Tour of a lifetime

Some lucky Queens kids recently got the chance to be a big leaguer for a day.
Twenty-five kids from the after-school sports program with Sunnyside Community Services met New York Mets players and took a tour of Citi Field on Wednesday, January 19.
The tour included a trip to the Mets dugout and the clubhouse where they met the players and manager Terry Collins and got to pick out their own Met locker to use.
“I couldn’t wait for them to open the door,” said 12-year-old Danelly Viera. Viera, whose favorite player is Jose Reyes, said she could barely contain her excitement when he walked in.
In addition to getting to meet the players, the kids were able to get autographs and even played some video games with them.
Bobby Parnell and Dillon Gee joined some of the kids in a Mets vs. Yankees video game battle, while some of the other kids and catcher Josh Thole joined forces on Rock Band. Thole shared the microphone with 11-year-old Lorenzo Pate.
“It was awesome,” said Pate, who added he was the better singer of the two.
The kids weren’t there just for fun; they also learned about Mets history and legendary Brooklyn Dodger, Jackie Robinson.
They learned the values Robinson lived by in the stadium’s rotunda, which is named for the man who broke baseball’s color barrier.
“One of things I’ve always taken from Jackie Robinson’s life was what kind of teammate he was,” knuckleballer R.A. Dickey said to the kids. “It’s a special thing to be part of a team.”
This visit commenced the third year of Citi Field Kids, which is conducted in participation with the Mets, Citi, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and United Neighborhood Houses of New York.
Thole recalled how he felt when he was able to meet big leaguers when he was a kid. “As a kid when you meet a big league player, you’re star struck, you’re just in awe,” said Thole.
“I can almost see myself in their shoes right now,” said pitcher Dillon Gee. “We were all kids at one time and this is very exciting.”
The trip to the stadium was one the children were looking forward to for some time.
“I marked it on my calendar,” said Andres Ramos, 11.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” added Arda Yazici.
Physical education teacher Daniel Cruz said the kids were very eager on the train to meet the players. “They were thinking of questions they could ask the players,” he said. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience for the kids.”
In the clubhouse the kids got their chance to ask the Mets some questions.
They were able to find out what other sports the players liked. Pitcher Mike Pelfrey said basketball, while Thole said he was a fan of hockey. Shortstop Jose Reyes told the kids he started playing baseball when he was nine-years-old. And, when asked what his favorite team to play against was, Thole told the kids he loved playing the archrival Philadelphia Phillies.
While visiting Citi Field and meeting the Mets was very exciting for the kids, it wasn’t the only part of the day they were looking forward to.
“Today was great,” said Michael Sujitno, 11. “Plus, we got to miss school.”