Past Ballparks of New York City
New
York City (Manhattan, Queens & Brooklyn)
September 29, 2007
By
Ken Schlapp
Our next journey stop was to visit the
most modern of baseball stadiums in Brooklyn, which is of course,
Keyspan Park (now MCU Park), the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
 The
stadium is located on Surf Avenue, between 16th and 19th
Streets in Coney Island. The Coney Island Beach borders the right
field wall and the old parachute ride towers over the stadium as
well. The first game at Keyspan Park was on June 25, 2001, when the
Brooklyn Cyclones defeated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 3-2 in 10
innings. This also represented the first professional baseball game
in Brooklyn since the Dodgers abandoned the borough after the 1957
season.
Keyspan Park is one of my favorite
places in the world. I had season tickets for a few seasons, and
went as much as possible.
 Walking
from the Stillwell Avenue train station to the ballpark is half of
the fun. You see the famous Cyclone and Wonder Wheel, which are
remnants from the areas famous amusement parks and freak shows.
From there, you have to stop at the Original Nathans for a hot dog,
burger, or even a beer, take a walk on the boardwalk, or try some of
the candy apples, pizza, and seafood from an earlier part of Coney
Island’s history that still exist on Surf Avenue.
Luckily, for us, there was a game
going on in the stadium when we got there, so we were able to go
inside to fully see the stadium and watch some baseball. Before
going in, we stopped to see the statue in front of Pee Wee Reese
with his arm around Jackie Robinson, which has come to symbolize
 Robinson’s acceptance on the Dodgers. The Dodgers Hall of Fame is
also located within the stadium. What may still be the best aspect
of the stadium is the view of the current amusement park beyond the
left field walls and the old Parachute ride beyond right field,
which almost acts as a distant foul pole. The scoreboard also takes
on a local flair with the design of the famous Cyclone roller
coaster on top. At the end of each row of green seats is the old
“B” emblem of the Dodgers and the current “NY” of the Mets, but I
would like to think it also represents the New York Giants, which
had the same “NY” emblem.
Actually
catching a game here is a great experience. The very Brooklyn fans,
accent and all, are as much a part of the fun as the game itself.
They love this team as much as they loved the Dodgers. I have been
to many minor league games across the country, but no place compares
to Keyspan Park at Coney Island.
From Keyspan, we drove back to the
past and to David’s Park Slope Neighborhood, to catch our last two
sites; The Washington Parks that the Dodgers played in prior to
Ebbets Field, and the wall of the Washington Park that the Federal
League’s Tip Tops played in.
NYC Ballparks Part VI |
