Play’s the Thing: Brooklyn’s Professor of Pitching — Hector Berrios — spends his most effective hours toiling out-of-sight before games in the right-field bullpen, teaching his pupils in one-on-one sessions. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: This is a tale of two pitchers — Carl Erskine and Grady Hinchman — two gentlemen from the central Indiana town of Anderson who came to Brooklyn and wound up competing against Yankees, one in numerous World Series and the other, two generations later, in the New York-Penn League playoff race. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: It used to be called “Inside Baseball” — the subtle strategy behind the plays — before baseball too often became a game of waiting for three-run homers. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: Buck O’Neil is in a special Hall of Fame. But it’s not the one in Cooperstown. Born in 1911 — he’s almost 95 years old — he came to Keyspan Park on Tuesday where the Cyclones were set to play the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: Just when it looked as though things couldn’t get worse for the 7–13 Cyclones, the team headed out on a six-game road trip to the distant cities of Williamsport, Penn., and Burlington, Vt. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: My first column of the year reviewed the Cyclones’ position players in a format modeled on the famous Abbott and Costello routine, Who’s On First? Comment.

Play’s the Thing: The Cyclones 2006 campaign has been underway for more than a week, and fans coming to Keyspan Park won’t recognize the team from last season. Comment.

Play’s the Thing: Amaxim credited to Leo Durocher, former manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is “Nice guys finish last.” Comment.