BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- It was only the Brooklyn Cyclones playing against an
entity called the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. (For the record, the Scrappers
are a minor-league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and list their address
in Niles, Ohio). So why were there nearly 350 credentialed media -- not to mention
another 100 or so uncredentialed walkup scribes, reporters and photographers
-- assembled Monday night for an otherwise innocuous New York-Penn League
A-ball game?
Because it was the first bona fide professional game in this borough in
nearly 44 years. Because the Brooklyn Cyclones and their really cool logo
are the natural heirs to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Because, as columnist Joe
Gergen of Newsday said, "It's a novelty, a sideshow."
The "sideshow" certainly lived up to its billing as entertainment. Training by two going into the ninth, the Cyclones got a two-out homer to tie it, then scored on a sacrifice fly in the 10th to win 3-2.
With Coney Island as the backdrop at KeySpan Park, it is tempting to
dismiss the Cyclones as just one more of the minor-league teams that are
springing up like mushrooms these days, complete with fabulous retro
ballparks. So what's wrong with that?
Gergen was among many members of the media present who had a special
connection to Brooklyn and baseball. Baseball and its lyrical rhythms has
always appealed to writers, and the Brooklyn Dodgers had a part in shaping
the sporting consciousness of many prominent New York writers. Dave
Anderson, the New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, was one of
many reporters who wrote sentimental, evocative pieces over the last several
days about Brooklyn and its love for baseball.
"It's not Ebbets Field," Anderson's piece began. "It's just a little
ballpark in Coney Island for a Mets farm team named the Cyclones. But it's
baseball in Brooklyn and that's enough to stir the soul of anyone who lived
there before Walter O'Malley absconded with the Dodgers."
So much for journalistic integrity.
Gergen's opus ran about 2,000 words.
"I was 15 when they left," Gergen said. "I was going to KeySpan Park,
which was about three blocks from Ebbets Field."
Gergen squinted down the left field line at the Cyclone roller coaster,
the symbol of Coney Island.
"I wouldn't ride the Cyclone as a kid," he said. "The thing was
monstrous."
So, too, was the media coverage Monday night. The press box was
jammed with local reporters, as well as scribes from the Los Angeles Times
and Washington Post. The French Press Agency was represented and there were
even two television crews from Japan.
It is possible that Monday night's game made history. It was believed
that the game, broadcast locally on WNET, Channel 13, could set the record
for most viewers ever for a minor-league baseball game.
"I don't think there's any question about that," said Dave Sims of
Metro Channel 70, which also broadcast the game. "This is huge -- it's a big
piece of history."
David Hartman, who tried out for the Dodgers as a 14-year-old from
nearby Pelham, N.Y., and was the former host of "Good Morning America," did
commentary for Channel 13.
Considering the media hoard in attendance, the Cyclones managed the
oozing flow fairly well. They have been rehearsing for opening night for
days.
"We're thrilled with all the interest we've generated," said Dave
Campanaro, the team's media relations manager. "The stadium, obviously,
wasn't built for this, so we're trying to make it work.
"It's a first run for everybody ... two months from now, we'll have to
wait and see what's going on an how much interest there is. We're going to
keep hanging in there."
Two months from now, there will probably be 20 people comfortably
arrayed in the press box. By then, for the media at least, the Brooklyn
Cyclones will be just another minor-league team. So what's wrong with that?
Steve Serby of the New York Post was eight when the Brooklyn Dodgers
moved. He, too, was moved by Monday night's contest.
"I used to come here as a kid," Serby said. "On a nice summer weekend
night, it just didn't get any better than this. It was a better time and a
better place. Look at it tonight -- it's just beautiful.
"Other than the New York Yankees, no team was talked about as much as
the Brooklyn Dodgers. There's a bond here between the team and the town. The
people waited 44 years for this and, now, here it is."
Serby leaned back in his seat behind home plate.
"Man," he said, "I wish I was a kid again. Hey, can you get me a hot
dog?"
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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