As I walked into Citi Field for the first time, the first thing that came to my mind was "history." I thought of my personal history and the histories of Jackie Robinson, the Mets, and the game itself.The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is the first gate fans see when they exit the 7 train on their way to Citi Field. The Ebbets Field inspired architecture is apparent, which leads fans' attention to a beautiful rotunda, the fantastic tribute to a great man. A friend recently said to me, "Its just luck that Jackie Robinson was the first black major leaguer, but he earned respect by being the man who endured being the first black major leaguer." This is so true. Robinson was one of many great Negro League ballplayers of the time, but he was the one man who crossed the barrier and faced the hatred and prejudice that resulted from his historic signing.
The Mets history is engrained in Citi Field because it is a new generation for the team. Citi Field is a beautiful new ballpark, which represents a higher class of baseball and the players can only benefit from its grandeur.Citi Field represents baseball history for two reasons. First, because of its homage to Jackie Robinson. Second, for its architectural tribute to a revered ballpark of the past. Ebbets Field was the historic home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and was where Robinson broke into the big leagues. The loss of Ebbets Field was the inspiration for Frank Sinatra's song, "There Used To Be a Ballpark."
Lastly, my history is there, because this is my baseball stadium. I was at Citi Field's opening series versus the San Diego Padres April 13th-16th. It will forever hold a special place in my memory for that reason. It also represents a change for the Mets. Many Mets fans hope it is a change of fortune as the last two seasons have ended in disaster for the franchise. Citi Field is now a part of my history and hopefully later this season, so will a New York Mets' World Series championship.
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