By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
RANDALL'S ISLAND — John McEnroe remembered playing sports on Randall's Island when there was more glass than grass on the fields.
"I, along with a lot of people, got cut playing here in the 1970s," the native New Yorker joked during the opening ceremony of the new Randall's Island Sports Fields on Wednesday.
"I'm glad to see that will no longer happen," he said.
The hardscrabble fields of McEnroe's youth have been transformed into a $130 million, state-of-the-art sports complex featuring 60 athletic fields for sports ranging from soccer to cricket.
The tennis legend threw out one of the first pitches at opening ceremonies for the Randall's Island Sports Fields, which also include a new tennis facility where McEnroe will open an academy.
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera met with some of the young baseball players at the ceremony and threw a pitch to a catcher from South Bronx High School.
Construction on the new fields took three years, and they will provide the city's athletes with beautiful playing fields comparable to those in the suburbs, said Amy Boden, executive director of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation.
"There are very few places in New York City like this in terms of size," Boden said. "We're giving kids the opportunity to play on a professional quality playing field."
The Yorkville Youth Athletic Organization has already started playing on the new fields, said Arlene Virga, director of the organization.
Lisa Glickman's 13-year-old son, Alex, grew up playing softball for Yorkville and now plays baseball on a traveling club team.
"We live on the Upper East Side and we're here in 10, 15 minutes," Lisa Glickman said. "It's amazing that it's in our backyard."
The baseball players of Manhattan Center High School in East Harlem are on the playoff bubble this season and have applied to have Randall's Island be their home field.
"The fresh air outside," said Joshua Luna, a junior second baseman with the team. "It's a different scene than just seeing buildings like usual."
