Upstate vs. downstate.
Little town vs. big city.
New York-Penn League old guard vs. new symbol of the league.
Yes, there are a lot of contrasts between the two communities represented in the 2007 New York-Penn League championship series, Auburn and Brooklyn.
But there are also some similarities, hard as it may be to believe. Think about it, Brooklyn is a blue-collar community, very ethnic, a place where your neighborhood is as much a part of you as your last name.
It's a place where baseball is religion, where the ballpark is a cathedral for its citizens - a reminder of the good old days and the promise of a bright future.
Reminds you of Auburn doesn't it?
When you think about Auburn baseball fans such as Dancin' Bill Jayne and Dick “The Mouth” Malinowski, you imagine they would have fit in quite well at Ebbets Field, circa 1955.
Heck, the old Falcon Park was in as bad shape in 1994 as Ebbets Field was when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season.
Auburn doesn't have the “Boys of Summer,” as the Dodgers of the late 1940s and 1950s are fondly recalled in Roger Kahn's literary masterpiece but we have had our own kind of boys of summer, the hundreds of players that have come though Auburn since joining the New York-Penn League in 1958.
Brooklyn had Jackie, Pee Wee and the Duke, Auburn had Mel (Stottlemyre), Kenny (Lofton) and Aaron (Hill).
The Brooklyn Cyclones like to market that Dodger nostalgia with the blue caps with the white B on them and having former Dodger legends return to throw out first pitches.
Auburn has Abner, the double D cap and its new wall of fame.
Brooklyn is the New York-Penn League's attendance leader, more than 8,000 per game. Auburn is in the lower quarter, around 1,800.
More people in the United States could find Brooklyn on the map than Auburn (if it is on the map).
But on the baseball field, it's still the best team that wins, even in a short best-of-three series. The Doubledays have established themselves as a Pinckney Division dynasty, winning the last six titles.
This year, however, is so different because the person that division is named after, the person who the field at Falcon Park is named for, the person who put Auburn minor league baseball on the map is no longer with us.
Leo will always be a part of Auburn baseball, the memory of his image as much a part of the ballpark as the batter's box or the bases.
His wonderful smile and eternal optimism still lights up our ballpark and our city.
Leo always wanted one more New York-Penn League championship, and while it may come with him passed on, I truly believe he knows the Doubledays are trying to bring home the title to Auburn. If the Doubledays win, he'll be celebrating.
If not, he'll use that well-known Brooklyn saying: Wait 'til next year.
Sciria, The Citizen's assistant news editor, was sports editor from 1995 to 2006
New York-Penn League old guard vs. new symbol of the league.
Yes, there are a lot of contrasts between the two communities represented in the 2007 New York-Penn League championship series, Auburn and Brooklyn.
But there are also some similarities, hard as it may be to believe. Think about it, Brooklyn is a blue-collar community, very ethnic, a place where your neighborhood is as much a part of you as your last name.
It's a place where baseball is religion, where the ballpark is a cathedral for its citizens - a reminder of the good old days and the promise of a bright future.
Reminds you of Auburn doesn't it?
When you think about Auburn baseball fans such as Dancin' Bill Jayne and Dick “The Mouth” Malinowski, you imagine they would have fit in quite well at Ebbets Field, circa 1955.
Heck, the old Falcon Park was in as bad shape in 1994 as Ebbets Field was when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season.
Auburn doesn't have the “Boys of Summer,” as the Dodgers of the late 1940s and 1950s are fondly recalled in Roger Kahn's literary masterpiece but we have had our own kind of boys of summer, the hundreds of players that have come though Auburn since joining the New York-Penn League in 1958.
Brooklyn had Jackie, Pee Wee and the Duke, Auburn had Mel (Stottlemyre), Kenny (Lofton) and Aaron (Hill).
The Brooklyn Cyclones like to market that Dodger nostalgia with the blue caps with the white B on them and having former Dodger legends return to throw out first pitches.
Auburn has Abner, the double D cap and its new wall of fame.
Brooklyn is the New York-Penn League's attendance leader, more than 8,000 per game. Auburn is in the lower quarter, around 1,800.
More people in the United States could find Brooklyn on the map than Auburn (if it is on the map).
But on the baseball field, it's still the best team that wins, even in a short best-of-three series. The Doubledays have established themselves as a Pinckney Division dynasty, winning the last six titles.
This year, however, is so different because the person that division is named after, the person who the field at Falcon Park is named for, the person who put Auburn minor league baseball on the map is no longer with us.
Leo will always be a part of Auburn baseball, the memory of his image as much a part of the ballpark as the batter's box or the bases.
His wonderful smile and eternal optimism still lights up our ballpark and our city.
Leo always wanted one more New York-Penn League championship, and while it may come with him passed on, I truly believe he knows the Doubledays are trying to bring home the title to Auburn. If the Doubledays win, he'll be celebrating.
If not, he'll use that well-known Brooklyn saying: Wait 'til next year.
Sciria, The Citizen's assistant news editor, was sports editor from 1995 to 2006
The Citizens' Say
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