Hoping for a good season

Thanks for the preview, Jason. Syracuse Mets general manager Jason Smorol knows how to set the scene. The longtime Triple-A official always presides over our local Triple-A team’s annual opening house with a season preview that leaves my awaiting the arrival of this year’s batch of players battling to further their careers for the parent…

Time to dry off …

Baseball, please. As I reached the concourse of our Syracuse Mets’ NBT Bank Stadium, you know my eyes were drawn to the playing field. We’ve been hammered by snow and cold this winter. But for our Triple-A team’s annual open house, the temperature reached the mid-50s and the snow was in a big melt. We…

Time to think baseball in my world, yes

Here’s to Opening Day. The Syracuse Mets held their annual open house event his weekend. Melt, snow. Yes, it was time for me to drive the mile-or-so from our house to NBT Bank Stadium and think Triple-A baseball. More to come in the next few days.

Winter ball

Special effects. The Syracuse Mets opened up NBT Bank Stadium for a holiday get-together Friday night. They bathed the tarp covering the field in a cool seasonal green lighting. Holiday feel. They put out special T-shirts in the team store. There’s no place like our Home Plate Gate, even in mid-December when the parent New…

A bobble head for the kid

Looks like him! Terrific daughter Elisabeth admitted a case of FOMO when the rest of the family declared we’d decided not to attend the Syracuse Mets game that included a Mark Vientos bobblehead giveaway with admission to the first 1,000 ticket holders. Too hot lately. Rain in the forecast. That morning before the gates opened,…

Adding our autographs to the really big baseball

Pre-game signings. Our local Triple-A baseball team does a good job with promotions to help stir interest. Thursday night, the family was eager to get to the Syracuse Mets game early enough so that my dear wife Karen, terrific daughter Elisabeth, George Three and I could add our names to the really big baseball. The…

A gathering for Scooch

Cheer leaders. One of our recent trips to a Syracuse Mets game led to a big birthday party for team mascot Scooch. Team officials invited those who put on the suit to entertain teams in our city and beyond. The turnout was quite remarkable. Scooch (the one with the orange head, small blue cap and…

Back to our own Mets

Sunny day back home. After our big trip to see the New York Mets at Citi Field, it was interesting to hop in the car with my dear wife Karen, terrific daughter Elisabeth and fantastic George Three to take in a game with our hometown Syracuse Mets. Less than two miles from our neighborhood. Seats…

Love the night game

Here’s the pitch … There’s a different feel to the ballpark when the sun goes down. A night game in May always makes me happy to be out there. Not too hot. Not too cold. Ready for the pitch …

A double … rainbow

Yes, up there. The rain held up during our visit to our nearby NBT Bank Stadium to enjoy a night with the Syracuse Mets. Yet up there in the sky we did spy a beautiful double rainbow. That’s way more unlikely than a two-base hit, right?!