Let’s stop with all the kvetching already! The 2006 Cyclone season is over, and now Brooklyn fans might take a cue from former Mayor Ed Koch and ask, “So how are we doin’?”
In other words, is the Brooklyn Cyclone fan’s glass half-full or half-empty?
I say it’s 80-percent full, so let’s concentrate on the positive, yet throw in a few complaints. (Of course, one’s own gripes do not constitute kvetching, but rather they are well-reasoned responses to accurately perceived dilemmas.)
We begin with Opening Day. As professional baseball games go, the 18-0 drubbing that Brooklyn took from Staten Island was as bad as it gets.
What followed were six straight losses, and the Cyclones had dug themselves into a pretty big hole.
The Cyclones finally won a game, on June 28 against Hudson Valley, and in early July put together a seven-game winning streak.
A highlight of the year was the New York-Penn League record longest game, a 26-inning war of attrition on July 20 that only ended because Brooklyn ran out of pitchers and had to use outfielder Mark Wright on the mound.
Then there was a mid-season 12-game winning streak that took Brooklyn into first place. But the season, like the Cyclone itself, had its ups and downs, and Staten Island soon moved into a secure divisional lead, leaving Brooklyn to scramble for the wild-card berth.
For fans who like predictable results — like watching the New York Yankees waltz into the playoffs each year — seeing Brooklyn fight for the playoffs was frustrating.
But if you’re a baseball fan first, and a fan of winning second, then the last few weeks of the season were a gift. Brooklyn was playing a key game night after night as they went neck-and-neck with several teams for the league’s sole remaining post-season slot.
The kvetching?
You don’t need to be a stat-head to see the problems on this team. The Brooks had 108 errors in 74 games, rocky defense by almost any standard (even Class-A short-season ball).
And fans certainly grumbled about Brooklyn’s lack of hitting.
The Cyclones’ 251 runs were next to last in the league; their batting average of .231 was 11th (and it was much lower at home); their 19 homers ranked 13th.
But the pitching — that was to enjoy.
The Cyclones finished with an outstanding staff ERA of 2.96, second in the league. Starter Eric Brown had a miniscule ERA of 1.16. second in the circuit, and starter Tobi Stoner’s 2.15 ERA was fourth.
Still, the season wasn’t about statistics.
It was about coming out to the ballpark and seeing a competitive team make a successful run at the playoffs, climaxing in the season’s final game on Sept. 7 — when the Cyclones’ playoff hopes rested on both a Brooklyn win and an Aberdeen loss at home to Tri-City.
Throughout the contest, fans at Keyspan Park were on their cellphones, calling for updates on the Aberdeen game, and the word was passed through the stands whenever someone heard got a new score. Aberdeen finally lost, and when the Cyclones scored a run in the 12th inning, they had made the playoffs.
Three days later, after the Cyclones were eliminated in the first round, the Brooklyn players were met by numerous Cyclones’ fans outside the Staten Island ballpark and received plenty of heartfelt goodbyes.
By 8 am the next morning, the Cyclones were packed and leaving Keyspan Park. An exiting season was over.
What could be improved about the on-going Cyclones experience?
The Mets could let future blue-chip prospects, unlike Jose Reyes and David Wright, play in Brooklyn, and stop trading talented Brooklyn alumni such as Scott Kazmir and Mike Jacobs.
The fans could be treated to a more powerful radio station than WKRB so that the team can be followed from cars, and backyards, and not just mainly on the Internet.
And I know I’m not alone in wishing for a full-season team, perhaps in the South Atlantic League. I know it’s pretty cold in Coney Island in April, but Brooklyn could still draw close to a half-million fans.
The positive?
For 44 years, Brooklyn had no professional baseball.
But for the last six seasons, Brooklyn baseball hasn’t been just a historic relic, but a living entity, entertaining and, yes, disappointing fans.
It was exciting to see these persevering young players battle their way to the playoffs. It wasn’t publicized much, but often at least half the Brooklyn lineup was playing hurt the last few weeks.
The players gained valuable experience in clutch games, and the fans saw an exciting race for the playoffs.
Next year?
We’ll have to wait 277 days to see next year’s Boys of Summer — not that anybody’s counting, of course.