Monday, February 13, 2012

What The Binghamton Mets Taught Me

Towards the end of last week reports began to surface about Binghamton losing their AA baseball team and therefore losing their Mets affiliate.  Nothing is final yet, including any selling and official moving of teams, but it does seem certain that the Mets will have a different AA team beginning in 2013.

I know Binghamton is not an ideal location for any baseball team of any level, but there will still be a part of me that will be disappointed when this affiliation is over.  I gained interest in minor league baseball from following Mike Nickeas and Josh Thole on the B-Mets.  I continued following even though they had moved forward in the organization and I found other minor leaguers to focus on, such as Kai Gronauer.  The B-Mets were the first minor league team I saw in person.  They were my first experience of minor league baseball.

The B-Mets brought me closer to baseball than I ever thought possible.  They showed me a side of the game I had never seen before.  They showed me the gritty, hardworking, grueling side of the game.  They were the first team that really showed me where all these major leaguers come from.  They have to spend years in the minor leagues before they really get their shot.  And just because those years are spent playing a game, it doesn't mean it's all fun.

The 2009 Binghamton Mets was the first minor league team I really knew anything about.  Since then I have only wanted to know more about minor league.  I want to look at the game in even more ways than I already am able to.  I just wouldn't have the same interest if it weren't for the B-Mets.

The Mets will have a AA team in 2013 and beyond.  Where the team is won't change which players are assigned to the team.  I just know I'll be a little bit sad if the team isn't the B-Mets.

Let's Go Mets!

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