On April 3, 2009 the NY Mets opened their new stadium in an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. I was there in Section 15 with my son Anthony to take in the Citi Field first. I paid $50 for per seat figuring that might be one of the few times I get to see a game from there. It was a rainy day and I remember my son was hungry and all he wanted a pretzel. In our search for a pretzel we walked all around the stadium and somehow wound up back into the Jackie Robinson Rotunda where we entered that day. There I was greeted by Lolita Lopez (@lolitanbcla) then a member of the WPIX11 who asked if I would mind being interviewed. With some hesitation in my voice I said sure. Enjoy!

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda
The front entrance of Citi Field features a rotunda named after Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson and honors his life and accomplishments. Engraved into the rotunda’s 160-foot-diameter (49 m) floor and etched into the archways are words and larger-than-life images that defined Robinson’s nine values: Courage, Excellence, Persistence, Justice, Teamwork, Commitment, Citizenship, Determination and Integrity.

Robinson’s famous quote: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” is engraved into the upper ring of the rotunda. There is also an 8-foot (2.4 m) sculpture of Robinson’s number 42. The formal dedication of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was held as part of Major League Baseball’s official celebration of Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2009.