The 2008 baseball season kicked off at Keyspan Park last Friday, but a quick look at the players on the field showed that something was not quite right.
They seemed shorter in stature and their bodies, in many cases, not quite as streamlined as the Cyclones of recent vintage.
More noticeable still were their skills, which, while impressive by layman’s standards, made one wonder just what the New York Mets scouting department was thinking during last week’s amateur draft.
Worse yet, they seemed completely exhausted, as if they were playing under water. After posting the best record in the New York-Penn League in 2007, what kind of season were the 2008 Brooklyn Cyclones in for?
A sigh of relief… These weren’t the Cyclones players after all, but rather the team’s front office staff, which played 24 consecutive hours of baseball for the second straight season.
The purpose of this baseball marathon – which stretched from noon Friday to noon Saturday – was to raise money for three charities: Autism Speaks, HeartShare Human Services of New York, and the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation.
By the end of the day, the staff team – which consisted of 13 men and women – had played 12 games of around five innings each, posting a 3-8-1 record against a hodgepodge of area teams.
In the age of relief specialists and the vanishing complete game, Assistant General Manager Kevin Mahoney pitched for around 10 hours, showing grit, mettle and lack of regard for his rotator cuff.
Two members of the Cyclones staff – Public Relations Director Dave Campanaro and Director of New Business Gary Perone – sustained injuries that required x-rays.
But most importantly, the Cyclones staff raised around $20,000 for charity, a figure that far eclipsed the $2,500 raised last year.
Each opponent paid an entry fee of $1,000, online donations yielded an additional $3,000, and the cable company RCN pitched in $50 for every run the Cyclones staff scored.
“Last year, we didn’t charge teams to play. But we realized there was an opportunity to make a lot more money for these charities,” said Campanaro, whose swollen food turned out to be merely a strain.
Speaking for his teammates, however, an exhausted Campanaro expressed relief that the whole thing was over.
“It was fun for the first, say, 10 hours or so. After that, ‘fun’ wouldn’t be one of my top ten words to describe it,” he said.
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The real Cyclones – the ones who get paid to play baseball – will open up June 17 against the Staten Island Yankees, their cross-town rival who defeated them for the New York-Penn League championship last year.
The disappointing loss in the final series did not obscure a terrific season for the ‘Clones, however. Manager Edgar Alfonzo’s crew posted a league-best 49-25 record en route to their fourth McNamara Division title in the team’s seven years in existence.
Before Tuesday’s game, Dan Zanes, the Grammy-winning children’s recording artist, will help kick off the Cyclones’ season by singing some of his most popular songs.
As first pitch approaches, Zanes will sing the National Anthem. In the seventh inning, he will lead fans in a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
The first 5,000 fans at Tuesday’s game will receive a magnetic schedule.
Tickets were still available as of press time. They can be purchased by phone at 718-507-TIXX or online at brooklyncyclones.com.
