Following the conclusion of the 2019 Major League Baseball Season, news broke the league had plans to cut 42 minor league teams in 2021. The biggest thought amongst many was this just so happened to be a quarter of Minor League Baseball’s club, but the biggest thought on the minds and hearts of Binghamton Rumble Pony fans & baseball fans in the NY Southern Tier was – that if the plan fell through, NYSEG Stadium would be left without a tenant.
The affiliation between Binghamton and the New York Mets stretches back to 1992 when the Mets first chose to plant their AA affiliate the B-Mets in NYSEG Stadium following just a single season in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as the Bills. The B-Mets name was held by the Henry Street ballclub tenants from 1992 until 2016, when the franchise held a renaming contest which ultimately resulted in the new Binghamton Rumble Ponies team name.
Throughout the Mets affiliation with the great city we all know & love, Binghamton, the AA affiliated squad has garnered 3 league titles (1992, 1994, 2014) and 3 division titles (1994, 2000, 2014). Many future stars which rocked & continue to rock Queens to this day have seen their baseball career have a stop in Binghamton. In close proximity to the city, it also has served as a purposeful place for an occasional rehab assignment of a star on their way back to the big league roster. The roots of baseball in Binghamton run deep.
When it was announced by New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson on November 10th that their would be baseball in Rumbletown in 2021, the area became ecstatic. Fans young and old have expressed their contentment and pleasure with the decision. Despite still not yet knowing what level of ball Binghamton will hold, that’s the least of worries for many hard-core fans.
Speaking with an anonymous fan who has had season tickets for many years, “I am so pleasantly pleased with the Mets decision to send an affiliate back to Binghamton for the 2021 season. Obviously the 2020 season derailed a variety of prospect development in the sport, I’ve spent too many nights over at the ballpark to see that building without a tenant. This stadium & this city are meant for baseball, and I can assure you after the fear of losing our pro baseball affiliation title – the fans are ready to get back in the seats and cheer on our team again. I for one will be in the seats myself when Opening Day 2021 rolls around, whatever that may look like.”
Of course so much still remains unknown on what a structured Minor League Baseball system will look like in 2021 as COVID-19 continues to plague the world, but one thing’s for sure – when the gates open on every baseball fan’s favorite day of the year, Opening Day, their will be a Mets affiliate in the city of Binghamton. The cities baseball faithful can breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice.
3 comments:
Well said Colby. I can't wait to get back to the Binghamton Ballpark. One of the best parks around. The word is that it will still be a Double A team. It makes so much sense for the Mets to keep their minor league teams close.
It certainly makes sense to have at least one affiliate nearby but I'm not sure that if you're limited to four, that you need to have all four in the same state.
A former writer for my site grew up in Norfolk and became a Mets fan because that's where the team's Triple-A club was. Does a kid in Binghamton not become a Mets fan because they only have two or three minor league affiliates in the state? Is what the Mets gain in local/state ties worth what they give up in regional/Eastern Seaboard ties?
It's good PR/politics to have all of the affiliates in New York. But it's not without drawbacks
Living about 12 miles from NYSEG stadium, I am ready to go back to the ballpark and keep this alive in Binghamton. As I put on another post someplace a while back, if any of you are planning a Binghamton (or Syracuse) trip, let me know - I'd love to meet up and put faces and names together. (Syracuse is about an hour and 10 minutes from my door - straight shot up Route 81).
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