Bellies & Baseball Recap

Last night, we celebrated another of our most anticipated promotions: Bellies & Baseball! Our salute to pregnancy was a big hit, with moms-to-be participating in lots of fun activities.

First, there was the Lamaze on the Lawn class in left field, with expectant couples contorting in all kinds of interesting (fun?) positions.

The ladies then took off their shoes (only if they wanted to...you don't tell a pregnant woman what to do. You ask her. Very nicely.) for a Barefoot & Pregnant walk around the bases.

Then it was time for the Pregnancy Pitch, with the future moms taking the mound for a "delivery" of a different kind.

After that, the Craving Station was the place to be, as Ian the Driver did his best to maintain order at a table stocked with anchovy pizza, pickles, and ice cream.

And finally, a large-and-in-charge rendition of Take Me Out to The Ballgame on the field. Or, as we like to call it...7th Inning Stretch Marks!

Check out the video, below:

(Un?)Fortunately, no one actually gave birth at the ballpark, but a few parents-to-be said they were considering naming their child "Cy" or "Brooklyn" for free Season Tickets for life!

It was a great night all around, and I think (and hope) the future moms had a good time. They were all really good sports (and, of course, looked glowingly beautiful).

Special thanks goes out to Palmer's Cocoa Butter, who donated prize packages for the expectant parents and helped us pull off one of the best promotions of the year!

Who knows? Maybe a few of the new families will be back for Baby's First Ballgame this year or next!

Good luck to all the expectant parents. We wish you nothing but the best! (And as a dad, myself, I personally wish you lots and lots of pre-baby sleep! You're gonna need it!)

-- Dave

UPDATE: Look for more on Bellies & Baseball tonight on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Maybe.

Wes' Week That Was

23-year old Wes Wrenn was selected by the Mets in the 35th round of the 2009 draft, out of The Citadel, in South Carolina. He makes his home in Greensboro, NC. Wes is taking his first professional steps towards his big-league dreams, and has agreed to check in on the Blog from time to time to get us behind the scenes in the life of a new minor league ballplayer.

Today we’ll try to win game three to secure the sweep over Auburn. We took game one after a crazy five-inning “fog out.” The fog rolled in off the ocean faster than anything I’ve ever seen...one minute we were watching baseball and the next we were just listening.

The umpire decided to call it when he could no longer see the pitcher, I thought that was the best call he made all night considering I had not seen a baseball for the last inning and a half. Every time Joey and I would hear contact we would duck behind the net.

Last night our bats came alive, as we hit four home runs to take game two. After today’s game we’ll pack our bags and head to Vermont and arrive just before the sun. If we make good time we might be able to catch a few hours of sleep before we leave for the field. That is part of the luxury of being a minor league player in Single A; long bus rides in the wee hours of the morning and peanut butter and jelly two or three times a day, depending on how hungry you are. I guess we could be working instead of playing, so we’ll continue to make those rides.

Fortunately, we do have the best fans in the New York Penn League by far. That makes it all worth it. Other teams play in front of 2,000-4,000 fans daily, and we have 6,000 on a "bad" night. Thank you for all the support, Brooklynites!

See you on Thursday when we take on the Staten Island Yankees.

-- Wes

The Puple Party Dude

Cyclones fans know that every game is a party at the ballpark. But the party gets even crazier when Reggy, the Purple Party Dude, is in the house.

He'll be here on July 29th, bringing his unique dance moves & antics, and helping the Cyclones by distracting the opposition (and the umps), as well as entertaining the fans!

Reggy has a special message for Cyclones fans (and a discount offer, too), so check out the video below:



You can enter the special code Reggy mentioned here. See you at the ballpark!

-- Dave

3rd Annual Car Show

Hello! My name is Adam Skolnick (also known in the blogosphere as ATI).

Fortunately, I was recently given the chance to be placed behind the wheel of the Brooklyn Cyclones' 3rd Annual Car Show. Not only is this a great opportunity for me to show my car knowledge (which isn’t much since I don’t own a car), but to keep up the tradition of mixing classic automobiles with the best fans in the world!

When I was given the task of putting on the car show, one of the first people I spoke with was a man named Lenny Schiller, who is the President of the Antique Auto Association of Brooklyn.

After speaking with him once or twice, two things were very clear:

1. This guy LOVES cars.
2. This guy LOVES the Cyclones.

I couldn't ask for anything more!

I immediately liked Lenny for his passion, and it turns out that I wasn’t the only one. Lenny called me and told me he made the New York Times (not too shabby, eh?), so I checked out his article and slide show here.

He is now the second-most famous local celebrity who I have spoken to. (Curious about who's #1?)

Now, I still might not own my own car, but after seeing Lenny’s 57 amazing antique automobiles, I am a little more knowledgeable, and feel totally ready to make car enthusiasts and Cyclones fans proud.

The show begins this Sunday at 2:30pm, with participating cars arriving at 2:00. If you are interested in showing off your car, please call me at (718) 449-8497 to register. The registration is $20 and includes one box seat ticket to either the July 19th or September 5th game. (I wish I could also promise this, but sorry, no guarantees.)

There are still some spots available (Lenny is not bringing all of his cars), but availability is limited. If you are interested in the beach, baseball, and classic cars come on down to KeySpan Park on July 19th for a car show that is sure to rival the Jacob Javits Center’s.

-- Adam (ATI)

Making Trouble

For some reason, I just let Joyce draw Chinese symbols on my arm.

Ostensibly, it's because it's Asian Heritage Night tonight. But I think she just wanted to mark me as a troublemaker. At least that's what she told me it says.

"Diao Pi." A troublemaker. An instigator. I don't know where I've gotten this reputation (Steve and Alexa have also similarly accused me in the last two days...but they did it in english). I can assure you it's undeserved.

Anyway, I'm not even sure I trust her that that's what it really says. That's why I didn't let her write it on my face, the way she wanted to.

The bottom line is that we're getting ready for Asian Heritage Night tonight, which will feature, among other things, a pre-game Kung Fu demonstration, klonton drums, and Joyce giving Asian nicknames to each member of the starting lineup (like John "The Samurai" Servidio).

It's going to be a fun night at the ballpark, as always, and hopefully you'll join us and get in on the action. You can even make some trouble, if you want. Just don't tell Joyce, unless you want to get branded.

-- Dave