| Binghamton, NY - NYSEG Stadium (Page 2) |
| The Games 1) We (my son, older daughter and I) saw the B-Mets play the Norwich Navigators on April 24, 2000. It was a preview, of sorts, of the 2000 World Series � the Navigators are the Yankees� Double A affiliate. On the way to Binghamton, we were listening to a Mets-Dodgers game. We lost the signal soon after we crossed the Pennsylvania border into New York, as the Mets were rallying in the bottom of the 9th. We later learned that they scored, to win 1-0. We arrived at the ballpark well before game time, yet a game was already in progress. I was relieved to learn that they were completing a game from a few weeks earlier that had been delayed due to rain. The B-Mets broke a 2-2 tie, scoring 3 times in the 6th to take the win. In the scheduled game, Norwich took the lead in the 1st on a solo homer by Paul Ottavinia. The B-Mets tied it in the bottom of the inning on a solo shot by Alex Escobar. After another run by Norwich, the B-Mets scored 4 in the 3rd to take a 5-2 lead. Norwich came back with 4 in the next inning on a grand slam by Erick Almonte, 1 in the 7th on a HR by Nick Leach, and 2 in the 8th thanks to 2 Binghamton errors. The B-Mets had 5 hits in the 9th and scored 3 times, but left 2 men on base, coming up short, 9-8. Those 2 errors cost them the game. 2) On June 24, 2001, we (my son and I, and our friends, both father and son) saw the B-Mets play the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double A affiliate of the Florida Marlins. We drove to Binghamton from Cooperstown on June 22, but the game was rained out. We ended up seeing a doubleheader on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The B-Mets took the first game, 6-4. Drew Niles hit 2 homers and drove in 3 runs for Portland, but it was not enough. Rob Stratton hit his 17th home run and drove in 2 for Binghamton. In the second game, Earl Snyder and Rodney Nye hit homers for the B-Mets in a 3-2 loss. Two of former major leaguer John Wathan�s sons, Derek and Dusty, played for Portland. I wondered whether two of their teammates, Ben Candeleria and Heath Honeycutt, are also related to former major leaguers John and Rick. My son was successful at one of his favorite ballpark games � Spot the Scouts. There were a handful of scouts sitting behind the plate, making notes on clipboards. My son went over to speak to them for a while. |
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| Copyright 2002 Chris Trapani All photographs and text on this website and webpage are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the holder of the copyrights, Chris Trapani. Direct all e-mail inquiries to [email protected]. |
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| A restroom with team spirit. |
| The field, from the first row. |