BKN Cyclones ~ There's No Joy in Coney Island

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Season Ends In The Dump.

GAME THREE:  Yankees Shut-Out Brooklyn 1-0

Staten Island Claims Victory

in

"BATTLE of the BOROUGHS"

THE BABY BOMBERS WIN SERIES 2-1.  ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND.

A quiet bus ride back to Brooklyn; - Is this the way it used to be?


An old nemesis; a new nemesis; our cross-town nemesis;  ....the rival Staten Island Yankees eliminated our beloved Brooklyn Cyclones from the New York Penn League playoffs Saturday night; ending another season by the Seaside in disappointing fashion and leaving the denizens of Coney Island to ponder through another cold winter of What Ifs and no championship memories to warm the soul.


In twenty-eight games played, The Brooklyn Cyclones' all-time playoff record since 2001 now stands at 11-17.   And so it goes that a new, modern generation finds itself echoing the sentiments of the Borough's baseball ghosts and old Brooklyn Fans gone by; - Wait Till Next Year....again.


In the third and deciding game of Round One, Brooklyn and the Yankees remained scoreless through the first six innings.  Brooklyn's Carlos Vazquez and Staten Island's William Oliver engaged in a most classic pitcher's duel for the (NYPL) Ages.  Each pitcher threw six shut-out innings while allowing just two hits apiece.  Vazquez walked one batter and struck out six.  His opponent struck out ten Brooklyn Cyclones and walked three before they gave way to their respective bullpens.


All each team could manage last night were four hits apiece.  But in the seventh inning, the Yankees made the most of theirs.  With one out and Brooklyn's T.J. Chism pitching in relief of Vazquez, Budding Bomber; Tyler Austin; doubled.  The next batter; Reymond Nunez; tripled to CF, scoring Austin from second.  And that's all she wrote.


After Brooklyn's fourth and final hit in the top of the eighth inning got wiped-out by a double play, the Cyclones went down in order in the ninth inning to end the game in a 1-0 final.


The Staten Island Yankees, (by the way...congratulations), will move on and play the Auburn Doubledays for the NYPL Championship.  Auburn defeated the Vermont Lake Monsters two games to one.

The Yankees; this season's McNamara Division Champs; are in search of their sixth NYPL title since joining the League.  Auburn is chasing their third title of recent history.  They captured a title in 2007 by defeating Brooklyn, and in 1998 were named co-champions.  However, past Auburn club members of the New York Penn League have captured another six titles dating back to 1962.







Mike.BTB

BKN Cyclones ~ Bullpen Is An Early Season Force

From the desk of:  THE CONEY ISLAND NINE


BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Young Bums Making Sweet Music.


This is Class-A Short Season, so let's give today's pitching some perspective.  If Tuesday's starting pitcher had pitched all nine innings, his line would look like this:


9 ~ innings; complete game.
5 ~ hits.
0 ~ runs; shut out.
1 ~ walk.
6 ~ strikeouts.


That's the kind of night Cyclone pitchers had against the Aberdeen Iron Birds in the rubber game of a three game trip to Maryland.  Brooklyn won the series two games to one.  They improved their record to 8-4 and remain in second place behind Staten Island by 1.5 games.


Carlos Vasquez pitched the first five innings against Aberdeen.  He allowed them only two hits and struck out two.  It was his first victory of the season.


The Brooklyn bullpen has established itself as an early season force.  Coach Frankie-V has em all making sweet music together. 


Tuesday they took care of the remaining four innings after Vasquez left the game.  Orlando Tovar pitched the sixth inning with one hit against him and two strikeouts.  Then, Hunter Carnevale was summoned to play Fireman in the old sense of the word.  He protected the Cyclones' 1-0 lead in the seventh; eighth; and for two outs into the ninth.  He was stellar allowing only a hit; one walk; and striking out one.  T.J. Chism chose the bumpy road but got the last out and his 3rd save of the season.


Brooklyn's lone run of the game came in the second inning off a pair of doubles by Richard Lucas and Charles Thurber. The Cyclones were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position but Thurber delivered the all-important two out hit/RBI.   Brandon Brown and Brian Harrison managed the only other two hits for the Cyclones.


The Kids will be in Coney Island tomorrow for the start of a home-and-home series with Hudson Valley.



Mike.BTB

BKN CYCLONES ~ 2011 Roster Starting To Take Shape

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS


BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Organization Goes Off Campus For Brooklyn's New Manager. 

Old Favorite Frankie-V Will Teach Brooklyn's Hurlers The Art Of Making SWEET MUSIC Together.


The 2011 Cyclones' manager will be Rich Donnelly.  He is new to the Mets organization but comes on board with over three decades of Baseball coaching experience.  He's a graduate of the Jim Leyland School of Thought having spent 14 years coaching under him with three different teams.


This year's Pitching Coach; Frank Viola; will try and see if he can get Brooklyn's young arms to make Sweet Music of their own.  The Long Island native returns to the organization he pitched with from 1989 through 1991.  He won twenty games for the Amazins in 1990.

Hitting Coach; former Cyclone player; Bobby Malek was a 2002 4th round Mets' draft pick.  He played 28 games for Brooklyn in 2002 and 3 more games for them in 2006.  He spent the last two seasons working for the Mets in Kingsport.  Therefore he will have a lot of familiarity with several of the up-coming Surf Avenue Sluggers expected to make the team.


With the First Year Amateur Draft out of the way.  The Cyclones' roster is finally taking form.  The Brooklyn Cyclones have issued a preliminary roster as/of June 14, 2011.


View that here:  Tentative Brooklyn Cyclones' Roster


We know who the starting pitchers will be for the first two games of the season against the Staten Island Yankees.  To open the season in Staten Island, Brooklyn will start with righty, Eduardo Aldama on the mound.  In Saturday's Coney Island Home Opener, the Cyclones will go with lefty, Carlos Vasquez.






Mike.BTB