In 2006, the Cyclones gave everyone in the NY-Penn league more than ample proof that at the very least, they had the right name on their home uniforms. While making the playoffs in a magical second half run, the Clones were downright dreadful in the beginning of the season, losing their first handful of games with virtually no offense and sub-par defense. Many were quick to blame manager George Greer for the team’s problems scoring runs, wondering why he wasn’t as aggressive on the basepaths as former managers like Mookie Wilson and Edgar Alfonzo. However, after a while, it seemed that Greer’s master plan needed some time to come together and soon enough, the Cyclones offense was strong, while its defense was simply stellar.

In the beginning of the season, Greer was the kind of manager that many reporters liked as a person, but couldn’t work with as a journalist. He was a man of few words and the ones that did come out were basically stolen out of the “Bull Durham” book of clichés. After a great game, he’d explain how things happened in vivid detail, but when asked his feelings on something bad, he’d reverberate things like “Things are going well enough, we’re just waiting for things to turn around.” As a young reporter, it was kind of hard to break through to him. I mean look at the guy’s resume, a standout college and minor league ballplayer, who captained a team that featured the likes of Thurman Munson and an amazing college coach. Anyone with that kind of experience in baseball really knows how to pick their words, making it difficult to get him to really open up, but after about a dozen games that season, something happened.

Aside from a bunch of players being reshuffled on the team’s roster that obviously made the team a better one, the media that usually come around for special events and the beginning of the season began to fade in number and the “Regulars,” or guys that cover the team the whole season stayed and continued to ask the same questions. Eventually, Greer became a great quote and someone that was actually fun to talk to. While he doesn’t have the likeable personality of Alfonzo, Greer has a kind of dry charisma and passion that is easily noticeable by anyone. Overall, he reminded me of Joe Torre a little bit.

However, unlike Torre, Greer knew how to manage a bullpen and I believe that was the sole reason why the Cyclones were as solid a team as they were that season. He also knew how to get his team fired up, evidenced by the times I saw him get ejected from games or get in the face of a player who wasn’t hustling. That’s not to say he was a bully. Not even close. He was more of a taskmaster that knew how to get the most out of his players. I think among everything else, his players knew that too and they really worked hard for the guy.

Currently the hitting coach for the Savannah Sand Gnats, Greer is still helping young Mets prospects develop into quality ballplayers.

Images by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Conroy Walker

When I originally started doing these types of pieces, it was supposed to be a way of recollecting on past players and to let newer fans know more about the team. However, this post is a little different. I’ve wanted to write about Tim Haines for quite some time now and even though I’d love to have his words in here, I feel I can still do an adequate job of explaining his brief stint in Brooklyn, which ironically was like a roller coaster that provided more knots in stomachs than it did thrills.

Drafted by the Mets in 27^th round in 2006 from the University of Texas Pan-American, Haines was a sleeper prospect with plenty of talent. In his last year in College, he had a 2.06 ERA, 10 saves and 52 K’s in 35 innings. However, despite those stats, 813 players were selected in the draft before him. While he was in Brooklyn, I didn’t know much about him and from what I saw, he was a charming, straight-arrow kind of guy that was surprising a lot of people with just how good he was. I never had a reason to think anything bad about the kid.

For example, before every Cyclones game, players catch ceremonial first pitches from fans and celebrities. Those players are usually fan favorites or guys that are more outgoing than some of the other players. For instance, Jason Jacobs used to do it all the time when he played here. When Haines was in Brooklyn, he too would do that and was also one of the media’s favorite players to talk to. Being my first season as a beat reporter that year, I was looking for anyone that could make my job a little easier. Haines was a down to earth guy that didn’t mind talking, so I got as much information from him as I could. When I could, I really enjoyed just shooting the breeze with him and the other outgoing players on the team. Simply put, they made my job a blast.

After a few games, it seemed like the Cyclones bullpen would be their biggest strength. Guys like Joe Smith, Grady Hinchman and Jeremy Mizell were playing great and Haines too was definitely on the same level. Going 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 games, Haines was proving he was a more than capable pitcher at the Single-A level. Add in the fact that he was a bit wild at times and his delivery was comparable to Chad Bradford’s, it seemed that with some more polish, he could definitely be a Mike Myers-type pitcher in the big leagues one day.

However, by the time people started appreciating Haines, everything started to fall apart. On July 20, 2006, about a month into the season, the Cyclones played in a 26-inning game that exhausted their entire pitching staff to the point where they had to use right fielder Mark Wright for a few innings, who ironically wound up blowing out his arm in the process and giving up the losing runs in 6-1 defeat. Haines, however, never appeared in the game and no one knew why. After the game, I spotted him by the side entrance to the clubhouse and he walked by me with his head down. A few days later, another reporter told me he was suspended 50 games for using banned substances. Words can’t describe how shocked I was when I found out that this string-beaned, six foot one, 170 pound pitcher was accused of using performance enhancers. I didn’t want to believe it at first.

Then over the next few days, a maelstrom of articles hit the papers about Haines’ rebellious activities in college, including shooting out a window with a bb-gun and other activities I never thought he’d partake in. I even heard from another reporter that the day before the marathon game, Haines had failed to make curfew and was out on the town all night with a player who was called up the same day and as a result, missed the team bus to practice the next day. Again, as a person I was completely shocked. As a reporter, I had to know more.

It just so happened that his mother read my work on my official site and commented on it a few times. In the process, we chatted on AIM a few times and I got her e-mail address and phone number, so I decided to call her and find out whatever I could.

Upon calling her, which was the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point in my journalism career, I was told that Tim had decided to stay quiet until everything calmed down. While I can’t discuss what else was said over the phone that day, I will say that I could tell that the incident had rocked the entire family and they were just trying to get through it in one piece. It was tough asking questions and not being able to get the answers I needed to write a piece, but I feel it was a great learning experience as a journalist and an even bigger one as a person.

While I’m sure Haines learnt his lesson, spending the length of his suspension in Florida, working out with team officials, the Mets released him shortly after it was over, taking away any chance he had at redeeming himself. Playing in independent ball last season, Haines had mixed success, but seemed to take a step backwards in his development. I don’t even know if he’s in baseball anymore to be quite honest. Nonetheless, I hope one day, I can talk to Tim again to see how he’s doing and find out the real truth about his brief time in pro baseball. For the time being, all I can do is look back and say he was a damn good pitcher the last time I saw him play.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Conroy Walker

When Zach Lutz went down after two at bats last season, many Cyclones fans wondered who was going to fill the void at third base. However, the wondering didn’t last for long as JR Voyles quickly established himself as a dependable replacement on the field and in the batter’s box. After replacing Lutz on Opening Day, Voyles hit a three-run homer to give the Cyclones their first win of the season and kept the team going in a positive direction after the highest drafted player on the team was injured.

As the season wore on, Voyles became something of a fan favorite, quickly being dubbed J-RBI by Cyclones announcer Warner Fusselle and J-Money by yours truly. However, as the season wore on, Voyles was hit by the injury bug and it hurt his overall production, which could have been immensely better than the .254 batting average and 29 RBI he ended up with by season’s end. He was also drilled in the head by a pitch towards the end of the season in what had to be one of the scariest accidents I have ever seen on a baseball diamond. However, Voyles was back the next game [with a shiner the size of a coconut mind up] and even though he didn’t play, he gave his team the drive to continue their playoff push. A man of few words, Voyles, like a few of his teammates, did his talking on the field.

“It feels good to have an important role on the team,” said Voyles after he began to establish himself with the team, reaching base in eight of the team’s first nine games last season. “Eventually, everyone is going to get hot. Good hitting is contagious.”

While he wasn’t much of a talker, Voyles did say on more than a few occasions that he was happy he was playing so well because he didn’t see himself being more than a pinch-hitter/ defensive replacement on the team that year. Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo thought otherwise though.

“I don’t know why he thought he wasn’t going to have a big role here, because right now, he’s so important to this team,” said Alfonzo. “I knew in extended spring training that he was something special and now he’s proving it. He’s a gamer. He does so many things well and he’s been a huge reason why we’ve been so successful this season.”

While so many would quickly point to his stats as the reason why he was so liked by the fans, I beg to differ. Seeing this guy battle for a spot on the team and then go out and make the most of it really made him endearing to the fans and more importantly, his teammates, who looked at him as kind of a spiritual leader. Again, while he wasn’t nearly as successful in the second half of the season, he was the team’s MVP through the first 40 games of the season and was one of the reasons why they made the playoffs.

Currently hitting .260 with 13 hits in 16 games this season for the St. Lucie Mets, Voyles is now proving that he can hit at higher levels in the organization. Able to play second base and shortstop in addition to the hot corner, Voyles may just continue to surprise a few people as he advances through the organization.

Photo by Daniel Wos 

I remember early last season when someone showed me a Micah Schilling baseball card from 2002 that said he had a swing like Will Clark. “What the hell is this guy doing here,” I said aloud, wondering how and why a former first round pick from another organization could wander his way into the organization. Then I looked up his stats and the answer hit me like a ton of bricks.

Before last season, where he hit .283 in 71 games, Schilling never cracked .270 in five years in the Indians organization, all in Rookie and Single-A ball, prompting them to give up on the 24-year old. Far from washed up, Schilling turned in a solid season for Brooklyn last year, hitting in virtually every slot in the lineup and playing solid second base. He also showed solid speed, swiping a career-high 13 bases. A few years older than most of the other guys on the team, Schilling was a more than capable leader, but wasn’t very adamant in the club house. Instead, he was more the silent type, who did his talking on the field.

With so much more experience than his teammates, Schilling definitely had some stories to tell. I wouldn’t be surprised if he helped a lot of the youngsters along last season when things got tough. One story he told me, about being an 18-year old prospect in the Indians system, showed just how much he’s been through and how tough he’s had to work over the course of his career.

“Age-wise, it’s not a big deal, but maturity and interests wise, it’s huge. I couldn’t even go to bars or restaurants with some of the guys if I wanted. On the field, it was hard too because I was always the youngest. Now I’m older, but I think it’s an advantage, I have a lot more experience now.”

For that, I had a lot of respect for him. A lot of people in his situation could have been bitter to the media. I mean, this is a guy that most people expected to be a star at this point and instead, he’s stuck in Single-A ball. However, Schilling talked to whoever wanted to hear his story or just pick his brain. In the end, I think he was one of the most approachable guys on the team, making me wonder why he was even there in the first place. He definitely proved himself on the field when he had to and he showed the moxie of a professional ball player by the way he carried himself. Nonetheless, the organization never sent him up during the season.

With that being said, I certainly expected the guy to get a chance at making St. Lucie’s roster or maybe even Binghamton this season. However, as of right now, he hasn’t had a single at bat at any level in the organization this season, making me think he’s stuck in extended Spring Training. As much as I’d like to watch him play again, I’d much rather see him in Double-A at this point in his career. If he is stuck in Brooklyn again this year, I hope it’s not for long.

Photos by Daniel Wos

Since I’ve already discussed how dominant guys like Joe Smith, Eric Brown and Tobi Stoner, I figured I almost had to talk about Jeremy Mizell, who arguably was just as successful in 2006.

Signed as a free agent from South Eastern Louisiana University in 2006, Mizell went 2-0 with a 1.18 ERA in 18 appearances for Brooklyn that season. While Joe Smith got a lot of the credit for the Cyclones success after a horrible start that year, it was usually Mizell who was setting the table for him. The fact that Mizell relied more on solid off-speed pitches and mixes them in with a good fastball, rather than the overpowering heat Smith brought into every game, was easily one of the reasons why Smith was so successful why he was in Brooklyn.

However, while he was a completely different pitcher than Smith, that didn’t mean he didn’t have good stuff. Throwing a two-seam and four-seam fastball with a good changeup and an even better curveball, Mizell could have been a solid starter that season as well. He had good control, mixed his pitches well and never relied on the strikeout or groundball. Like many older pitchers, Mizell didn’t care how he got hitters out. That was one of the biggest reasons why I think he was so dependable in 2006.

His presence on the mound was also more than solid. A big Roger Clemens fan growing up, I saw a lot of that, not in his stuff of course, but just how he looked on the mound. He never got flustered and always maintained his composure out there.

“I’ve always looked up to Roger Clemens because I like his attitude; give me the ball and I’m coming after you with everything I got. Some days he gets beat, it’s not very often, but for the most part, he’s coming right after hitters and that’s the kind of attitude I’ve always had,” said Mizell. “I’m going to come after you with my best stuff and if you beat me, I’ll tip my hat to you.”

To hear a young reliever say something like that and then see him prove it on the mound all season, you’ve got to like his chances at making something of himself.

Nonetheless, for a guy that didn’t give up an earned run through the first ¾ of the season, the guy didn’t get that much media attention. Despite that though, the league was smart enough to see his talent, making him a selection to the 2006 NY-Penn League All-Star game.

For a guy enjoying that type of success, he was also pretty humble.

“It’s my role to come into games in late innings and get us out of jams,” said Mizell during the season. “I’m just the guy that bridges that gap between the starter and the closer.”

Even though he struggled last season as a starter with Savannah, going 3-15 with an ERA of 6.75, I still think he’s got the potential to be a solid middle reliever. His lack of velocity may hurt him as a starter and leave him too open to be successful, which means his only future would be out of the bullpen. He’s still listed as active on the Sand Gnats on Milb.com, but I have no idea where he is in the system right now, which means he could have either been released or is injured.

Regardless of what happens to him in the future though, I’ll always remember how successful he was in Brooklyn in 2006.

Photos by Conroy Walker