Mets 2008 first round pick and Brooklyn Cyclones first baseman Ike Davis hasn’t had the best summer of his life in Brooklyn, hitting just .230 in 39 games, but it hasn’t been all bad. Starting his career with a 15-game hitting streak and showing great defensive skills at first, Davis quickly became a fan favorite at Keyspan. However, as the season has worn on, Davis has had to battle problems with injuries and consistency. Nevertheless, the poised and confident son of former big leaguer and rookie of the year finalist Ron Davis knows the season isn’t over yet and is primed for a late season turnaround.

DemBrooklynBums.com: When you were originally drafted, did you have a conversation with your dad to talk about what to expect in pro ball?

Ike Davis: Well, I was originally drafted out of High School [19th round 2005 by the Tampa Bay Rays] and I know a lot of people at this level, so I really knew what to expect.

DBB: You have this aire about you, I wouldn’t call it cocky, but I think it revels between confident and self-assured. You seem to always know what you want to say before you say it. Considering that, do you think you were trained at any early age to become a pro ballplayer?

Davis: I wouldn’t say that, but I have been in the spotlight for a while and it’s just something that I’m used to now. I’ve done stuff like this a lot from a very young age and now I’m accustomed to it. It’s a lot easier then it used to be back in the day.

DBB: You weren’t flustered at all the first time you stepped on to the field here like many of the younger player either.

Davis: Not at all. Like I said, this is nothing new for me. I’ve played in front of 30,000 people before. But I do think there is something special here in the park and the fans though. They don’t give up on you and they’re there with you until the end of every game. Hopefully we can start playing a little better at home for them.

DBB: You started your season off very strongly and now you’ve tailed off a bit and you’ve been injured. Considering that, where do you see your season going? Any expectations?

Davis: Before I got hurt [fouling a ball off his ankle that caused him to miss a few games], I was driving the ball hard and I was really happy with that. I’m still adjusting to the strike zone in this league. The strike zone in PAC-10 is much smaller; it’s almost like the major leagues. It wasn’t helping matters that I was going out there and arguing calls every night. I just have to go out there and hit.

DBB: Despite your struggles though, you’ve remained pretty poised and have never thrown your helmet or vented on the bench. Guys in similar situations at the big league level would kill to have that kind of patience. Considering your outgoing personality, has being this calm and focused been tough for you?

Davis: I’ve wanted to [lose his cool] at times, all the time actually. But baseball is a game of failure and it’s never about what you just did. The more you hang on to that, the less successful you’ll be. I always try and focus on what I’m going to do my next at bat and that’s why I can remain calm when things don’t go my way.

Notes-

Reese Havens appeared fine on Monday, but was scratched from Tuesday night’s game. If he is injured, I’ll have an update later in the day. The same goes for Davis who was taken out of the game as well yesterday.

Links-

Box Score to last night’s 6-2 Cyclone win

Also…

For those who didn’t know, you can vote for your favorite Cyclones to play in this year’s All Star game. Click Here to cast your vote!

Update- 8:00 a.m.

According to the team’s official website, Brad Holt, Chris Schwinden and Yury Santana will represent the team at the NY-Penn League All-Star game.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Hitting .368 with a .547 On-Base Percentage at Kingsport this season, outfielder Seth Williams has already been called up twice to Brooklyn in 2008. In spite of his success in rookie ball and opportunities to garner playing time this season at Keyspan Park however, the 22-year-old has struggled in the NY-Penn League, hitting just .130 in eight games. Nevertheless, he feels confident he’ll get a few more chances to show what he’s made of before the season’s through. Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com before the Cyclones took on the Staten Island Yankees on August 4, the chatty and confident Williams spoke about his game and playing in Brooklyn.

DemBrooklynBums.com: Most of the fans at Keyspan Park haven’t seen much of you this season. Knowing that, can you tell us a little about your game?

Seth Williams: Well, I’m a good defensive outfielder that has a big passion and love for this game. I’m not a real power hitter, more of a gap hitter with above average speed who likes to put the ball into play. I also love to win and I work real hard. In this kind of environment though, it’s not hard to get pumped up for a game. I’m loving it here. It’s really nice.

DBB: What’s so different about Brooklyn when compared to Kingsport?

Williams: When you think Minor Leagues, you think of really old stadiums with no one there. Kingsport is in the middle of nowhere and you get maybe a couple of hundred fans a night. You come here and it’s like the biggest stages and you have a lot of support. It helps a lot. In Kingsport, it’s harder to get locked in because there’s no nobody there. Here, there’s so much fan support and that makes it so much easier.

DBB: You said you pride yourself on being a good defensive outfielder. Is there someone at the Major League level that you try and emulate on the field?

Williams: That’s a tough question, but I’d have to say someone like Torii Hunter, who gives his all out there every night and isn’t scared of the fences and never gives up on the ball.

DBB: So you’re not scared of running into the wall for a ball either ?

Williams: No, but I’m happy it’s padded. That’s definitely a plus.

DBB: This outfield is kind of crowded now with guys like yourself and John Servidio playing reserve roles while Eric Campbell plays left field and Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Sean Ratliff sharing right field and center field duties. Where do you see yourself fitting in?

Williams: I was up here earlier in the season and I really liked it; I thought I fit in well here. I know I have to hit more though and I know I can. I’m just really enjoying the experience. I’m really happy to be here and looking to get a few more rips at the plate.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Ron Hatcher

By the way guys, I sincerely apologize for posting two Q & A’s in a row, but just like the Mets Single-A Affiliate I write about everyday, I needed a break too!

As sort of recognition of Daniel Murphy’s call-up to the Mets this past weekend, I’d like to share with you all this Q & A I did with him way back in September of 2006.

Enjoy!

BTW, expect something similar tomorrow on Eddie Kunz!

DemBrooklynBums.com: Heading into the offseason, what do you need to work on the most to be ready for next season and what will you be doing to work on it?

Daniel Murphy: First, I’m heading down to the instructional league to heal up a little bit more and keep on working; heal my knee and arm up and put myself in a situation where I come back bigger, stronger and faster so I can come into spring training and really help the organization.

DBB: What would you say is your biggest strength as a ball player? What do you bring to the field and to your team?

Murphy: Hitting. I think I also help in the clubhouse because I’m a happy go lucky kind of guy and I keep things light. Things can get pretty tense around a baseball team, so I think my attitude helps my teammates. When it’s time to play, we play, but when it’s time to have fun, we have fun too.

DBB: What did you think of your season this year? How do you think it went for you?

Murphy: I tore my PCL and strained my hamstring three weeks after my college season ended, so there are still things that I can’t do that I usually do, like read a ball hit to third or get an extra base on a base hit. If I’m struggling, I like to lay down a bunt from time to time and I can’t do that right now either. I played a little in the Gulf Coast League and Kingsport this year, I’m just trying to prepare myself for the future at this point and help my team anyway I can.

DBB: To give our fans a better idea of the type of player you are, who would you compare your game to at the Major League level and why?

Murphy: Growing up, I was a huge Tony Gwynn fan, I loved watching him hit. Some people compare me to Pete Rose because of the way I get down at the plate and because I hustle. He hits the ball a little better than I do though [laughing]. I just try and play the game as hard as I can, but I’m a little hampered right now, so I’m doing the best I can with what I have.

Notes-

New Podcast is up on I-Tunes as well, featuring an interview I did with Murphy on June 29. I didn’t think I was going to use the audio originally, but I still wanted to talk to him considering I remembered him from 2006 and how well he’s been doing. Happy I did now. Enjoy!

Click here to listen and download the interview on I-Tunes!

or stream it on the web here!

Photo by Ron Hatcher

In 2007, Cyclones reliever Stephen Clyne impressed scouts and media alike with an explosive slider and a fastball that put hitters away faster than a Chuck Liddell cross, going 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA and eight saves in 20 games. After spending most of the 2008 season in St. Lucie, where he went 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA in 27 games, Clyne was sent to Brooklyn a few weeks ago to be the team’s closer, a role he had for most of last season. Despite some problems in Brooklyn as well this season, Clyne has six saves and eight strikeouts in as many innings. Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com, Clyne talks about his game and being back in Brooklyn.

Dem Brooklyn Bums: You were the closer in Brooklyn a good chunk of last season. How does it feel to be back in that role this season?

Stephen Clyne: It feels great to be back. They brought me back because they were having problems late in ballgames. When I was in St. Lucie, they told me they got a call from management saying they needed me here and they wanted me to be their guy so I packed my bags and headed here. I was starting to pitch much better in St. Lucie and I’m hoping I can convert that into some success over here as well.

DBB: How are you a different pitcher from last year?

Clyne: I’m smarter. I’m a lot smarter. I respond better in different situations and I know that I’m a pitcher now, not a thrower. Being able to think my way through situations on the mound has helped me a lot in St. Lucie and again, I hope I can use it to my benefit here.

DBB: Do you have any idea if you’re going to spend the rest of season here or if your assignment is temporary?

Clyne: I have no idea. Like I said, I was brought in to help this team in the late innings and that’s what I’m going to do.

DBB: How were you getting along in St. Lucie?

Clyne: Things were going great. I loved the coaches down there and I had a good relationship with them. I put in a lot of work down there. I didn’t have a very good first half. It was really bad actually, but I managed to get myself back on track and started pitching really well. I think that’s why I’m here now.

DBB: You said you started off weak this season. What do you think was the turning point?

Clyne: I started off the season with a bunch of little mechanical problems and I think it got to the point where my hard work started to pay off. They had me doing a lot of drills that made me stay back more. Before, I was trying to throw as hard as I could. Now, I’m a pitcher and I feel a lot better on the mound.

Link:

Box Score to last night’s 2-1 Cyclone win.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Hitting .240 as a team for most of the season and coughing up a handful of leads over the past week on the mound, the Brooklyn Cyclones knew something had to be done to get their season back on track.

In a move more expected of a veteran hockey team, the Baby Bums, a team full of clean-shaved and fresh faced 21-year-olds, decided that the only way to change their fortunes this season was by growing mustaches.

Coming off of a 7-4 win on Monday, the move seems to be working in their favor.

“A few days ago, the whole team came to the conclusion that we needed to change something,” said outfielder John Servidio, who had a hit and two RBI with a few sprinkles of blossoming black upper-lip hair on Monday. “So all of us decided to grow mustaches.”

While the young and now more mature-looking Clones believe they are be setting new ground in their current cosmetic endeavor, using facial hair as a way to induce victories at Keyspan Park has been done in Brooklyn before.

In 2006, Brooklyn hitting coach Scott Hunter held a “best porno-star mustache” competition that alongside “clucky” a rubber chicken [Don't Ask], brought the team together in time for a surprise playoff run after a miserable start. French Canadian third baseman Ivan “Oppo Pop” Naccarata took the crown in the competition that season in a landslide that turned the Keanu Reeves lookalike into a young Captain Jack Sparrow.

Like the team of two years ago, these Baby Bums have also gotten off on the right foot with their new looks. With their bristled upper lips, these Brooklyn Cyclones are 1-0 since they threw out their razors.

As a result, the team’s confidence has seemingly gone through the roof.

However, while players like Servidio, Ike Davis and Jimmy Johnson currently have the seedlings of what may eventually turn out to be mustaches of Ron Burgundy-esque proportions, backup first baseman Jeffries Tatford is setting the bar pretty high with what looks to be the beginning of a killer ’stache.

“I’m enjoying this,” said Tatford, who already looked like a young Ringo Star with his flowing jet black locks and now looks like he’s on the CD cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with the rest of the ‘fab four.’ “The first couple of days have been good, but I think it’ll show better in a few days. I’m prepared to take this as far as I have to. My girlfriend isn’t here and I’m not out to impress anyone.”

Tatford isn’t the only one on the team that has met this new challenge with some resistance however.

“I called my girlfriend up and told her I was growing a mustache,” said lefty reliever Jimmy Johnson with a smirk on his face not seen since the first week of the season when the Cyclones were challenging for first place. “She said, ‘No you’re not.’ I then told her that I was because she’s not here and it’s staying, so we’ll see how long it lasts. I’m going to keep it until we start going bad. When we do, it’ll be off before I get here.”

Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo, while admitting he knew nothing about the team’s scheme, was elated with the team’s performance on Monday and sees it as a new beginning for his team.

If it was because of the added weight to their upper-lips, that’s of no difference to him.

“Hey, what ever works for them,” said Alfonzo with a laugh. “I didn’t know anything about this.”

Link:

Box Score to Last Night’s 4-1 Cyclones win

Breaking News:  5:00 P.M.

On my way to Keyspan Park today, I stumbled across one Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, who was on his way out and into a nearby car. When I got into the press box, I checked today’s roster and he wasn’t on it. I’ll try and find out anything I can, as soon as I can.

Breaking News: 7:00 P.M.

Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com before tonight’s game with the Vermont Lake Monsters, Zach Lutz told the media that he will be out for at least a week, recovering from a hematoma on his right quad he had drained in Manhattan today.

“I’m kind of in the dumps,” he said. “But I’m trying to stay positive.”

Update 8:30 P.M.

New Podcast is up. A special thanks goes out to Daily News Writer and Wave of Long Island Sports Editor Elio Velez for lending a helping hand this week.

Click Here to Listen!

Photos by Ron Hatcher