In a Shocking Development...

More rain tonight.

What? I am flabbergasted. Rain? No way. I don't buy it.

Oh, wait...that's right...it rains every single day here in Seattle East Brooklyn.

From here on out, the only thing I am rooting for this season (and next) is the worst (best?) drought in New York's history. I want it to be so dry that the weeds growing in between the cracks of the sidewalk spontaneously burst into brush fires. I want livestock Iif there is any in Kings County) to be so thirsty they migrate south, in search of water for survival. I want deforestation and desertification on a biblical scale. I want the "Bull of Heaven" to unleash a wrath not seen since the epic of Gilgamesh. I want our next game delay to be because of a dust storm, instead of a thunderstorm.

You get the point.

If anyone knows a good shaman who can do a reverse rain dance, tell him to look me up. I'll try almost anything at this point to never touch the tarp again.

-- Dave

A Day in the Life (of a Beach Bum)

In the days and weeks to come, the Blog is going to get you even further behind-the-scenes with "Day in the Life" videos that give you a glimpse of what goes into creating the one-of-a-kind atmosphere at KeySpan Park.

From dancers to facepainters, kings to clowns, jugglers to pink apes -- every Cyclones game is filled with so much more than just great baseball (although we have that, too...and we'll get you behind the scenes with the players, as well).

Today's installment takes us into a day in the life with Avrey, the captain & choreographer of the Beach Bums.

Avrey's been dancing her whole life, but this year took on a new challenge as the leader of the Beach Bums. The Bums not only give the Cyclones a new energy with their dance moves, but are also team ambassadors. They're interacting with fans, staff, kids, community partners, and more. They can be found throwing t-shirts, signing autographs, taking pictures, handing out giveaway items, helping with on-field promotions...and learning the finer points of baseball (slowly, but surely...Mary even knows where left field is now!).

Check out the video below for a quick look at some of what goes into a Day in the Life, with Avrey and the Beach Bums:



-- Dave

Soap - Another Kind of Drama

Kevin Jimenez is the Cyclones' Graphics Manager...and resident germaphobe. Today, he checks in on the blog with a subject near and dear to his heart:

Soap. Something we (most of us, anyway) use every day. Warren Buffett has stock in. It keeps us healthy. Its one of the world’s greatest inventions.

If you can find it.

Soap in our office can be considered equity, not just a necessary part of our work lives. We pull tarp, hands get dirty, we wash our hands. We’ll have a pizza party or snacks in the break room -- let me wash up before I touch anything. A 150-case delivery of promotional items comes in, and cardboard can leave a weird smell on your hands...you see where I’m going.

If soap were crude – drill, baby, drill. We need it. And lots of it. My hypochondriacal feelings aside.

Herein lies the problem. Our soap in the office keeps disappearing. Don’t know who takes it or where it goes, but it is gone. Every couple of weeks...poof! It really is like a whodunit. If there is ever a remake of the Clue movie, let it be about thievery – not murder: “Col. Mustard in the conference room with the Chinese food takeout!” (Lesley Ann Warren is welcome to reprise her role.)

Being personally responsible for my own hygiene – I bring this with me whenever I need to get clean. Maybe its a bit metro, but at least I’m not trying to spread MRSA or H1N1. I'd rather be like The Kid.

Back to the soap theft. There’s no pattern to this dastardly deed. No ransom notes. No letters to the newspapers about when they will strike next. No physical evidence to collect after this crime has been committed. Soap hasn't caused this much drama since the 70's!

Unfortunately, the kind women in our office are also now experiencing our frustration. The soap in their restroom gets whisked away to the men’s room, occasionally, since we have none. Now, warm sugar-scented soap isn’t my idea of masculinity, but it sure beats the alternative...nothing.

I always thought something beats nothing. Until one day.

“Here...use this,” someone decided. “This should do something for you.” In the men’s room was something I never thought I would see as a soap-alternative. Not hand-sanitizer (although I have a personal keg of it in my office). Not a bar of soap. Not even a commercial grade canister of what's used throughout the rest of the stadium (you know, the pink stuff). This is what was there.

What will this do? Make my filthy hands feel smoother? Leave the bacteria multiplying under my fingernails feeling calm and relaxed? How is this a proper (or acceptable) substitute?

Someone with enough sense left a note on the bottle -- "NOT SOAP." This simple act of defiance prompted me to act. I wasn’t going to sit by and let my co-workers (the ones I like, anyway) suffer the indignation of this evil-doer. I chose to stand up and be like Andrew Shepherd - “We have serious problems to solve and we need serious people to solve them." I got serious.

The next day, the men’s room was the proud recipient of this. Let’s not look at the cost of cleanliness. Let’s not use the state of our economy for the choice I made to keep my business hours sanitary. Today, frugality is the new green (which is the new black). The soap is also green...and smells like watermelon. Feels clean. I’m clean. We’re all clean.

The other day, Kevin Mahoney marveled at how I ate my lunch in my bare hand! “You scrub like you’re getting ready for surgery and I’ve NEVER seen you eat like this!” Yes, I was feeling confident with our new castile companion. Call me fearless.

Our lavatory is complete again. Soap, water AND handtowels (another blog entry for another day). Joy in Mud(less)ville...for now. Yet, the question remains – will we be victimized again by this restroom rapscallion? This bathroom brute? This washroom wretch?

I should install a GPS device on the next dispenser or put an intern on 24-hour surveillance. Maybe this will bring me to the felon who "found" Joyce’s holiday chocolate, Liz’s Girl Scout cookies, my tapegun, Sharon’s 3-hole punch...the list goes on.

The Front Office Offender is still out there. All the 99-cent soap in the world may not deter them from ever having enough. We’ll wait and see.

Till then, please stay clean. -- KJ

Cyclones’ Tweet-up Thursday 7/23

This Twitter thing seems to be more than just a fad! Hey, you don’t have to convince me...anyone who follows us @BKCyclones knows that I’ve been drinking the ‘Kool-Aid’ for months now.

We’re hosting our first ever Cyclones’ Tweet-Up tomorrow night! Members of our staff, Beach Bums, RHP Wes Wrenn, and a few fuzzy friends will be tweeting along with everyone during the game. Did I forget to mention we’ll be playing the SI Yankees that night in front of a packed house? And that Kevin Burkhardt will be here calling the game on SNY?

Many of these guys are first-time tweeters. Don’t underestimate them though. Some of them are the funniest people I know (I’m contractually obligated to say that Steve is in fact the funniest person I know). Follow along, and when you participate in the Cyclones’ Tweet-up this Thursday @reply with the hashtag #CyclonesTweetUp and maybe you’ll get re-tweeted on our Jumbo-tron!

So if you want to follow along with the Cyclones’ Tweet-up Thursday follow these twitter-feeds:

@SteveCohen_GM –General Manager Steve Cohen
@Ticket_Boy – Adam Skolnick (Our Ticket Office insider)
@PinkApe_inBKLYN – The Pink Ape
@SandytheSeagull – Sandy the Seagull
@BKLYNsFavSon – Ricky Viola (Account Executive & home dugout camera operator)
@RHP_WesWrenn - Relief pitcher Wes Wrenn
@The_Beach_Bums – The Beach Bums

And of course, every home game I’ll be tweeting from @BKCyclones. Tweeting scores, my thoughts and re-tweeting your comments, @replies, and pictures.

See you in the Twitterverse!

-- Andrew

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

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.

This was somewhat of a disappointing week for the Cyclones, as we lost five out of six games, after winning 17 out of 19.

Fortunately it is now in the past and we can look for better things to come. The Citadel taught me to “learn from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future.” I believe that is the best way to be successful at anything in life. You can’t dwell on the past whether it is good or bad, merely because if your mind is consumed with something other than the present, you won’t be able to give your best to what’s at hand. Sometimes, though, that's easier said than done -- especially in a baseball-crazy city like Brooklyn, New York.

So while I was trying to forget about our loss(es) and enjoy a sushi dinner with a few other Cyclones on our off day, I couldn’t help but overhear one particularly critical fan (since he was in a restaurant, shouting to the person on the other end of his cell phone...who was apparently deaf) sharing his thoughts about New York baseball. “The Mets, Yankees, and the Cyclones all suck; there are no good teams around.” While I can’t speak for the Mets or Yankees, I do believe we are in first place by about five games. So I politely leaned over and said to the man, “Sir, calm down. We can’t win them all.” He turned around and stared at me as if he was trying to figure out who I played for. (Good luck, buddy. I just got drafted four weeks ago, so I'm pretty sure you won't recognize me.) Fortunately, we didn’t hear another word out of him, and were able to enjoy the rest of our meal.

On the other hand, I would like to give a shout out to the fans that were cheering for me last week and said you appreciated my blog. I wanted to tip my hat to you from the mound but I’m supposed to be “in the zone” and the coaches wouldn’t appreciate me acknowledging a fan during the game. So I'll tip my cap here on the blog. Thank you for your support, and thanks for reading. Brooklyn fans really are the best fans around.

That pretty much sums up the excitement for the week, since our performance on the field was slightly less than stellar. But, like I mentioned before, we learned from our past, we’re living in the present, and as far as the future goes...we plan on starting another winning streak today! Go Cyclones!

-- Wes

Asian Heritage Night

Like many Asian Americans, I take a lot of liberties in making fun of my own culture and upbringing, usually to appalled reactions from my co-workers.

When I was first put in charge of Asian Heritage Night, I thought briefly of turning the game entertainment into a reenactment of a stereotypical (read: my) Asian upbringing: offering as special prizes free piano and violin lessons to a few (un)lucky fans, giving spontaneous math quizzes between innings, handing out college brochures from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, and Cornell to the first 1,500 kids to enter the ballpark, and allowing anyone who scored over a 1500 on the SAT’s (or these days, over 2300) to attend for free.

Then I was gently reminded by our front office that our games were supposed to be fun.

To that end, we have enlisted the help of one Yan Zhang Shaolin Kung Fu School, sponsored by the Flushing Development Center. They’ve performed for the Mets’ Asian Heritage Night, too, so you know they have to be of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon caliber (though our liability insurance prohibits them from flying through trees).

Chef One will also be at the ballpark with dumpling samplings, so bring your chopstick skills!

Our Beach Bums will be running through the crowd passing out klonton drums, and I will personally be re-naming members of our front office and player roster with special Asian names (e.g. Dave “Mischievous Troublemaker” Campanaro and Sharon “Shadow Ninja” Lundy).

Finally, the National Anthem singer will be performed by Faith Chyou, an Asian American professional singer based in New York. She’s also a Harvard grad, so you know her upbringing is legitimate.

Whether you’re Asian or not, this is going to be a fun night for all, so come out to the ballpark (and maybe I’ll assign you a special name)!

-- Joyce

House of Pain

That's how Joyce is referring to KeySpan Park these days, because...(wait for it)..."anyone who steps up is gettin' wrecked."

Seriously.

She actually used those words.

Who knew The Martian had any knowledge of early 90's pop culture?

She does have a point, though. The Cyclones are 9-0 at home this year, and seem to feed off of the energy that the Brooklyn faithful provide. Every single player and coaching staff member has marveled at the passion our fans have, and considers the crowd a "10th man" on the field (11th, actually, if you factor in the DH...but that doesn't sound as good).

Our team is 16-2, so far -- off to the best start in franchise history, and the best start in all of professional baseball this year! So keep up the good work,fans! Keep coming to the ballpark. Keep getting loud. Keep showing the rest of the league what Brooklyn's all about. Keep cheering on your team, and keep on helping us win.

Most importantly, keep making sure Joyce has to quote Everlast at least once a day. There's nothing funnier than Irish pseudo-gangster hip-hop lyrics being rapped by an Ivy-League Asian woman.

-- Dave

UPDATE: Joyce the Jinx has struck. We are 2-7 since this blog post. Either that or the fact that Ms. Pac Man has been removed from the player's lounge. It has to be one of those two things.

Juggernaut

Wow. 15 wins in 17 games to start the season? I haven't seen anything like this in a while.

We've had some great stretches before, but this has been pretty dominant. I'd have to go back to the 2001 team to find a squad on a roll like this one. That team went 20-10 in its first 30 games, en route to a franchise-best 52-24 regular-season record. It's obviously still very early, but it looks like the '09 team might have a chance to challenge that.

Every game is an exciting one, and we're home all this week, with games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, so get down to Coney Island and check the red-hot Cyclones!

We're undefeated at home, though, so if you come for the first time and we lose, be prepared for the "jinx" jokes.

-- Dave

So you want to work in baseball?

I’m Andrew and I assist Dave, our Dir. of Communications, here at the Brooklyn Cyclones, I’ve been here since January. Some of you may know me if you follow us on Twitter (BKCyclones) or email our info-box. I can assure you, any crazy antics I’ve been witness to over the last few months pale in comparison to what I witnessed during the first week of the season.

10 Things I Learned in my first week of Cyclones Games

10) The best poncho in the world won’t keep me dry (or clean) when I’m pulling tarp during the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th rain delay.

9) Teamwork is just as important for the players on the field as it is for the staff off the field. Be it tarp pulling, handing out giveaway items, escorting mascots or impersonators, etc, this is truly a group effort.

8) I looked darn good 40ft tall on the jumbo-tron doing my in-game tweeting.

7) Please…step into my office.

6) I picked up after a dog left a present on our steps last week. Then someone informed me that no dogs were admitted to the ballpark that day.

5) All umpires require a cotton-candy machine and Ms. Pacman in the umpire room. They also demand four uninterrupted hours of meditation prior to games and a bowl of blue M&M’s. I think it’s in their collective bargaining agreement. Seriously, they eat more sugar than Lamar Odom!

4) People LOVE free stuff

3) I desperately need a pair of boat shoes. If I wipe out again sprinting down three flights of stairs from the press-box to the field, I’m not only going to break my neck, but I’m taking everyone else on the stairs down with me!

2) The slightest whisper of “extra-innings” before it actually happens is grounds to get someone killed in the press box. Dave actually started the season with three interns, but we won’t miss Larry that much, he is a Braves fan, after all. Or, at least, he was.

1) Steve’s favorite song is Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.

This first couple of weeks has been awesome!

Reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter, keep reading the blog and follow along. We are on the Twitter the whole game so feel free to say “hello”!

-- Andrew

Barber Shop

Bald is...beautiful?

Well, as you can see, Kevin lost the bet.

Steve took Vic to a full count, but wary of issuing a walk (for the third time), he grooved a fat pitch that Vic lined into the outfield, taking all of Kevin's hair with it.

Who does Kevin look like now? Some early entries are Bull from Night Court, Uncle Fester, and Q-Tip (not this one. This one).

The overwhelming sentiment, though, is that Kevin is lucky, because his head "has a nice shape."

Otherwise it would have been really ugly.

-- Dave

UPDATE: After a few worthy submissions, The winner is Adam The Intern, for the best bald Mahoney lookalike. The Rattlesnake even has the same personality and interests! Good work, ATI.

Somebody's losing their locks!

If Steve can strike out Vic, Vic will have to shave his (in)famous coif. And maybe leave the sideburns. If Vic puts a ball in play, Kevin's the one going bald! For better or worse, Kevin's hair is in Steve's hands! (Not literally. Steve's not rubbing Kevin's head or anything...yet.)

Watch the matchup at 6:30 tonight, right before our 7pm game against Tri-City. Be there or be square!

Follicle Follies

Steve Cohen, Kevin Mahoney, and Vic Christopher are all involved in a wager tomorrow night that will leave one deflated, one victorious, and one bald. Kevin shares his thoughts below:

It's just hair, right? It will grow back. I think (or I should I say I hope). I believe in Steve. He will get Vic out. Vic is so athletically challenged it is funny. Steve will strike him out. I feel like Dorn talking to Vaughn right now. I beleive in Steve.

The pre-game stuff tomorrow promises to be fun and entertaining...everything minor league baseball is supposed to be about.

The joke around the office is that everyone knows Steve because he is the GM and everyone knows Gary because Mayor Perone makes it a point to walk around shaking hands and kissing babies. But no one really knows me (which I'm OK with). Well, come 7 pm tomorrow, everyone might know who I am because there is a good chance I will be the bald guy at home plate.

I really don’t believe in Steve.

-- Kevin