Brooklyn Baseball History
Brooklyn, if not the place for the invention of baseball, is certainly the place where the game took root. Check out these Baseball Highlights from Brooklyn's storied past:
1854: Foundation of the Excelciors, one of the first “Baseball” clubs that cared about talent and winning. They recruited local boys from working class neighborhoods to support the upwardly mobile social club. Their success caused other “Baseball clubs” to play Baseball. The Excelciors were followed by the Putmans, Eckfords and others in the Borough, and made Brooklyn the baseball capital of the world. The Excelciors played home games near Carol Park on Smith Street and President Street.
1858: Brooklyn versus Manhattan all-star's - first game with paid admission by the fans.
1862: Union Grounds was fenced in as a playing field by William Cammeyer to charge admission. The Field was on Lee and Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg.
1862: Jim Creighton, Brooklyn's star pitcher, dies of internal injuries sustained while playing baseball.
1863: Candy Cummings invents curveball for Brooklyn.
1864: Capitoline Field, located on Marcy/Nostrand Avenues and Halsey Street, built by Reuben Decker. This is the second fenced in Park ever built.
1860's: Brooklyn Stars invent the fastball, and defensive positioning. By the Civil War Brooklyn is exporting its star players to other cities and is considered the proving ground for any up and coming aspiring professional clubs nation wide. The first stolen base was in Brooklyn.
1880's: Washington Park built on the sight of the battle of Long Island on Third Avenue, the Stone House (built in 1699) is the NL Brooklyn clubs dressing room.
1890's: Washington Park II - first home of what would be later known as the Dodgers. Parts of it still in existence today.
1947: Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier.
1955: Dodgers win their only World Series in Brooklyn.
1957: We don't mention this year on this website :(
Brooklyn Egg Cream
I leave you with the recipe for making: 2 servings of a delicious Brooklyn egg cream. As I said on the other page, it used to be when a malted (in a real glass) was 25 cents, a pizza was 15 cents, a coke was 10 cents, a Nestle bar was 5 cents ... this egg cream was 15 cents. The ingredients are:
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup seltzer (from a pressurized bottle)
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup, such as Fox's U-Bet Syrup
Pour 1 cup of milk into a 12-ounce glass. Top with a shpritz of seltzer so that the white foam reaches the top of the glass. Place a spoon in the glass. Pour 2 tablespoons of the chocolate syrup into the glass, hitting the bottom of the spoon if possible, and stir with quick strokes to blend the syrup into the milk without deflating the foam. Repeat to make another egg cream. Serve immediately.
Any corrections? ... 
... you be my guest.All right, here's the way ... Old Brooklyn Used To Look ... some years ago, 1920?
Now for the history buffs ... Coney History 1609-1880 ... very humble beginnings.
And if that's too much ... Brooklyn - a Quick History ... for those in a hurry.
Great, here you can see an ... 1879 Map of Coney Island ... where everything was.
All right, here's the way ... Coney Island Hotels ... used to look years ago.
Remember when a ... View from Brooklyn ... looked like this?
Look, old Coney Island's ... Beach & Boardwalk ... used to looked like this.
And now, just for fun, only ... Old Brooklynites ... could possibly understand.
And now, old Brooklyn ... Remember When ... fond, recollections.
And a Brooklynese letter - Brooklynese … from Bill Gates himself.
And what do we have here - The Cyclone ... known all over the world.
They’d say, "Hey, I’ll kick you to Canarsie" ... that’s what they used to say.
Oh yeah, lest we forget - Brooklyn Now - The Modern Way - you will recognize it.
We'll return to the ... Navigator ... our contents page.