July 23, 2005 / Sports / Brooklyn Cyclones

Strawberry ‘roves’ into Keyspan Park

By Ed Shakespeare

The Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Papers / Gary Thomas

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Darryl Strawberry played for all four former or current New York City major-league clubs: The Mets, the Dodgers, the Giants, and the Yankees. But the slugging outfielder’s greatest success was with the Mets, World Series winners in 1986.

Now, Strawberry has begun a new career, as a roving instructor in the Mets farm system.

He was recently at Keyspan Park working with the Cyclones for five days on the home stand that ended July 18.

Strawberry was far too young to have seen the Brooklyn Dodgers play, but he was a fan of what they became — the Dodgers of Los Angeles.

“Growing up in L.A., I was a fan of the Dodgers [under manager Tommy LaSorda, a former Brooklyn Dodger]. I saw some great players, [Steve] Garvey, [Ron] Cey, [Bill] Russell, [Davey] Lopes,” Strawberry told The Brooklyn Papers.

In fact, Strawberry is a friend of a former Brooklyn Dodger, Hall of Famer Duke Snider.

“I’ll be seeing him in a few weeks up at Cooperstown,” said Strawberry.

The new instructor talked about what the Cyclones are going through in Brooklyn.

“This is a learning process for these players. They are just getting their feet wet in professional ball. It’s a big adjustment from swinging aluminum bats to swinging wooden bats and it’s a whole new adjustment playing in this environment [Keyspan Park].

“It’s all about giving these players confidence that they can make it. It’s not about their stats right now. We’re out to teach them a real understanding of the game.”

But it isn’t only technical knowledge that Strawberry imparts.

“I try to teach the players to have fun, “ explained Strawberry. “If you don’t have fun in this game and you get frustrated, you’ll never succeed. They must be able to balance it.”

Strawberry said that he is happy in his current job, and before being asked, he emphatically volunteered his answer on whether he wanted to coach in the big leagues.

“No, this is the only thing I want to do. I don’t want to go to the big leagues. I want to see kids develop. I want to see [these] kids be successful on the major-league level some day.”

Here was Strawberry, working with the Brooklyn players just a short throw away from the spot outside Keyspan Park that will display the statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese. The former Mets outfielder was asked for his reflections on Robinson.

“If it weren’t for Jackie Robinson, there wouldn’t be me,” said Strawberry.

“I can just imagine what he went through. He faced it in a manner of dignity and respect, and he went on to be one of the greatest players to play the game.”

July 23, 2005 issue  

©2005 The Brooklyn Paper