diamond took to Twitter to thank the Yankees -- and other clubs -- for playing "Sweet Caroline."

PHOTOS: Yankee Stadium's Tribute To Boston Tragedy

A ribbon was shown on the scoreboard displaying the insignia of the Red Sox and Yankees and the words: "New York stands with Boston ... Pray for Boston."

There also was a pregame moment of silence. A message that read "United We Stand" showing the Red Sox and Yankees logos was posted on an electronic board atop the ballpark.

"This don't come down to a Boston-Yankee thing," Yankees fan Alex de Jesus told Hazel Sanchez of CBS 2. "It's a human being thing."

Earlier in the day, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it was time to "put the baseball teams aside" and recognize "we're all behind the people in Boston."

"Sweet Caroline" also was played at Marlins Park, Dodger Stadium and in Cleveland, where the Red Sox beat the Indians 7-2.

"That was a very classy touch," said Indians skipper Terry Francona, who managed the Red Sox for eight years.

New York stands with Boston
This Yankees, BoSox image of support has been making its way around on social media. (credit: Facebook)

Were you at the stadium Tuesday? Tell us about it in the comments...

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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