Cyclones-Yankees Rivalry Minor League in Name Only

My favorite Yankee is playing for the Mets, and this rabid Yankee fan is tempted to root for them.

Shane Spencer captured the hearts and minds of all baseball fans when he hit three grand slams in the 1998 postseason. There was something magical about this rookie from San Diego coming up from the minors and winning a World Series ring.

But the management of the Yankees decided he was expendable in their quest to get the best that money can buy and I find my enthusiasm for the team waning. Hooray, we have Alex Rodriquez, another mega-million-dollar player, so the ticket prices go up again. Sigh!

Perhaps it was also the looming strike by baseball players in 2002 that caused this niggling fear in my head that baseball is heading toward the same greedy, hedonistic excesses of the other professional sports.

But my interest has perked up since I read that the new manager of the Staten Island Yankees minor league team is none other than the legendary Tommy John.

When I told my son Wes, who's a sports buff, that Tommy John was the new manager, he immediately asked if I knew there was a surgery named after the former Yankee pitcher.

All sports enthusiasts know about the Tommy John operation, which is part of baseball's lexicon. In 1974, Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the permanently damaged elbow tendon of Mr. John's left arm with a tendon from his right wrist. The revolutionary procedure saved his career and he went on to win 20 games three times and helped lead teams to three league championships.

But as a mother, my strongest memory was of his son Travis falling three stories from his parents' apartment building in Manhattan in 1981.The entire city prayed for the critically injured toddler, who miraculously recovered and recently celebrated his 25th birthday.

Major League Baseball may be the arena for "beaucoup dinero," but there's still something of the romance of the game in the minor leagues and New York City is very fortunate to have two teams playing in the Penn league. The Brooklyn Cyclones are a class A affiliate of the Mets and the Staten Island Yankees are affiliated with the Yankees.

There is a healthy rivalry between the two teams that's much more fun than the infamous subway battles between their parent teams. That may be because of the two new beautiful waterfront stadiums that were built for the teams.

The Cyclones' Keyspan stadium is located in Coney Island and games there have a carnival atmosphere with the famed amusement park as the backdrop.

The Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George has the better view. New York Bay with the Manhattan skyline sparkling in the distance is hard to beat. It's also much easier to get to as it's located right next to the Staten Island ferry. Box seat tickets are only $10. You can check the schedule atwww.siyanks.com.

I went to the stadium Wednesday to try to interview Tommy John, but a former Yankee catcher, Joe Girardi, now a color commentator for the YES network, got to him first.

Before a rain shower cut my visit short, I couldn't help but notice the abundant male pulchritude warming up on the field. Ladies, forget the Hamptons - come out and see for yourself.

These are college age players from all over the country and from Central and South America. They are housed in Wagner College dorms and held to strict curfews. This league is a training league, so while we can't expect to see spectacular catches like those Derek Jeter often makes, this is where they learn to make them.

The atmosphere at the park is charged with small town-like excitement. For many of the players this is their first time in New York.

Pitcher Phil Coke, 21, of Sonora, Calif., who's on the disabled list but hopes to return next week, finds the city incredibly exciting. He recalls telling his father when he was only a very young child that he would one day be a major league baseball player. But to be part of the Yankees was beyond his wildest dreams.

He and infielder Jordan de Voir, 21, of Kennewick, Wash., were full of high praise and enthusiasm for manager John.

While the pay for these minor leaguers is very low, it's obvious they feel blessed for the opportunity to play in New York.

It is this humble joy of the game itself that is missing from most professional sports. That world seems to be replete with pre-repentant Jerry Maguire agents who've turned it into a game of "how much can we sock it to the owners who will then sock it to the fans."

But then I saw a notice about an upcoming event. On August 2, Yankee closer Mariano Rivera will be the guest of honor for the Summer Jump Off, sponsored by Athletes in Action. He will speak about his faith and how it helped him succeed in life.

I'll still be rooting for the Yanks.