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!
I have to admit, the whole concept of Facebook is still a bit strange to me. And I'm pretty sure it has obliterated the credibility of the word "friend" as we used to know it. But, before I spiral into a "When I was a kid, friends were people you'd fight for, and who would fight for you. You actually hung out with your friends, and even occasionally spoke to them! We didn't have cell phones, we didn't have email, we didn't have faces, and we didn't have books...and I used to walk 30 miles to school in the snow with no shoes on" tirade, I will say that I have come to learn that Facebook is a fantastic tool for reconnecting with people you may have lost touch with, and an easy (and somewhat addictive) way to stay up-to-date on the lives of your friends, family, acquaintances, and "friends."
Nowadays, everyone (and I mean everyone) is on Facebook. Therefore, it is an ideal method of disseminating information to a broad spectrum of people, whether that information is that "Jim can't wait to get home and see his cats" or "Brooklyn Cyclones Season Tickets are on sale now." (hint, hint)
Which brings me (finally) to my point.
The Cyclones have set up an official Facebook page (don't be fooled by impostors...it's this one), on which you can become a "fan" (not a "friend"...much more appropriate) and get lots of great inside information and access to discounts & deals. Ideally, this will become a flourishing online community, in which fans can share thoughts, ask questions, get answers, interact with front office staff and team members...and probably talk a whole lot of smack.
We're in the early stages, but we already have over 900 fans. (Which, incidentally, is about 100 less than our twonewbies in the office each have "friends." Really? 1,000 friends? Each? Really? Come on. I don't think I've even met 1,000 people in my whole life.)
There will be much more info and activity in the weeks and months to come, so join us on Facebook now to get in on the action.
Once we're rolling, you'll get updates, invites, and insight delivered right to your inbox, or to your favorite social network. Or, at the very least, you'll get status updates on your favorite front office members, and I'll try to make them as embarrassing as possible:
Gary is...rapidly getting wider and shorter.
Kevin is...angry. Again.
Steve is...trying to remember his password.
Joyce is...eating her third meal of the day. At 8:30am.
Pat is...hoping Brad Holt gets hurt so he rehabs in Brooklyn.
I, for one, never thought we'd get to this point (mostly because I assumed I'd be fired or shut down way before this), but we have arrived at the 100th post on the Brooklyn Baseball Blog!
This momentous occasion has been made possible by the outrageous antics of my colleagues, Steve's willingness to slacken the rope a bit, and our loyal readers' unwavering, passionate, and ravenous support (and by "unwavering, passionate, and ravenous," I mean "barely-recognizable"...thank you, Mrs. Psomas...I know you're out there).
The Blog was created to give you an inside look at the inner workings (and inner insanity) of the front office members who bring you Brooklyn baseball each summer, and I think we've done that, and more. If anything, you've probably learned way more about us than you'd ever want to know.
In 2009, the goal is to keep it going strong, and get you even deeper behind the scenes. You'll be on the road with some of our players, under the beaks of the borough's best mascots, and much, much more.
If you're new to the Blog (this means you, "newsloper"), and want to catch up, here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order) to give you a sense of the first 99, and an idea of the type of entertainment that's in store for '09:
Wow. I had a feeling that our Baracklyn promotion would be a big hit, but this has gone above and beyond even my abnormally-high expectations.
After receiving national exposure for what was hailed by several as "the promotion of the year," tickets went on sale this morning, and were gobbled up at breakneck speed. We've sold about 1,500 tickets in under three hours, and June 23rd is on pace to be one of the most popular games in franchise history!
I just listened to the Inauguration speech, and while I was a bit disappointed that the president didn't mention the Baracklyn Cyclones (how cool would that have been?) it was stirring, nonetheless.
June 23rd should be a fun night (even for non-Obama fans), and we're looking forward to the summer. Only a few more months to go!
-- Dave UPDATE: We sold out of all the individual tickets we made available in less than 12 hours! You can still get to the June 23rd game if you buy Group Tickets, Season Tickets or a Mini Plan. Get more information here.
On Wednesday, we held our annual brainstorming meeting at Union Hall in Park Slope, and the ideas were flowing. I don't want to ruin too many surprises, but you might see a Facebook Night, a Princess Night, and a few other exciting surprises.
We talked a lot about what worked, what didn't work, and what we can do better in 2009. As always, our goal is to make the Cyclones experience fun for everyday fans and first-timers alike -- from the moment you enter the parking lot to the moment you get back in your car and head home.
We talked about giveaways, in-game entertainment, music, videos, costumes, prizes, food, heroes, villains, drama, comedy, and more. It was a productive give-and-take that hopefully sparked and spawned the seeds of a few ideas that will become highlights of the upcoming summer. I think everyone's going to be pretty happy with what we have in store for you this season.
I would like to point out that after the meeting we hit the Hall's bocce courts, and Steve and I (The Seasoned Chickens..."We're Clucking Good") successfully defended our title as Bocce Champions of the World, taking on -- and beating -- all comers. The Chickens beat Sales Force (Gary and Rickey) twice. We beat Girl Power (Rebecca and Liz) twice, and the T.O. Terrors (John and Pat) twice. We beat the Density Divas (Joyce and Brandy) once, but then -- after almost a dozen straight wins -- lost in an upset to them. However, we regrouped for the rematch and smashed them by a score of 7-0! After each win, our victims were subjected to my Chicken Dance of Death, which is sort of a cross between Jamal Anderson's Dirty Bird and Gob's Chicken Dance (seriously...funniest show ever). The Seasoned Chickens were clucking all night long and, like MJ, left the court on top (and also like MJ, will now move on to a less successful career in minor league baseball).
The 2009 season is just a few months away, and the wheels are in motion to make it our best yet.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the ballpark!
I'm so excited! This idea has been in the works for a while now, and I've been bursting at the seams waiting to tell people.
Until now, though, we've kept it as Top Secret as possible (except for Steve running it past everyone he knows, from Mets execs to the guy at the deli counter...in the immortal words of Charlie Samuels, "remind me never to rob a bank with this guy").
Anyway, the cat is finally all the way out of the bag, as we announce today that the Brooklyn Cyclones will become the BARACKLYN CYCLONES on June 23rd, with special Economic Stimulus Package discounted tickets going on sale Tuesday January 20th -- Inauguration Day!
With Barack Obama set to usher in a new chapter in American history, I really think this is one of the timeliest, best, and most creative promotions we've ever done, from the name to the bobblehead to the jerseys, to the entertainment...everything about this night is going to be great!If you love Brooklyn, baseball, Barack, bobbleheads, or all of the above, I can't think of one good reason NOT to be at this game.
To find out more about the night, the creation of the promotion, or how to get tickets to the June 23rd game, check out our new satellite site, baracklyncyclones.com!
It's not often that a much-anticipated showdown lives up to the hype. From time to time, though, a great matchup comes along that not only meets expectations, but exceeds them. Think Ali vs. Frazier, Lakers vs. Celtics (in the 80s), Balboa vs. Drago, and now...Viola vs. Soliman!
Ricky (Vroom Vroom) Viola and Sharif (The Accounting Assassin) Soliman have been talking smack to each other for years. Recently, Ricky found and claimed a trophy as the Office Racing Champion (he was, in fact, 2-0 at that point in his illustrious career, much to the chagrin of Rebecca and Liz). And when Sharif contested his claim, the challenge was on. Like most smack talk, this one figured to never result in real action, but thanks to a pizza luncheon today, both parties were sufficiently egged on and the dream became a reality.
The entire office filed outside as if we were watching a 3pm schoolyard fight. Predictions were made, wagers were placed, rules were explained, and the combatants readied themselves for battle. Each racer knew that the result of this one-time-only extravaganza would live in infamy (if Gary were racing, it would be an extravaDanza). Glory for the winner, and shame for the loser. Sharif, at 42 years young and a lean, mean 210 pounds was confident, thanks to his rigorous, Navy-SEAL-like daily workout regimen. Ricky, whose birth certificate claims that he is 32, but, according to Oprah's Real Age challenge is actually 74, has been promising himself to get into shape for six years now, weighs in just on the shy side of pushing three hundy, and was having second thoughts as the racetrack drew nearer and nearer. Finally, with everything on the line, and with both racers wearing way-too-tight attire in way-too-cold conditions, the gun sounded.
Ricky got off the blocks the fastest, but Sharif looked like he was gaining ground at the five-yard marker. Ricky felt him on his heels and went to an extra gear. As he pulled away for good, he looked back over his shoulder and started a high step a la Prime Time and a Usain Bolt early celebration just in time to see the carnage that was about to take place behind him.
Have you heard that sometimes high-speed activities go into slow motion at the moment of their greatest intensity? Just before a big NASCAR crash (according to Mahoney), or when two thoroughbreds are nose to nose at the finish line (according to Neil the Deal), time seems to slow down as you watch it all unfold. Well, the same thing happens even when the activity started out as a slow-mover (such as Ricky and Sharif running). Sharif began an epic stumble that will live in infamy, lasting approximately 17 seconds and 34 feet, before he finally hit the deck in a heap, as the rubber pellets from the synthetic turf cascaded into the air in super slo-mo and onlookers ducked for cover from what they believed to be sniper fire. It wasn't as bad as this, or this, or this, but it also didn't happen as quickly, either.
Needless to say, Sharif never crossed the finish line, while Ricky waltzed to another win, running his record to 3-0 and etching his name alongside the likes of Bolt, Michael Johnson, Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Jerry Lewis.
In an incredibly fortunate stroke of luck, the race took place on the one day a year that B-Mac is in the house, so we actually have exclusive video! Enjoy.
When we started the Blog as a vehicle to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the creation of the Cyclones experience, I joked with Rebecca that it would be pretty much an inside joke among my colleagues that would keep us entertained. I certainly hoped that other people would read it and find it interesting/funny/entertaining, but I wasn't counting on it.
As time went on, that "inside joke" status became a badge of honor (and my excuse any time Steve freaked out about the content..."Don't worry, Steve, no one else is reading it").
Well, now I know that at least one other person is reading it (besides Lisa Gav and my mom).
Many thanks to Ben Hill (not that one...this one) of Ben's Biz Blog for recognizing the Cyclones blog as one of his favorite minor league blogs of 2008.
Don't worry, though, Steve. There's still no one reading it.
Or are they? Mwah hah hah hah hah! (Insert "Guffaw Man" reference here)
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
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