This field wasn’t just in these kids’ dreams — they got to actually play on it.
Cyclones players shared some of their baseball expertise with local kids at a skills clinic at MCU Park on Aug. 12. New York Mets pitching great John Franco joined his former team’s prospects in teaching the sport’s fundamentals to eager and aspiring young ball players as part of clinics sponsored by the ballpark’s sponsor, Municipal Credit Union.
One boy said Franco taught him how to throw one of the sport’s most intriguing pitches.
“John Franco taught me how to throw a circle change up,” said Thomas Loverdi, 11. “And the Cyclones players taught me about ground ball pop ups, how to have a more balanced swing and how to run the bases.”
Organizers broke up the next generation of Major Leaguers into groups that took turns working at different stations with Franco and the Cyclones.
Another youngster said the pros passed on valuable lessons about the mental aspects of the game, as well.
“It was a good experience because you got to learn new stuff and we got to learn how accuracy is more important than throwing the ball,” 11-year-old Haley O’Toole said. “We learned how to run the bases and how trying your best is all that matters.”
All participants got free tickets to that night’s game, a losing effort against the hated Staten Island Yankees.
One more clinic is scheduled for Aug. 24.
MCU Youth Clinics at MCU Park (1904 Surf Ave. in Coney Island, brook
