Is This Heaven? Nah. It's Brooklyn.

I debated using a catchier title, like "Catch the Fun," "Catch the Action," "Catching Up With Dad," or "Catching Father's Day Fever" but eventually thought better of it.

The bottom line, if you haven't caught on yet (sorry...once you get started it's hard to stop) is that this Father's Day (June 21st), we're inviting dads and their kids to have a catch on the field at KeySpan Park, right before our 5pm game against the rival Staten Island Yankees.

Having a catch with your dad is one of the pivotal moments of childhood for most normal, human, American kids (not you, Joyce...you don't meet any of those criteria). Ray Kinsella was so messed up about not having a catch with his dad that he bulldozed his crops, built a baseball field in his backyard, and started talking to ghosts. And then millions of grown men watched a movie about it and bawled their eyes out like little babies. (Not me. I'm way too tough for that.)

(sniffle, sniffle...OK, OK, I admit it...it gets me every time.)

So make sure you bring your husband, father, kids, step-father, father-in-law -- whoever -- to KeySpan Park on June 21st for a Father's Day catch. It's also Bucket Cap night, a Nathan's Four Pack Combo Night, and kids get to run the bases after the game. There's really no better or more fun way to spend the day (especially starting at just eight bucks a ticket).

And anyway, if you don't have a catch with the old man, you might wind up kidnapping Darth Vader and being forced to listen to his monologues, talking to dead people, or trying to build a ballfield on Avenue U with your bare hands or something.

It could happen. I'm just saying.

-- Dave

Evil Deliveries

Days like today, it's easy to figure out why you can't spell "delivery" without "devil" or "evil."

We just unloaded TWO trucks worth of boxes. 25 palettes. 300 boxes. 60,000 caps. On one of the hottest days of the year. Into a space with minimal, if any, ventilation. Good times.

We're also a bit limited in terms of storage space, so we had to figure out how to best stack the boxes, jenga-style, to make use of the vertical space without the boxes falling and crushing those of us below.

Somewhere along the way, Kevin thought it would be a good idea (or maybe just a funny one) to see if I could climb all the way to the top. Of course, like the fool that I am, I did. And now that I was up there, it was my job to stack those suckers as high as they would possibly go.

Now, I'm no science major, and maybe I'm not taking Maybach classes...but I do know that heat rises. And let me tell you something, it was as hot as...well, remember what I said before about the devil?

So there I am, climbing and crawling, with my back scraping against the top of a 30-foot ceiling, hitting my head on air ducts, and praying that those extra fries I had for lunch don't weigh enough to send me plummeting to my death, splattering on the concrete like Flat Rat.

As I got higher and higher, I started to enter a zen-like state, brought on by dehydration, asphyxiation, and asbestos inhalation. My ancestors came to me on the astral plane and told me that I had come full circle -- that in a previous life, I had been this guy. Maybe that's why it felt so natural. Or why I've always been fascinated by the pyramids.

Anyway, I snapped out of it, came back to earth, and we fit all the boxes in. But I pity the fool that has to UNload them. (JENGA!)

-- Dave

Behind the Beak

Jacob Osterhout -- a reporter from the Daily News -- was interested in our recent "Sandy Search," and decided to see what it would be like to get into character (and into costume) as Brooklyn's favorite bird.

He'll be here later on this afternoon for a "try-out" so we'll see how he fares. I can tell you from experience...it ain't as easy as it looks!

Check back later for more updates.

-- Dave

UPDATE: Jacob (as Sandy) surprised a group of kids from P.S. 86 in Bushwick, throwing them some t-shirts and challenging them to some races around the bases. Stay tuned to the Daily News for an upcoming story on the details of what it was like to go behind the beak...hopefully in the next week or so!

Tickets On Sale!

Single-game tickets are officially on sale, and we'll update the blog throughout the day with any fun facts.

9:00am: There's a pretty nice line at the ballpark this morning, with phone lines and online orders buzzing. The first person in line slept overnight...got here at 10pm last night. This is his fifth straight year being the first in line, I think. John Franco is also here (although he didn't sleep over) to meet with fans until about 11:00, so come to the ballpark to meet the Brooklyn legend!

9:32am: King Henry and his clown friends, Sandy, and the WFAN street team are here entertaining the crowd (and giving out free stuff). It's a beautiful day and the line just keeps growing!

10:58am: OK, we seem to have gotten through the first wave of in-person orders, with internet and phones still going strong. If you're in Coney, stop by.

Meeting Wrap-Up

Well, the NYPL Meetings have come to a close, and I’m in the airport on the way home. It was a good couple of days, filled with a variety of activities.

Our annual session with Joe and Tim from Eckerd College was, as usual, among the highlights of the trip. The session includes a series of exercises, surveys, and discussions centered on leadership and team-building. It’s extremely interesting to be evaluated, evaluate others, and share stories about how the different teams of the NYPL operate…the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hopefully we all learn from each other and learn a little bit about ourselves in the process. (This just in: Kevin Mahoney is a flaming introvert, Steve is not as caring or empathetic as he thinks he is, and I apparently do NOT bear a striking resemblance to Brad Pitt!)

At the general session the following day, members of the league give updates on their clubs, break into committees, and work together on various projects (marketing, scheduling, public relations, charitable foundation, etc.). This cooperative interaction is a relatively new concept among the league and has led to some very productive relationships and joint ventures. (It also sometimes leads to arguments that spawn creative and entertaining interleague wagers…but there’ll be more on that in the weeks to come.)

All in all, it was a productive trip that has the Cyclones' vision focused more sharply than ever (both philosophically and physically)!

Back in Brooklyn, our pre-sale for plan holders is going strong, and we're making the final preparations for Sunday, when we'll be putting tickets on sale to the general public, and welcoming John Franco to the ballpark!

It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so we hope to see you all there!

-- Dave