Cyclones win July Promo of the Month

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Minor League Baseball today announced that the Brooklyn Cyclones were awarded Promotion of the Month honors for their Coney Island Franks night, which celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs' first location on Coney Island.

On Sunday, July 3, the Cyclones changed their name to the Coney Island Franks and wore special hot dog-themed uniforms.

The event took place one day prior to the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest held annually at Coney Island. In honor of Joey Chestnut's previous record of 69 hot dogs eaten, family four packs were available for $69, which included all-you-can-eat hot dog vouchers and tickets to the game.

Nearly 6,000 people gathered at MCU Park, with the first 2,000 fans receiving a limited edition Coney Island Franks hat. The club set a record for specialty merchandise sales with over $8,500 in T-shirts alone sold during the game. In addition, they raised over $12,500 in a charity auction of game-worn jerseys and equipment.

Fans in attendance had the opportunity to participate in a pregame hot dog eating contest, pose for photos with hot dog mascots and post to Snapchat with a unique Coney Island hot dog geofilter. Anyone with the first name Frank or last name Weiner were invited to throw a ceremonial first pitch. The Cyclones also held a post-game firework show to kick off the weekend's Fourth of July festivities.

The event was featured on ESPN's broadcast of the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest and covered by several national media outlets, including Sports Illustrated. The Cyclones also began trending on Twitter by live-tweeting the game using the hashtag #HotDogPuns and witty phrases to capture the spirit of the event.

"Minor League Baseball is filled with some of the most creative and innovative people in all of sports, so we take great pride in the fact that we have been recognized as the best of the best," said Brooklyn Cyclones General Manager, Kevin Mahoney. "Our Coney Island Franks night was a great way for us to showcase one of our existing partners in Nathan's Famous, embrace the history of Coney Island and celebrate everyone's favorite ballpark food, the hot dog."

Brooklyn is now a finalist for the Golden Bobblehead Awards, which will be presented on Sept. 29, at the Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar in Birmingham, Alabama. Minor League Baseball will award one more team with Promotion of the Month honors for August/September.

For more information on the Golden Bobblehead Awards and Promotion of the Month, visit www.MiLBPromoSeminar.com.