Associated Press
NEW YORK ó Change you can believe in: A minor league team is swapping its name in tribute to Barack Obama.
The Brooklyn Cyclones will change their name to the “Baracklyn Cyclones” for June 23 and give away Barack Obama bobbleheads to the first 2,500 fans in honor of the new president.
Special red-white-and-blue jerseys will be worn by players and auctioned during the game, with proceeds going to the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The team, a Class A affiliate of the New York Mets, will have an “Economic Stimulus Package” from Jan. 20 ó Inauguration Day ó until Jan. 23, selling tickets at $5-$10, matching the levels of its inaugural season in 2001. Regular prices are $8-15.
In addition, the first 1,000 fans get free Band-Aids as part of “Universal Health Care,” all fans named Barack get in for free, fans named McCain or Palin get free bleacher seats (“a bipartisan consolation prize”) and any plumber named Joe gets two free tickets.
“One for himself, and one to ‘spread the wealth’ with a friend,” the Cyclones said,
Fans will receive American flags when they leave, what the Cyclones called “a clear-cut exit strategy.” The Cyclones are reserving four seats behind the plate for the first family, in case it can attend.
“Steve Cohen, our GM there, came up with it, and Dave Howard worked with him on it,” Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Tuesday, referring to the Mets’ executive vice president for business operations. “They ran it by me. I said if you think this is going to be good for ticket sales and you like it, let’s go. It created a little bit of excitement.”
The Mets aren’t worried of running out of the bobbleheads.
“We could make it Baracklyn week,” Wilpon said. “We’ll keep ordering bobbleheads if the people if the people come coming.”