Taking a short hiatus......

Taking a short hiatus to travel. I'll be posting on Twitter from time to time. Follow me @NYPennNews . Will be posting at this blog again in early November....

See you at the ballpark.

Ballparks in the New York-Penn League - First Up: Brooklyn's MCU Park

Brooklyn Cyclones 2015 Game Program Cover

Attending a Brooklyn Cyclones games at MCU Park has been my bucket list for some time (I keep saying wait until next year). I recently acquired a Cyclones game program from the 2015 season. Here are MCU Park "Fast Facts" as they appear in the program:

• Was renamed MCU Park on February 4, 2010.
• The first professional baseball stadium in the borough of Brooklyn since Ebbets Field was torn down in 1960.
• Has ranked in the Top 15 in Minor League attendance for the past five seasons - the short season ever to do so.*
• Has 12 luxury suites which can accommodate up to 18 people per night. Also available is the Ocean View Party Deck located on the third base side of the stadium. The Party Deck provides a bird's eye view of the action on the field and can accommodate groups as large as 75 people.
• Is built on the site of the former Steeplechase Park, which was the center of the Coney Island amusement industry until it closed in 1964.
• The last remaining relic of Steeplechase Park is the landmarked Parachute Jump which is located just beyond the right field wall.
• The 260-foot Parachute Jump was moved to Coney Island from the 1939 World's Fair.
• Hosted its 2 millionth fan in 2007, with the Cyclones reaching the attendance mark faster than any club in Short-Season history.
• On July 27, 2011, Michael Terry walked through the gates of MCU Park as the 3 millionth fan to attend a Brooklyn Cyclones game. The Cyclones reached the plateau quicker than any team in short-season baseball history. Following the game, Terry had the chance to win 3 million pennies, but came up just short! 

Recognition

Received the prestigious Beam-Clay Award for the best professional league field in the county for 2001-2002.

Names the Best Short-Season Ballpark in the country by Baseball America in 2003

Former groundskeeper Mike Procops was named the NYPL Groundkeeper of the Year for 2001

Quick Hits

Opened: June 25, 2001 - Capacity: 7,500 - Playing Surface: Field Turf

Outfield Wall: Left field - 16, Center Field - 8 feet, Right Field - 8 feet

Dimensions

Left Field - 315 feet, Left Center Field - 371, Center Field - 412 feet, Right Center Field - 379, Right Field - 325 Feet

  

All-Time High Attendance: 10,073 on 9/7/07 against the Lowell Spinners 

* as of 2015

Stadium Photo Credits: sterlingequities.com

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League. 

My 2017 IBWAA Season Awards Ballot #1 Picks

Here's my #1 picks on the 2017 IBWAA Major League Baseball Season Awards Ballot.

What's the IBWAA you say?

From the IBWAA website: "The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) was created July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA)." Go to the IBWAA here.

AL MVP   Jose Altuve                                    

AL CY YOUNG   Corey Kluber

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR   Aaron Judge

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR   A.J. Hinch

AL RELIEVER   Craig Kimbrel

NL MVP   Paul Goldschmidt

NL CY YOUNG   Clayton Kershaw

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR   Cody Bellinger

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR   Torey Lovullo

NL RELIEVER   Kenley Jansen

Silhouette credit: MLB.com

NY-Penn League News is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New York-Penn League.