August 27, 2005 / Sports / Brooklyn Cyclones

A ‘Nac’ for homers

By Ed Shakespeare

The Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Papers / Gary Thomas

Print this story

Share this story

Email a friend

Your name

Your email address

Recipients’ email addresses (Up to ten, separated by commas.)

digg

del.icio.us

Ivan Naccarata, nick-named “Nac,” has a knack of his own — hitting home runs to right field.

In fact, he’s done it more times — three — than any other player in Keyspan Park’s history.

As ballpark regulars know, the wind at Keyspan usually blows in from the ocean behind the right field wall. In other words, the prevailing wind makes the 325-foot right field fence seem like 400 feet to batters.

According to statistics supplied by Cyclones announcer Warner Fusselle, only 20 home runs have been hit to right field in the history of the park.

Cyclones players have hit nine of those.

Until Nac came along, only Ian Bladegroen, who played with the Cyclones in 2003, had hit more than one home run to right.

But Naccarata has now hit right field homers on July 6 against Staten Island, Aug. 17 against Hudson Valley, and Aug. 19 against New Jersey.

The wiry infielder is listed at 6 feet tall and 190 pounds — not too big for a power hitter. Apparently, he doesn’t let his size affect his swing.

“I just try to go with the pitch and be quick with the bat,” Naccarata said, matter-of-factly, of his right-field homers.

And it seems to work.

The History of Bobble-heads

Warner Fusselle Bobble-head Night at Keyspan Park Sunday got us wondering: Just where do these things come from?

Well, it’s a long story.

According to Wikipedia, “the first figures to resemble what we call bobble-heads were called nodders.”

These were produced in Germany, and they were large ceramic figures, 6 to 8 inches tall, with the figure’s head connected to the body with a light spring.

The first published reference to a bobble-head-like figure was in Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat.” The Ukrainian-born Russian writer made reference in the 1842 story when he described a motion as being “like the necks of plaster cats which wag their necks.”

Bobble-heads generally began to be produced in the United States in the 1950s. Major League Baseball began producing bobble-heads in 1960 with a set that featured a bobble-head representing each team.

The figurines became very popular in the 1970s, and then receded in popularity until the 1990s with a resurgence of interest that has become a craze.

In recent years, bobble-heads have become much more individualized than in the past, with Fusselle’s likeness being the latest in a list of broadcast announcer dolls.

Juan & only

Hall of Famer Juan Marichal was in town to help promote the New York-Penn League’s inaugural All-Star Game —played Tuesday at Keyspan Park — and to throw out the first pitch at Sunday’s contest.

Marichal’s appearance here is interesting because of an incident on Aug. 22, 1965, when Marichal, a member of the San Francisco Giants, was batting against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Catching for Los Angeles was Johnny Roseboro, a former Brooklyn Dodger.

After an argument between the two, Marichal took his bat and smashed it against Roseboro’s head.

So it might have been considered a bit ironic last Sunday when Marichal had the honor of throwing out the first pitch during Sunday’s game against the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Here was a man who once attacked a former Brooklyn player, being honored in Brooklyn.

But Marichal has often expressed regret over the incident, and Roseboro eventually forgave Marichal for what he did.

In fact, Marichal was a pallbearer at Roseboro’s funeral last year.

August 27, 2005 issue  

©2005 The Brooklyn Paper