The Cyclones are in first place. They’ve got the best rotation in the league and a slugger who saves all his homers for home games. Even the Beach Bums are hotter than ever. So why are Brooklynites staying away from Keyspan Park?
The Clones are drawing the smallest crowds in their nine-year history, with average attendance down five percent compared to this time last season and 12 percent compared to 2007. The club has beaten its previous low seven times already this season, setting a new record with 4,087 at a night game on July 14 against Williamsport.
And that’s paid attendance — not all season ticket holders show up every night. On some weekdays, the stands have been as deserted as Joe Sitt’s Fiasco By The Sea next door. And the lights have been off in many of the luxury boxes more often than before.
Still, Cyclones GM Steve Cohen said the club’s revenues “are right where we want them to be” and that the club has actually broken its record for box office take three times this season. Cohen wouldn’t give suite sales numbers, saying only “the hardest part of sales in this economy is the high end.”
The Cyclones’ honcho admitted that last month was tough, with two rainouts, two games interrupted by showers, and one game truncated due to fog.
“We had 19 home games in July combined with some bad weather, which made it hard to pack them in for every game like we’d like to,” he said.
But across the Verrazano, where the weather was similarly miserable and 15 dates were scheduled for July, the second-place Staten Island Yankees are on pace to shatter their all-time record, with average attendance up 20 percent from last season.
So what’s the problem? Are Mark Cohoon’s fastball and slugger John Servidio’s six Keyspan homers not enough to bring people to the ballpark? I asked fans at Monday’s game — which drew just 6,935 despite the “Straw-bobble” doll giveaway and jousts by the knights of the Medieval Times restaurant. What I heard was a lot of different theories.
“Listen, pockets are tight and the food’s worse. These chicken fingers are old and cold,” said Rob Demner, a security guard from Bay Ridge.
One fan even blamed the Beach Bums’ new moves.
“They’re not running it for the fans. Do you think the children want to see sexy dancers?” asked Rita Cohen, an advertising agency assistant from Bay Ridge.
Even with the drop, the Clones are still the top draw in the New York–Penn League (the Oneonta Tigers average just 793 fans per night) — thanks to fans like Eddie Gonzalez of Bensonhurst.
“Maybe people can’t make every game, but we still pinch our pennies to come here together,” said Gonzalez, who brought his father and son to the game. “All three generations. That’s what we do.”
The Faux Hole
When the Cyclones beat Batavia, 15–11, on Tuesday, they matched their run total from their previous seven games combined. … Outfielder Luis Rivera is heating back up at the plate, batting .428 with a homer over his last nine games. … Jake Eigsti, 25, rejoined the Clones for his fourth tour of duty on July 31. At his age, don’t expect him to replace Luis Castillo in the Mets infield. … Alumni report: 2008 ace Brad Holt struck out 54 batters in 43 1/3 innings for St. Lucie, but struggled after getting called up to Double-A Binghamton, where he’s 2–5 with a 5.36 ERA. First baseman Ike Davis, a 2008 first-round pick, has found his stroke — after hitting .288 with seven homers for St. Lucie, he got called up to Binghamton, where he’s hitting .295 with eight homers. Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting .253 with 10 homers for St. Lucie. Shortstop and 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens also has 10 homers for St. Lucie, but he’s hitting just .238 and has battled injuries.
Zeke Faux is a sports columnist for The Brooklyn Paper. His last name is pronounced “Fox.”
