Post by Admin on Dec 9, 2013 17:17:03 GMT -4
Mandela in NYC 1990.
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- The New York Yankees will honor the late Nelson Mandela with a plaque in Monument Park to commemorate his memorable visit to New York in 1990, a baseball official said.
After being released from a South African prison, Mandela donned a Yankee hat and jacket at a rally at the old stadium and declared, "You know who I am. I am a Yankee."
The team is expected to make an official announcement on Monday. Mandela died at 95 last week.
According to the official, Hector Figueroa, the president of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, telephoned Randy Levine, the president of the Yankees, on Friday with the idea of honoring Mandela. Levine discussed the concept with owner Hal Steinbrenner and Deborah Tymon, the team's senior vice president, among others. They all agreed it was a great idea.
The Yankees will unveil the plaque on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, when the Yankees face the Chicago Cubs.
The only other non-Yankees to be honored in Monument Park are Pope Paul VI , Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who all visited the stadium. The victims of Sept. 11 are also remembered in the park.
C
