KeySpan brings baseball back to Brooklyn

For many years, Brooklyn was the Mecca of baseball. Amateur leagues appeared as early as 1845, the same year the game was founded. In the first professional league in 1871, 22 percent of the players were from Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Eagle declared in 1892, "Nowhere has the National game of baseball taken a firmer hold than in Brooklyn, and nowhere are there better ball players."

Of course then came the Brooklyn Dodgers who are, in many ways, still synonymous with the borough. They also gave the country a hero in Jackie Robinson and made an American institution out of Ebbets Field.

However, baseball disappeared in 1957 when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Many would claim so did the city's heart and soul.

"Loyalty to the Dodgers is perhaps the strongest emotion man can experience," professed an article in Life in 1941.

But 44 years later baseball returned to Brooklyn in the form of a Class A Short-Season team: the Brooklyn Cyclones, a New York-Penn League affiliate of the New York Mets. And while it may not be the Dodgers, Brooklyn is happy to have baseball back.

"When we opened up in 2001, there were people who lived in Brooklyn who had not gone to a baseball game since the Dodgers left, 44 years earlier," said the voice of the Cyclones Warner Fusselle. "They refused to do it. They didn't become Mets fans or Yankees fans, they just weren't fans. Then they came back here."

Here is KeySpan Park, one of the most unique stadiums in Minor League Baseball. KeySpan Park is located right in the heart of Coney Island, which provides for a great backdrop.

Astroland, the amusement park that made Coney Island famous, is just beyond the left field wall. At night the lights on all the rides flash, creating a big Christmas-tree effect on the Brooklyn sky. Beyond the right field fence, fans can gaze out to the Atlantic Ocean.

"The view here at night can be really nice," said Fusselle. "I did a game with Ernie Harwell here -- who started in Brooklyn -- and he said he'd done Major League games in 40 something parks. He said the view here is better than anyplace I've ever been. When you have a nice night and nice weather, it's a pretty cool view."

The seating is standard as far as Minor League parks go. Fans walk down from the concourse to the field level. However, everything else about the KeySpan Park yells amusement park on the beach, from the neon rings around the stadium lights to the Nathan's original hot dogs.

"This stadium is unbelievable," said Cyclones shortstop Matt Bouchard. "Coming from Georgetown to this field is pretty special." The best part about KeySpan Park, though, may be the atmosphere. This, of course, can be attributed to the fans. Brooklynites have clearly been starved for the game and couldn't be more ecstatic that baseball's back. They have led the New York-Penn League in attendance by packing in more than 8,000 fans a game.

"Just the atmosphere [is great], said Bouchard. "We basically sell out almost every night. The fans are really passionate about the players and the team. It's great having their support."

There also might be something in the water in Brooklyn, as they have somehow managed to pick up the traditional Dodger winning way. Since their inaugural season in 2001, the Cyclones have won two championships and three division titles. This year, the Cyclones could be on their way to a fourth.

"The teams have been pretty good just about every year," Fusselle said.

Perhaps Duke Snider put it best in Roger Kahn's Boys of Summer, when he was asked how he felt about missing out on the big money deals of today's players.The Dodger great said, "I would not trade the years in Brooklyn for all the money in the world."

Baseball is back in Brooklyn, and it's a sight to see.