Baseball, hotdogs, Budweiser, and the 4th of July. My weekend couldn’t have been more all American if you painted it red, white, and blue.

Everyone’s heard of the Yankees and the Mets, but did you know there’s another baseball team in NYC?

The Brooklyn Cyclones play minor league baseball all summer at Coney Island.

The games are super fun and low key. No one will spit on you for wearing an opposing team’s hat and the beer is nearly half the price than at Yankee Stadium. There are fireworks after every Friday game and you can take a spin on the actual Cyclone roller coaster before heading home.

Makes for a perfect summer NYC night out with friends. Or a summer lovin’ date. Tickets range from $10-20 and there’s not a bad seat in the teeny tiny stadium.

It’s strangely intimate, like you’re routing for your high school baseball team. All the players are fresh out of high school and still dream of making it to the majors next season. But for now they play under the backdrop of an abandoned amusement park ride.

When in Coney Island, eat a Nathan’s hotdog. It’s practically mandatory. In celebration of America and our national obesity problem, I ordered a giant foot long hotdog. There it is in all its glory, smothered in every topping I could get my hands on.

We were so close to the field it scared me. Every time a foul ball popped up to left field I cowered, sure it was coming right for my cranium. Yeah…have I mentioned recently I’m not all that into sports?

But I’m wearing a backwards baseball hat! Don’t I look “sporty”?

Yes. I realize no one has used the word “sporty” since the Spice Girls in 1997. That’s around the time my jean jacket was new, too.

Hey, I’m not that into sports, but baseball is my favorite of events of the athletic variety. What? No one says that either?

Even so, my friends and I had a blast at the Cyclones game. But we were probably a true sports fan’s biggest nightmare. We had long discussions rating the butts of the various Cyclone players. We belted out the BAH BAH BAHs in Sweet Caroline at a volume that would’ve impressed Ethel Merman. Best of all, we poured over the program and read aloud every bio of the Beach Bum cheerleader squad.

“SPORTS!” my friend Lilly yelled.
“What’d you say?” I asked.
“SPORTS!” she repeated.
“HAHA! I thought you yelled ‘FARTS’!”

The entire row in front of us left by the 7th inning. If you were sitting in Row E at the Cyclones game on Saturday night, I’d like to say, “Sorry, not sorry!”

At the 8th inning and things got really exciting. I couldn’t take it, I had to run out of my seat at the bottom of the 8th. Why?

Because the sunset was amazing!

Instead of watching the Brooklyn Cyclones score the run that would tie up the game, I watched the sky turn beautiful colors over the rides of Coney Island.

I returned to my seat just in time to watch the Cyclones loose to the Brooklyn Tigers.

Not even the biggest fan (let alone me) could be bummed for long though! Because FIREWORKS! They shoot off right from the edge of the ball field- crazy close.

The Brooklyn Cyclones have home games in Coney Island every weekend in July. Check them out between now and the season end on Labor Day: click for their full schedule. It’s a fun time, probably even more so if you actually love sports!

Hope you had a great 4th of July weekend. Was it as all-American as mine? Grill any giant hotdogs yourself?

Thanks for reading! Until we meet again next post, OR on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat @newyorkcliche!