New Baseball Field Opens At Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies have officially opened a big-league quality ballfield for players in its Urban Youth Academy.
The impeccably manicured field at FDR Park will be one of the fields for the 8,000 players in the Phillies' Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, or RBI programs. The first pitch ceremony included Mahlon Duckett, the last surviving Philadelphia Star of the Negro Leagues and Phils legend Dick Allen.
"I would like to see more players and athletes, not only in baseball, in all of our sports here in this city get on board and get on this train right here. It's a positive."
Ryan O'Neill of Northeast Philadelphia just graduated Father Judge High School. He plays first base and pitches in the RBI league.
"It's awesome. You get a good opportunity here to play, and you can't beat playing on a field like this."
The $5 million complex was built with money from the city, the Phillies and Major League Baseball.
