Second Season: Day 51

This evening was the Binghamton Mets opening dinner, and "welcome back," gathering. We arrived at the Double Tree banquet room at 5:15 pm, so that Kyle could sign autographs with team until the supper began at 7 pm. At first, I couldn't fathom why the team would need so much time for autographs at a dinner in a relatively small town. I was shocked to see fans lined outside the hotel as we walked in, and as the time passed the line for autographs wrapped around the entire banquet room, into the hallway, through the bar and out towards the common area of the hotel! We sat with another player, his date, and with some folks from the local community. The speakers were informational, but brief. I learned that this year marks the hundredth year of Binghamton hosting a professional baseball team. The Crickets, Bingos and Triplets have all resided here in Binghamton, at some point, since 1877. Of the players who have played here, 741 of them have gone on to the big club and made major league debuts. And I discovered that Binghamton also has a minor league hockey team! Kyle and I had a blast, but were relieved to head home relatively early in preparation of the opening game tomorrow.

Kyle sneaking a selfie during dinner.

The new Binghamton Mets being acknowledged for their accomplishments last season.