LaurieAnnie's photos with the keyword: baseball

SANDY THE SEAGULL Sandy the Seagull comes from a family of baseball-loving birds. Sandy’s grandfather grew up on the telephone poles of Brooklyn in the 1950’s. He lived in a small nest on Flatbush Avenue next door to Ebbets Field and every weekend, he would fly out to Coney Island to hang out on the beach and ride the Cyclone. On game nights, he would fly over to the ballpark and watch the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams, while snacking on the ballpark leftovers. Grandpa Seagull was sad when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. He eventually moved his family to Queens and became a Mets fan. He found a nice nest at the #7 Train station and would take his flock to Mets games all the time. What did not change were the weekend plans, which always included a visit to Coney Island. When Sandy’s dad was old enough to move out on his own, he found a nest on top of the Parachute Jump tower. Sandy was born in 2001. One day, while the ballpark was being built, Sandy fell out of the family’s Parachute Jump tower nest. The construction workers nursed him back to health and let him hang around and be their mascot. When the ballpark was ready for baseball, Sandy was the obvious choice to become the Cyclones team mascot. With his inspired leadership, and cheerleading, he helped lead them to their first championship season, and has thrilled over one million fans at KeySpan Park.. Height: 6' 10" Weight: Pretty healthy (considering he eats like a bird) Throws: T-Shirts into the crowd Home: Nest atop the Parachute Jump tower First Appearance: June 25, 2001 (Opening Day at KeySpan Park) Favorite Food: Nathan’s Hot Dogs, ballpark leftovers Favorite Activities: Hanging out at the beach, riding the Cyclone and watching Cyclones baseball Favorite Band: Flock of Seagulls Favorite Major Leaguers: Mark “The Bird” Fydrich Favorite Team: Brooklyn Cyclones Text from: www.brooklyncyclones.com/fanzone/mascots/

SANDY THE SEAGULL Sandy the Seagull comes from a family of baseball-loving birds. Sandy’s grandfather grew up on the telephone poles of Brooklyn in the 1950’s. He lived in a small nest on Flatbush Avenue next door to Ebbets Field and every weekend, he would fly out to Coney Island to hang out on the beach and ride the Cyclone. On game nights, he would fly over to the ballpark and watch the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams, while snacking on the ballpark leftovers. Grandpa Seagull was sad when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. He eventually moved his family to Queens and became a Mets fan. He found a nice nest at the #7 Train station and would take his flock to Mets games all the time. What did not change were the weekend plans, which always included a visit to Coney Island. When Sandy’s dad was old enough to move out on his own, he found a nest on top of the Parachute Jump tower. Sandy was born in 2001. One day, while the ballpark was being built, Sandy fell out of the family’s Parachute Jump tower nest. The construction workers nursed him back to health and let him hang around and be their mascot. When the ballpark was ready for baseball, Sandy was the obvious choice to become the Cyclones team mascot. With his inspired leadership, and cheerleading, he helped lead them to their first championship season, and has thrilled over one million fans at KeySpan Park.. Height: 6' 10" Weight: Pretty healthy (considering he eats like a bird) Throws: T-Shirts into the crowd Home: Nest atop the Parachute Jump tower First Appearance: June 25, 2001 (Opening Day at KeySpan Park) Favorite Food: Nathan’s Hot Dogs, ballpark leftovers Favorite Activities: Hanging out at the beach, riding the Cyclone and watching Cyclones baseball Favorite Band: Flock of Seagulls Favorite Major Leaguers: Mark “The Bird” Fydrich Favorite Team: Brooklyn Cyclones Text from: www.brooklyncyclones.com/fanzone/mascots/

THE RETURN OF BROOKLYN BASEBALL In the summer of 2001, the Brooklyn Cyclones were born, bringing baseball back to the borough after a 44-year drought. In its three-year history, the team has gone on to win hearts and championships, helping to put Coney Island, and Brooklyn baseball back on the map! Text from: www.brooklyncyclones.com/team/history/

Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 - August 14, 1999) was an American professional baseball player who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. Reese was a ten-time All Star shortstop who contributed to seven league championships for Brooklyn. Reese was a strong supporter of the first black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson. He refused to sign a petition that threatened a boycott if Robinson joined the team. When Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 and traveled with them during their first road trip, he was heckled by fans in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reese, the captain of the team, went over to Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of support which silenced the crowd. The gesture was especially telling because Reese was born and raised near then-segregated Louisville, Kentucky. This gesture is depicted in a bronze sculpture of Reese and Robinson, created by sculptor William Behrends, that was placed at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, New York, and unveiled on November 1, 2005. Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Wee_Reese

Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 - August 14, 1999) was an American professional baseball player who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. Reese was a ten-time All Star shortstop who contributed to seven league championships for Brooklyn. Reese was a strong supporter of the first black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson. He refused to sign a petition that threatened a boycott if Robinson joined the team. When Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 and traveled with them during their first road trip, he was heckled by fans in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reese, the captain of the team, went over to Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of support which silenced the crowd. The gesture was especially telling because Reese was born and raised near then-segregated Louisville, Kentucky. This gesture is depicted in a bronze sculpture of Reese and Robinson, created by sculptor William Behrends, that was placed at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, New York, and unveiled on November 1, 2005. Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Wee_Reese

THE RETURN OF BROOKLYN BASEBALL In the summer of 2001, the Brooklyn Cyclones were born, bringing baseball back to the borough after a 44-year drought. In its three-year history, the team has gone on to win hearts and championships, helping to put Coney Island, and Brooklyn baseball back on the map! Text from: www.brooklyncyclones.com/team/history/

KeySpan Park is a minor league baseball stadium in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City, USA. The home team is the New York Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York - Penn League. Official seating capacity is 7,500. Features include a concourse with free-standing concession buildings and overhanging fluorescent lamps in different colors, evoking an amusement park atmosphere. In addition, the park overlooks the Atlantic Ocean as well as the famous Parachute Jump. KeySpan Park was built on the old site of Steeplechase Park, an old-time Coney Island amusement park that closed in 1964 amid crime and general deterioration of Coney Island and the subways that run to the area. Part of a general reinvestment in the Coney Island neighborhood, the park opened in 2001 with a capacity of 6,500. Demand for Cyclones tickets was so great that the team added 1,000 seats in a right-field bleacher pavilion within three weeks after the park opened. KeySpan Park prohibits fans from bringing outside food into the stadium, a policy in every minor league stadium, but not in effect at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. KeySpan Park was paid for with public money, as well as the Staten Island Yankees' Richmond County Bank Ballpark, which were both part of a deal that involved both the Mets and Yankees. The Yankees had to approve the construction of KeySpan Park, and the Mets had to approve the Yankees' minor league park, since the Major League Baseball organizations share territorial rights to the New York City market, and have veto power over each other (and any other MLB organization). If the combined minor league stadium project did not involve both the Mets and Yankees, it is likely that it would have not happened. The park's naming rights were sold to KeySpan Energy, a utility company whose primary holding is the former Brooklyn Union Gas. Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeySpan_Park