Come for the baseball, stay for the swordplay.
Not only are the Brooklyn Cyclones the only professional baseball team in Kings County, but with between-inning acts that include medieval jousting and animitronic dinosaurs, MCU ballpark is becoming a venue for novelty acts worthy of any Coney Island sideshow.
“It’s just part and parcel in wanting to bring wacky and unique things to the ballpark,” said Cyclones Spokesman Jason Solomon. “The baseball sells itself, but I can’t think of anybody else who’s done something like this, bringing a dinosaur to a ballpark to throw the first pitch.”
That’s right, don’t expect Borough President Marty Markowitz or some crusty old dignitary to throw the opening pitch on July 7 — rather, the ceremonial first throw will come hurling from the jaws (its hands are basically useless) of a 15-foot long, 10-foot tall robotic Tyrannosaurus rex.
“We’re bringing the T. rex out to Brooklyn,” said Erica Jacobson, Director of Marketing at Field Station: Dinosaurs, an amusement park featuring 31-animitronic dinosaurs. “What’s better than summer baseball and dinosaurs?”
It isn’t the first time the Jurassic reptile replica threw the first pitch at a ball game — robot rex tossed a few balls at a recent Newark Bears game, with mixed results.
“He did okay,” said Jacobson, “but I don’t think he’s going to make the major leagues.”
A few days following the pre-historic pitcher’s MCU debut, sports fans will be taken back to ye’ olden days courtesy of the dinner-theater knights at Medieval Times, who will punctuate the Cyclone’s baseball battles with swordplay, jousting, and — if he’s lucky — Cyclone’s mascot Sandy the Seagull may find himself privileged with the lofty title, Sir Sandy the Seagull.
“One of the things that people love about us is the jousting, and for us to have two horses marching against one another, with two knights riding them, its pretty graphic and people love it,” said Ricard Salazar, Corporate Sales Manager at Medieval Times. “Plus, we’ll probably knight Sandy before the game starts.”
Jurassic (Ball) Park at MCU Park [1904 Surf Ave. between W. 17th and W. 19th streets in Coney Island, (718) 449-8497, brooklyncyclones.com] July 7, 6 pm. Tickets start at $9.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
