Tom Gamboa returning to Coney Island as Brooklyn Cyclones manager

Cyclones’ Savvy Skipper Back for Second Season at the Helm

March 31, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Tom Gamboa will be back for a second season as Cyclones manager this summer on Coney Island. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Cyclones

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More than four decades in professional baseball just wasn’t enough for Tom Gamboa.

The Brooklyn Cyclones’ 67-year-old manager will be back for a second tour of duty on Coney Island, the New York Mets officially announced last month, after leading the Baby Bums to their 14th consecutive winning season and falling just shy of a New York-Penn League playoff berth last summer.

“I am really looking forward to my second season with the Cyclones,” Gamboa said. “The fans in Brooklyn always made me feel welcome, and their passion and energy made playing at MCU Park an unbelievable experience. I just hope this season we’ll have a chance to experience the excitement of playoff baseball on Coney Island.”

Gamboa, who has served on several big league coaching staffs and managed successfully at virtually every level on the minor league circuit, guided Brooklyn to a 42-34 record in 2014, finishing in a dead heat with Connecticut for the league’s final playoff berth.

However, by virtue of a 4-2 season-series advantage, the Tigers edged the Cyclones for the spot, leaving MCU Park without playoff baseball for the first time in three years.

“Baseball is a really funny game. But sometimes that’s how the game goes,” Gamboa noted after learning that Connecticut had rallied for a dramatic 9-8 victory over Lowell on the campaign’s final day to end Brooklyn’s playoff hopes.

The Rancho Mirage, Calif., native will be joined by returning pitching coach Tom Signore, new hitting instructor Yunir Garcia, athletic trainer Kiyoshi Tada and strength coach Joe Lego as the Cyclones once again begin pursuit of their first NY-Penn title since their magical inaugural 2001 campaign.

“The 2015 season will be a very special one for our franchise,” said Cyclones Vice President Steve Cohen, who has been with the club during its entire tenure here in our fair borough.

“We will be celebrating our 15th season as a franchise and will be welcoming the 4,000,000th fan through the gates of MCU Park,” he added. “But we are also hopeful that, under the guidance of this very experienced staff, we will return to the playoffs and contend for a New York-Penn League Championship.”

Opening Day for the 2015 season is Friday, June 19 at rival Staten Island, with the home opener scheduled for the following day, also against the Yankees.

Full season, partial season and group plans for the 2015 season are on sale now by calling 718-37-BKLYN.

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In other MCU Park-related news, the New York Cosmos announced last week that the club will play a regular season game on Coney Island this coming season.

As part of its spring schedule in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the Cosmos will face the Ottawa Fury on Saturday, May 2 at MCU Park.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

“2015 marks Raúl’s debut season with our club,” Cosmos Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover said of the Spanish National Team legend. “So we’re delighted to have the opportunity to play our first-ever game in Brooklyn and to continue to connect with fans and the soccer community in New York City.”

“MCU Park is excited to host the New York Cosmos, a club that has been instrumental in the development and popularity of soccer in the United States” added Cohen. “Bringing professional soccer to Coney Island is another step in proving that the borough of Brooklyn is one of the best and most diverse sports markets in the country.”