Road Trip: Binghamton

 On the final day of our trip, we decided to do our driving after the Tri-City game to be in Binghamton, New York, and do some hunting for collection items before the Binghamton Rumble Ponies game enabling us to start our travel home faster in the afternoon.

We started on the outskirts of Binghamton for an outside flea market that was huge with long and multiple rows and at Jimay's Outdoor Flea Market, you pay a dollar on arrival, which is either a parking or attendance fee but was well worth it considering the number of tables to check out.

I wound up adding a few items that I bought to give to Ryan with autographed photos of former Binghamton and later Ottawa Senators Ray Emery and Jason Spezza and I found a small Philadelphia 76ers ball and a souvenir cup from the Spectrum picturing Moses Malone and Charles Barkley along with a program from the 1970s between Oneonta and Niagara Falls.

It was lots of walking and the terrain was only sometimes friendly to Fred but he found lots of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars for his grandson, so it was a success.

Before the game, we had time for one more stop, and in a well past its prime, former strip mall, P&J's flea market was found, despite its flaws, I found a few items that made it worth its time.

P&J's is located in two former department stores and the pair must have been the anchors of the mall as both were expansive and seemed like that was their original use.

I found a serving container with a base piece and then multi-colored portion parts for Cherie ( it can be seen above the Phoenix Suns pennant on the right side) that is definitely from the sixties or seventies and the pictured pennant of the Phoenix Suns and Kansas City Kings.

Although it was the Kansas City version of the Kings and not the version that I always look for, the coveted Kansas City-Omaha pennant, I was happy to grab both and while both aren't mint, they were more than acceptable at four dollars apiece.

There also were pennants from the same era for the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons but both were in much worse condition and I reluctantly passed.

I am always a sucker for items from the seventies and early eighties from the NBA/ABA and the NHL/WHA because there are so few items that are available to collect.

If you didn't attend a game, it took a lot of work to find souvenirs from those leagues as mainstream stores rarely carried items from the local teams, let alone anything from other ones.

It was a bit musty and if you are allergic to many things, you might want to pass on this one but the best finds often come in strange places.

After we left the flea market, it was over to the field for a return visit to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, who were the Mets when I last visited, and more importantly a chance to see my friend Jason Christensen for the first time since the pandemic.

Binghamton was a surprise survivor of the MLB purge, mainly due to the intervention of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, and they have made some improvements to the facility although honestly, I didn't see a lot of difference in the fan experience.

I visited Jason Christensen for the first time since Covid and enjoyed catching up with him.

Jason and I have talked occasionally since the pandemic but not as much of late since my change in work schedule and spending time talking was a trip highlight for me.

After leaving the stadium, Jason accompanied us to Bingham's which is a restaurant that is located just along the New York/Pennsylvania line, for a meal before the final four hours of driving.

It was a great trip and we've already started a trip plan for next year that would include Portland, Maine, Manchester New Hampshire, and other stops on the way.

I've been taking my time and writing less of late as I know that I'll be ramping up with the looming start of football season but I do have another road trip post or two that I hope to finish soon before the pigskin kickoff! 

Retro night/Devils Notes

It's retro night in New Jersey and I've been more than a bit lazy in keeping on the Devils.
When I work a lot (and I have been),sleep is sometimes hard to come by and the Devils have been the team/part of the blog that have paid the price.

I'll add a few game notes from the retro night game vs Washington and the all time worst announcing pairing in the game,but there are two news notes that I wanted to write about first..

The note that will affect the team right away is the claim of right winger Stefan Noesen off waivers from Anaheim.
The 2011 first round pick of Ottawa was a main piece of the trade with Anaheim that sent Bobby Ryan to the Senators,but has never been able to break through on the main roster there.
Noesen scored his first two career goals for the Ducks this season in 12 games before being waived.
Noesen is still young as he turns just 24 in a few weeks,so this is a low risk acquisition for a very low cost and a player with talent that might just need a change of scenery.
New Jersey placed winger Beau Bennett on injured reserve to make space for Noesen on the roster...

The other note isn't as important in the short term,but perhaps more important in the long as the Devils are expected to announce over the weekend after approval from the AHL at their all-star game that they will be moving their AHL team south in New York from Albany to Binghamton.

Albany ranks 30 (last) in attendance in the AHL with just 2,888 fans in a 15,000 seat arena with Binghamton being 29th of 30 in their final season with the Senators as the Senators were bought and will be moved to Belleville Ontario for the 2017-18 season.
However,Binghamton still averages 3,436 in an arena that holds under 5,000 at Floyd Maines arena and Binghamton is paying the Devils two million to make the move as well as providing the staff to run the team.
The Devils will now enter their third city in the top minor league since 2010 having left Lowell,Massachusetts to move to Albany.
I have mixed feelings on the move.
I feel for Albany because it always is bad to lose a team,but in an era that sees the AHL move to bigger cities,attendance is becoming an even larger issue for the league and under 3,000 fans a night in a large arena looks really bad.
Binghamton had their team pulled out from under them and from the day the move to Belleville was announced,the word spread that Binghamton was not going to lose hockey as the league was going to make sure the city was taken care of.
For me,it's easier-Binghamton is still four hours from here,but it's an easy drive (unlike Albany) and I can see me doing that for an early or late season trip some year...

It was retro night as the Devils returned to the loved red and green for an evening.
Sadly,of all teams to play,it was the Washington Capitals as the opponent and between the Capitals being very good,their announcers being very bad and forced to watch their network (so we missed all the old school video clips),this was the worst team for me to have as the opposition on retro night..
It all proved to be true as Washington chased Keith Kinkaid and defeated the Devils 5-2.
Devils goals to Adam Henrique ( 12 Power Play) and newcomer Stefan Noesen (3) in the defeat,
New Jersey now gets some time off as they will not play until next Tuesday against the Red Wings in Detroit.

Hell Raisers

1) Keith Kinkaid had been the goalie that had been playing with Cory Schneider dealing with ineffectiveness and illness.
Tonight,it was Kinkaid that was ineffective and was lifted after four goals in a period and change...

2) It wasn't all on Kinkaid as two of those goals were created by poor defense.
The Alex Ovechkin goal came off a strip and go from Kyle Quincey that was very soft on the part of Quincey.
I know Ovechkin is a star and the officials call things very tight on star players these days,but you cannot completely refuse to touch the guy like Quincey did..

3) And then there's Jon Merrill,who handed the Capitals a goal by doing exactly what you are trained not to do when pressured near your own net-move the puck toward the net.
Sure enough,Merrill's puck move deflected off Adam Henrique and into the net.
Dumb hockey...

4) I hope the period and a half of strong play by Cory Schneider and then resulting break for the All-Star game can get him back into gear a bit.
Schneider made two spectacular saves and looked very sharp in relief.
You want this team to turn around after the break?
Cory Schneider needs to be the person that steps up..

5) I did like what I saw from Stefan Noesen,who scored the first goal for the Devils.
Noesen was quoted as saying he could bring a player that likes to crash the net and bang away to a team that needed it.
If Noesen can bring that,he'll stick for a while...

6) I still love the red and green and if the owners (post-Lou) want to make a change and yet be respectful of Devils tradition then a return to the red and green makes a lot of sense to me...

7) Wrapping up,the Devils are tied with three other teams (Carolina,Buffalo and Detroit) for last place with 49 points.
It'll be interesting to see if the Devils attempt to improve to make a playoff run (seven points out of the final spot),try to add a player from a cap strapped team or rollover for a higher pick in the draft.
None of those would surprise me,but I suspect the Devils will be sellers rather than buyers as trade deadline time nears....

8) Editors note:After the game the Devils sent Seth Helgeson,Steve Santini and Karl Stollery to Albany....

Bouncing around in Binghamton

Look for more soon and actually I wanted to do more today,but it was time for the long awaited Windows 10 update and that took a few hours.
I still have plenty to catch up on up,but I figured that I would start with the first fun part of my vacation as Mike Oravec and I traveled up I-81 to see my friend Jason Christensen and a initial visit to the Binghamton Mets stadium.

It's a easy drive from the Hub City,straight up I-81,one turn off an exit and you arrive at the stadium,so it is incredibly easy to find.
Mike and I cruised up and ate at an interesting place called the Spot Diner,not too far from the stadium.
The Spot is a very roomy restaurant that specializes in desserts-as in many of them!
Mike had a dessert that I am having trouble remembering the name of,while I deferred.
Believe it or not,I'm not a massive dessert person,but I did (almost!) order one for a change.
My order was a Reuben on wheat with a side of fries and it was quite good.
I am trying (small steps) to eat better with small adjustments and one is trying to eat whole wheat bread.
I've cut as much white bread out as I can,despite having to develop a taste for wheat,but there is no way that I can enjoy a sandwich on rye,which is the traditional manner in which a Reuben is served.
I give the Spot a high grade and a trip to Binghamton (which is in future doubt) wouldn't be the same without it....

When we arrived at the stadium,the lot was a decent sized walk to the left field gate.
Jason was sitting outside and greeted us with a hello and a swapping of various items for the rest of the season.
Rumors have been floating around Binghamton much like Hagerstown over the last few years that their team is soon to be gone from their area.
The difference is that there is a committed buyer (and more) involved that would result in a tumbling domino affect that would see the AA B-Mets in Wilmington Delaware,the current High A Blue Rocks sold to the Texas Rangers and moved from Wilmington to Kinston N.C. and leaving Binghamton with the hopes of maybe bringing a New York/Penn league team to town (most likely Batavia,but possibly Auburn or Vermont).
Binghamton allows an entry to the left field gate,but that entry does not allow one to return,so you might want to have your ducks in a row before entering the ballpark.

Binghamton's NYSEG stadium reminded me of an amalgam of two different parks that I have visited to-Potomac and Reading.
The elevation of the stadium's seats brought to mind Potomac,but the covered concession areas and the actual seating itself made me think of Reading.
Jason told him where to stand as I had more cards for the B-Mets than for the visiting squad from New Britain,
I really wanted to add the rehabbing Travis D'Arnaud on his two Top 100's and Jason said he had been signing,but Binghamton had a curve to throw.
The team corded off an area on the field for players to sign-if you were under 14.
D'Arnaud signed for them and passed on the rest of us.
Bad luck,but rehabbing players are usually far from a sure bet.
I did get pitcher Akeel Morris on his Bowman chrome,but this night wasn't about graphing as much as the other things.
I didn't eat at Binghamton because I was still full from the Spot,but Jason did buy me a lemon italian ice,which was quite good and at three dollars,a pretty reasonable price.

As I most often do,I climbed the concrete steps to sit high above the field.
I usually find the true fans of the game that you know-come for the game,there.
Not the wine and cheese crowd with beer in hand in the lower levels or the screaming for t-shirt bunch,the people that come for and love the game .
My pictures are a little crooked,but the Kindle fire is a touchy camera that that I still haven't quite mastered.
It's made for the notorious "Selfie" and lacks a rear viewing camera,so it's a balancing act for me.
Binghamton's team shop was pretty ordinary.
Actually what it reminded me most of was the old Hagerstown team shop before someone thought that it was a better idea to fill it with 20 year old games.
It was smallish,not well lit,but was functional enough.
I loaded up with B-Met teams sets for others and Mike was gracious enough to use a discount to snag me what he said was the last 2015 St.Lucie set in the place.
I've always wondered why teams didn't stock team sets of the feeder teams and Binghamton was smart enough to take advantage of the idea.
For example,if I ran Hagerstown,I'd order 25 sets of their feeder in Auburn and have their sets available.
I left the St.Lucie player cards that were now with Binghamton with Jason,so they could get signed,but the majority were placed in the pack for next season when they will be promoted to AA.

Binghamton's offense exploded and Jason said that we could come back anytime because "it's the best that they have hit all season!"
That led to the best part of the night.
I always have had a soft spot for the WHA hockey teams and especially the Hartford Whalers before their move to Carolina.
Brock Peterson hit one of his two homers on the night and the PA system blared "Brass Bonanza",which was the Whalers fight song after they scored a goal.
As I clapped,cheered and wondered why in the hell Brass Bonanza was being played at a Binghamton baseball game,Jason cleared it up with an explanation of Binghamton's AHL team formerly being a Whalers affiliate and corresponding name and the B-Mets kept it.
Note to the Hartford team entering the Eastern League next year-If you don't find a way to use Brass Bonanza,you are dropping the ball!


Considering that home was four hours away and the score was a lopsided 11-2,we decided to motor down the road and not get home too late-even still I got there around 1 AM.
I really enjoyed catching up with Jason and meeting his various friends from the graphing circuit.
It was fun connecting faces with the names and I'd certainly go back with the ease of the trip,especially if the right player/teams was there to graph.

I liked Binghamton.
It wasn't the greatest stadium as it isn't modern or even old enough to be considered a throwback classic,but I had a good time.
Isn't that what baseball is all about???

Next post will deal with the lovely Cherie and I's trip to Altoona!