The Cyclones are the hottest minor league baseball team in the country. Located on Coney Island, the Cyclones provide the very best in fun, affordable, family entertainment. The Brooklyn Baseball Blog documents the experiences of the staff members, players, coaches, and fans...giving you a unique behind-the scenes look at your favorite team!
This morning's Tuesday Morning Meeting (TMM) was preceded by an elegant breakfast, courtesy of Master Chef (and General Manager) Steve Cohen. Steve's been promising (threatening?) to unveil the office skillet at a TMM for a few months now, and this morning, to everyone's surprise, we all entered the conference room to the sweet smell of bacon!
What better way to stir up some brainstorming than with some brain food? Ham, eggs, cheese and bacon wrapped as a surprisingly delectable omelet was a great way to start the day. Seeing Steve do his best Gordon Ramsey impersonation was even better ("There will be no naysayers in my kitchen!" "Order up!" "You'll eat what I give you!").
After filling up, we hashed out some more ideas for the summer that are sure to make this Cyclones season the best yet. In addition to the omelets, Superhero Night, Pirate Night (aargh!), and Opening Day were on the menu at the TMM, and let's just say the fun ideas were flying faster than a speeding bullet (and some may even prove to be more powerful than a locomotive)!
Stay tuned to the Promotional Schedule for updates and specifics, with additions being made nearly every day! Remember, tickets go on sale this Sunday, the 4th at 9am, so pick the games with the promotions you like best and get them while you can!
And if you have any good breakfast recipes, send them to chefsteveinthekitchen@brooklyncycl...on second thought, my stomach's not feeling so hot right now. Maybe we should just order in next week!
It only took seven years, but we're finally decorating the insides of the office! Those of you who have been inside the inner sanctum of KeySpan Park probably noticed the yellow/white walls which have been compared (some would say quite fittingly) to those of an asylum.
Well, with a little help from our friend Nino Russo, we're sprucing up the joint a bit. A new shipment of pictures -- featuring all-stars, managers, mascots, team photos, and Brooklyn legends -- is being hung as we speak (OK, not as we speak, but I'll get back to drilling the holes when I'm done typing).
So next time you stop by, take a look around. There'll be some new ambiance in the hallways...as long as they're all still hanging by then!
Ricky Viola is many things. A stellar Account Executive. A movie buff who handles the camera with Scorsese-esque flair. An accomplished stand-up comic. He's a Brooklyn connoisseur...and more than just a little bit creepy and inappropriate at times. One thing he has never been confused with, however, is a world-class athlete. (True story -- while catching in a baseball game against senior citizens last fall, the umpire told him "do us both a favor, son, and don't come back out here next inning. You're just gonna get hurt.")
So, when some of our staff was discussing 24 hours of baseball this afternoon, Ricky got a little upset when he was told he couldn't pitch. It quickly became a heated debate that involved defending and destroying reputations (mostly Ricky's).
And that's how we wound up on KeySpan Park's back field for a footrace that was dubbed "The Battle of the Sexes."
You see, Ricky got even more upset when Liz and Rebecca starting taking shots at him, and went into his "well, I'm a man, so I'm better than you" shtick. Well, we decided to put his mouth to the test, and Rebecca stepped up to the plate (despite having no shoes on).
A long-distance runner by nature who was a bit out of her element, she agreed to run a different race than she signed up for (and we still all had our money on her, anyway. I mean, she was racing against Ricky.
So who won? Check out the video below. Let's just say I don't think this is the last of this rivalry. With desks right next to each other, and cubicle walls not nearly high enough to separate them, it could be a long year.
Bobbleheads have become the most recognizable and popular promotional item in the minors. Everybody has 'em. Everybody loves 'em. (Some more than others.)
This year, our bobblehead nights include WFAN's Boomer and Carton (which has caused quite a stir), Dodgers legend Carl Erskine, Maverick the Wonder Dog, Sandy, and Pee Wee.
While you're waiting for the '08 bobbles, though, you can always have a little fun with the ones you already have:
The Cyclones' website has become one of the most popular in all of minor league baseball, and we're always looking into new additions and functions to keep the site interesting, fun, and effective.
Our recent re-design has gotten rave reviews, streamlined the site, and helped us add new features (like the captivating blog you are currently reading).
In the coming weeks, you'll see even more additions -- a new splash page that will highlight the best of what we have going on, a new video component that will put us at the forefront of online multimedia, and much more.
Hey boys and girls! Only about two more months till the Cyclones start playing games again! I can't wait! This off-season has been great as Sandy and I flew down to Florida to get some new and different experiences. We played on the beach and ate garbage and...well, I guess we did exactly what we do in Coney Island. But at least it was warmer down there.
I did fly up to New York recently (and boy, are my arms tired) to go to a young girl's birthday party! It was so much fun. We danced the cha-cha slide and the chicken dance (I still think it should be called the seagull dance). We ate cake and pizza and I even got the food before it went in the garbage! It was real nice of them to feed me. We played in the ball pit...there were red ones, green ones, blue, orange and yellow. Lots of fun. I was sad, though, because I didn't fit in the slide. My beak was too big. I think I also have put on some weight this off-season and Sandy tells me I need to lose it in time for beach season. Maybe I should fly with the Mets as they travel around the country. I could fly next to their plane and make sure everyone is safe. I do have almost five years of flying experience, you know.
Speaking of which, I'm turning five years old this summer, so I'll be celebrating a birthday of my own! I'm wishing that I get a new baseball glove. And maybe sign a one-day contract with the Cyclones to play SP (Seagull Pitcher)!
In the meantime, if you or someone you know is having a birthday, and you'd like me to help you celebrate, you can contact my friend Elizabeth! She is a really nice lady who lets me know where I should fly to next.
Well, I best be going now. Sandy is calling me to go take some BBBP (Brooklyn Bird Batting Practice). We have to get ready for Opening Day!
There are a lot of things you experience when you work in minor league baseball. Some things you anticipate, like having to help pull tarp during questionable weather. One thing they did not tell me about in my job interview or when I was hired was that I would be sleeping over in the stadium on Girl Scouts Night during the 2007 season.
For those who have never tried it, there are few things more surreal than seeing an empty ballpark glow under the moon and stadium lights. On the field, instead of young players, are young girls, running around playing tag, doing cartwheels, or sitting with eyes glued to the movie (“Cars”) playing on the scoreboard. Their parents sit on blankets by their tents, chatting comfortably and preparing themselves for the night ahead. Meanwhile, I stay close to the media room for speaker volume control purposes, and settle myself with Elizabeth Lombardi (Community Relations Manager) on a suite balcony, eating peanuts and cracker jack while observing the fray of little girls below. I’d never had this kind of opportunity back when I was a Brownie, so I find myself living vicariously through the kids having fun below.
Leaving the party under the watchful eye of our security guards, Liz and I turn in for the night...to the couches in the players’ locker room. This is an area where women are usually not allowed during the season. After a night spent there, I’m grateful for this rule! Let’s just say that men in their early twenties are generally not as meticulous as women about keeping a place neat and smelling like flowers.
When dawn breaks, the parents (who have superhuman levels of energy) are already up, having brought coffee and bagels with them. Little girls emerge sleepily from their tents, having exhausted themselves running the length of the outfield multiple times during the night. Liz and I head home to shower and catch a quick nap, before another game starts in a few hours. I’m glad it was a fun and memorable night for the Girl Scouts, and for me.
Our Girl Scouts Night will take place this year on Friday, June 27th, 2008...so to all the Girl Scouts out there: come for the fireworks, stay for the sleepover! You can call me (718-37-BKLYN) or email me to set up your scout night sleepover today!
Vacation plans have put the blog entries on hold a bit, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), but checking in from the West Coast, I was thrilled to see Carlos Muniz's name in a couple of recent Mets box scores.
One of the all-time "good guys" to ever wear a Cyclones uniform, Muniz was nothing short of dominant in his pro debut for Brooklyn in 2003 before a thumb injury sidelined him. He got a brief call-up to Shea last year, and is back in the Mets bullpen mix for now. Congrats to Carlos, who becomes the third former Cyclone on the Mets current active roster (joining Angel Pagan and Joe Smith)
And though he's not with the Mets anymore, it was nice to see another Brooklyn alum -- Brian Bannister -- shut down two of the majors' most high-powered offenses, the Tigers and the Yankees...especially the Yankees.
Keep track of the former Cyclones around the majors, and remember that when you come to a Cyclones game, you're watching baseball's future stars!
You may remember that our last attempt to videotape Maverick trying to fetch didn't go so well.
Since then, the Wonder Dog has rededicated himself, spending countless hours in the gym, working to redeem his once-proud lineage, and regain his rightful place atop the throne of canine mascots (this is where Maverick: The Movie would feature a training montage, with Mav pulling large, heavy objects through the Siberian snow, or doggie-paddling across a river's roaring rapids -- preferably with the musical accompaniment of Gonna Fly Now or something by Survivor).
He's run after thrown objects, retrieved them, and brought them back to their point of origin...and sometimes he even does all those things in that order!
So, without further ado, under the crushing pressure of the camera, and the dozens -- if not millions -- watching around the world, we bring you...Maverick the Wonder Dog learns to fetch! (Part II):
OK, so that didn't quite live up to the hype. But we're getting closer!
Let's try it again:
Success! Only about two months before Opening Day...let's see what the ol' Wonder Dog will do next!
The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Class-A affiliate of the New York Mets. The team plays a 76-game schedule from June through September, with home games played at Coney Island's MCU Park. Tickets are available at brooklyncyclones.com or by phone at 718-507-TIXX. For Ticket Plans or group outings, fans can call 718-37-BKLYN
This morning's Tuesday Morning Meeting (TMM) was preceded by an elegant breakfast, courtesy of Master Chef (and General Manager) Steve Cohen. Steve's been promising (threatening?) to unveil the office skillet at a TMM for a few months now, and this morning, to everyone's surprise, we all entered the conference room to the sweet smell of bacon!
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