Sport in NYC

I%26#39;m a bit of a football fan (soccer to all you New Yorkers ) and am visiting NYC in mid August. Any suggestions what sports will be played between 9th and 13th of August. I%26#39;d really like to see some form of American sport and dont really know what is on at that time of year.

Sport in NYC

I%26#39;ll try to help you out, but I really don%26#39;t know much about sports. Summer is baseball season in the U.S. Our two major leageue teams are the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, but we have minor league teams as well (I think there are 2).

Sport in NYC

There are really only two major sports going on--baseball and pro football training camps. Major League Baseball is either the Yankees or the Mets depending upon which team is playing at home. But if you want to try something fun and different, the Brooklyn Cyclones will be playing in Coney Island. They are a minor league baseball team (if they were an English soccer team they%26#39;d be somewhere around division 2 and non-league but with 8,000 fans watching) that plays in a beautiful 8,000-seat stadium adjoining the beach, boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean in Coney Island. Most of the seats are taken by season ticket holders but some less expensive seats are available (Brooklyncyclones.com for tickets) on game day. You can spend a day at Coney Island going on the rides or lying on the beach, eating hot dogs at Nathan%26#39;s and then going to the game. Most games start at 5 pm. Coney Island is reached by subway about an hour from Manhattan.

As for pro football training camps, the Giants train up in Albany, NY, but the Jets train at Hofstra University on Long Island and their practices and training sessions are open to the public.

You%26#39;re in luck, Steve. I just checked their schedule (I think you might call it a ';fixture list';?) and the Yankees are in town during your stay. Their stadium is in the Bronx.

As luck would have it I have tried to follow American Football for the last 15 years or so on English TV. For my sins I tend to follow the Giants. How far is Albany from the city, can I get there and are the training camps available to the public. If the Giants are not possible then I may try the Cyclones. Only problem being I will be in NYC for only 4 days and will have wife and 17 year old daughter in tow. The chances of getting the two of them away from the city are as likely as seeing the Giants in a superbowl!

Steve. Why ruin an otherwise good vacation by going to see the Giants? Besides, Albany is nearly a four-hour drive from New York City.

If you need a sports fix and have a wife and daughter to contend with, I%26#39;d go with the Cyclones or the Jets practice.

The Cyclones play in a lovely little ballpark in Coney Island, not a bad seat in the house. After the game you could have dinner at Gargiulo%26#39;s, a legendary Italian restaurant just down the block from the park. There are rides, the beach, the boardwalk and the ocean. What could be better?

As for the Jets, they practice at Hofstra, which is perhaps 10 minutes away by cab from the Roosevelt Field Mall, one of the largest and best shopping malls in the U.S. Drop the wife and daughter at the Mall and cab it over to Hofstra to watch practice. You can arrange to meet %26#39;em back at the Mall at a designated time and location after practice. You%26#39;ll have to take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Carle Place and from there get a cab to the Mall.

Isn%26#39;t minor league ball over by August, Ruffian?

No, the Cyclones season runs through the end of August. Steve said he%26#39;d be here from the 9th to the 13th. The Cyclones have home games on the 10, 11th and 12th against the Tri-Cities Valley Cats, whomever they might be. Times haven%26#39;t been set yet but games usually begin at 5 pm.

And by the way, Steve, as far as things to do in Coney Island, I left off one of the best. You have to go for a ride on the Cyclone--the roller coaster after which the team is named.

Well what can I say-Coney Island and the Cyclones it is then. How easy are tickets to come by for an out-of-towner like me? The whole Coney Island experience sounds just great. Seeing as I dont arrive until August I%26#39;m sure many more questions will be winging their way over the pond. By the way my 4 nights in Manhatten will be spent at the Southgate Towers hotel-good, bad or shall I start worrying now?

Steve, you can check Brooklyncyclones.com for ticket info. There may be some day of game tickets available at the box office but those are likely to be in the outfield bleachers.

The Cyclones have been somewhat of a phenomenon. They are the first team in Brooklyn since the Dodgers left in 1955. In the league they play in, most teams average crowds of perhaps 2,500 fans. The Cyclones pack in 8,000 to every game and most of the tickets are purchased well before the season begins by season ticket holders. Brooklyn fans were so starved for baseball that in their first season the Cyclones sold out every game even before anybody knew what players would be playing on the team.

I don%26#39;t know much about the Southgate. Check the posts on the hotel section of this board.

By the way, if you need a football fix, the Metro Stars of the MSL should have started their season by then. They play at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Haven%26#39;t checked the schedule so I don%26#39;t know if there%26#39;s a game while you%26#39;re in town.

Ruffian42-as usual an immediate reply-thanks for that. Have looked at the posts for the southgate and they look favourable. I think I%26#39;ll definitely try to watch the Cyclones. I%26#39;m really looking forward to NYC and will no doubt post my itinery to see what you new yorkers can advise for me to do.

For all you fans of Man. Utd-at last a derby day victory over the Blues at the council house!