Raising a Mets Fan

Home Run Derby Too Deep Into The Night

In the (again) revamped Home Run Derby, Bobby Witt, Jr. came just short in his attempts to tie Teoscar Hernandez in the final rounds. It was great drama for what aspires to be a fun event. In turn, it aspires to draw fans to baseball.

In that, it failed . . . again.

The event had a listed start time of 8:00 P.M., but that’s when the unnecessary pomp and circumstance began. We should’ve known we were in for it when Ingrid Andress did her best Roseanne Barr or Carl Lewis impersonation performing the National Anthem.

It’s summer vacation, so I made a deal with the boys they can stay up for as long as Pete Alonso was in the event. Alonso didn’t get very far, so I relented and let them stay up longer.

And longer.

And longer.

By the time Witt’s last ball hit the base of the wall, it was 10:57 PM EST. Let’s face it. Most kids were in bed long ago, and even the baseball crazy dads had to eventually relent and send the kids to bed.

We’re constantly asking what can baseball do to attract a younger generation. Baseball fans are older, and Major League Baseball is looking for ways to attract younger fans.

This SHOULD be the perfect event. Kids LOVE stars. They love homers. This should be the event that captivates the young fan drawing them to the All-Star Game and the rest of the season.

That’s not happening at 10:57 PM. Instead, they wake up the next day. Check the iPad and move on with their day. There’s no live or die with the event or the sport. That was lost hours ago.

There’s a number of tweaks that could be addressed. The bonus round was superfluous and made the event drag. They could get rid of human garbage like Marcel Ozuna. Mostly, they need to find out a way to make this end at a more kid friendly time.

Dads have no issue letting kids stay up for the big sport event. I’ll never forget staying up to see Gene Larkin hit a game winning fly to left off Alejandro Peña scoring Dan Gladden.

The Home Run Derby certainly isn’t the World Series. Sadly, an event lacking Aaron Judge and most of baseball’s biggest stars makes this just a lesser event. Having Ken Griffey, Jr. there was a reminder of how big an event this once was (of course, Griffey was also the one who wanted out of the event).

Really, baseball is close to getting back to that point. It’s a tweak here. Finding better ways to get the stars (hat tip to Alonso and Jose Ramirez for participating). Whatever they do next, they have to make sure the event ends before 10:57 PM.

Once that happens, the younger fans can stay tuned in longer, and from there, new fans are born (or the current fans become bigger fans). As they tweak the rules to this event seemingly every year, hopefully, next year, they’ll find the right formula.

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Binghamton Rumble Ponies Ballpark Tour

Being a hockey dad means you’re traveling a lot and going/passing through places you may not normally travel. While you may be tired and want to go home after a tournament, sometimes it’s well worth making stops along the way.

Being the avid New York Mets fan I am, my family opted to stop in Binghamton. It made sense as a stop to stretch, eat, and of course, take in Mirabito Stadium.

One thing to know right off the bat is it’s pronounced MER-AH-BIT-TO. A local quickly corrected me when I mispronounced it.

More importantly, the ballpark is open everyday. I found that out when I mentioned to a security guard that I owned this site and was an editor at MMN and I was hoping to walk around the park. His response was, “Okay, well, everyone can walk around as long as they stay off the field.”

Right off the bat, the ballpark has that minor league feel we lose somewhat with the Brooklyn Cyclones. There’s not a bad seat in the house, and you’re right there for all of the action.

Rowdy the Rumble Pony on the outfield high top chairs was a nice touch. A nice touch describes much of the ballpark which embraces its own history as well as their affiliation with the Mets.

The bullpen carries the monitor “The Road to Queens Runs through Rumbletown.” That was certainly true for current Mets pitchers Grant Hartwig, David Peterson, and Drew Smith. It may also hold true for current Rumble Ponies like Christian Scott and Dominic Hamel.

In terms of the history, Binghamton has a “Binghamton Baseball Shrine” honoring all the Binghamton players of yesteryear. It’s there you are reminded Binghamton hasn’t always been a Mets affiliate.

As you can see, most of the players were before the Mets even existed. You see names like Whitey Ford and Thurmon Munson. You can see the Mets feel and acknowledgement with Jason Isringhausen on the far right.

For those wondering where David Wright is, don’t worry, he’s there. He just couldn’t make the main image and is instead off to the side on the door.

As odd as it was seeing him off to the side, it was even stranger seeing him with the number 44. For those that remember, Wright wanted to wear 4 (he didn’t ask for it) until Charlie Samuel decided Wright should wear 5 for Brooks Robinson and George Brett.

Shockingly, Samuel didn’t remember Robin Ventura of Grand Slam Single Fame. But, I digress.

Unfortunately, the Baseball Shrine is out of the main view, but it is en route to the gift shop. On the way, you will also see things like the lineups and league leaders (Eastern League and MLB).

The gift shop has what you’re really looking for with hats, jerseys, cards, and of course, stuffed animal mascots. You can get the jerseys personalized (but not t-shirts). It’s all reasonably priced with discounted winter items. I walked away with a cap.

The only downside of the trip to the ballpark was it was not a game day. That said, the staff was great, and my kids had a blast running through the park. Certainly, there will be a trip back to Binghamton to catch a game or two.

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My New Jacob deGrom Ornament

Every family has their holiday traditions. One of our family traditions has been going to Hallmark and pick out our Christmas ornament.

There are many reasons why this tradition came to bear. Mostly, it was trying to create a tradition and memories stemming from my mother being orphaned as a child.

In some ways, that made our Christmas tree an album or time capsule. Each ornament was a representation of what we liked each year of our lives. It reminded us of who we were.

It was a tradition I was eager and happy to start with my boys. The tree has Thomas and Lightning McQueen. In recent years, it’s given way to Harry Potter.

One of the fun things is my boys actively look for ornaments they think dad will like. This year, well, they did a great job even if the timing was less than impeccable.

Exactly one day after Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers, I received by deGrom ornament. Admittedly, it was just about the last thing I expected to see.

It honestly took me aback.

It wasn’t just deGrom leaving the Mets. For that, I will always have the memories of his greatness. Fortunately, I got to share some of that with my older son. Unfortunately, my younger son is not yet able to appreciate it.

The ability to share those moments is gone because deGrom is gone. There will certainly be other moments, but there may never be another deGrom.

And yet, there was still this moment. This moment meant more than any of the deGrom moments.

My boys picked out a deGrom ornament just for me. My youngest was thrilled because he knows just how much I love the Mets.

My oldest explained how important it was to have that ornament. To him, it mattered that deGrom was a great Met. He will always be a Met. We needed to remember that.

And with that, he understood the tradition better than anyone ever could.

At first, the ornament simultaneously represented how deGrom just left and how my sons picked out this great ornament for me. Now, it represents how much my sons understand why we have this tradition in the first place.

That tear in my eye wasn’t deGrom leaving. It was pride and love.

Now, every year after we’ll take out the ornament to hang on the tree. Certainly, it’ll remind me of deGrom leaving the day prior. It’ll remind me of all of deGrom’s great moments with the Mets.

Mostly, it’ll remind me of this special moment and just how lucky I am.

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Best 2022 Kids Baseball Training

When our kid loves a sport like baseball, the question is how can I help my child improve? What is the gadget or new training tool?

There are infomercials and commercials. There are incessant ads across social media. We’re reminded of Fred McGriff from our youth.

It’s not always about being a crazy dad trying to have your child make it when you couldn’t. For the most part, it’s just about investing in your child and letting them be better at what they love.

There are a number of different devices which can actually help. Of course, it’s difficult to know which device can specifically help your child.

There is good news. There is something universal which can help your child improve in baseball. I

It’s you.

Look, life gets in the way all the time. There are countless things to do at work and home which always get in the way. We all know you’re not being selfish by handling those things or the myriad of other things which always get in the way.

And it’s not just you. There are practices, birthdays, and play dates. There’s homework and projects. There’s rain and snow.

Still, in any week, there’s always time to be found.

So long as you have a glove and ball, you can have a catch with your child. There is literally nothing more you can do to help foster your child’s love of the sport and help grow your relationship than that.

Grab a chair and Whiffle ball. Throw all those crazy pitches to your kid. It works on their hand eye coordination and ability to see the ball. Mostly, it’s just really fun.

There are other things you can do like grab a tee and net. You can watch videos and hit the batting cage. They’re all great tools, but it’s no substitute for you.

So, as you see all these Black Friday deals, and you question what you can do, you already have the answer. The answer is you and has always been you.

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Mets No-Hitter Mattered

Baseball is different today than it was 20 or even five years ago. There was a time barring real injury risk a pitcher was never pulled with a no-hitter.

Now, there’s a premium put on pitcher health and the longevity of their career. Teams are looking to protect their investments.

That’s why Tylor Megill gets pulled after 88 pitches even though he held the Philadelphia Phillies to no hits over five innings. To some, it tarnishes the no-hitter saying it’s not the same, or it doesn’t count.

Honestly, if Johan Santana didn’t happen, there would’ve been some disappointment in it not being one pitcher. If it was another franchise, the excitement would not be at the same level. There, Jerry Blevins is right.

However, this is the New York Mets, and because of that, it just means so much more.

For me, it was memories of growing up. My dad would always allow me to stay up until the Mets gave up a hit because he didn’t want me (or him) to miss the first ever no-hitter.

To this day, I remember my mom urging my dad to send me to bed while David Cone had a no-hitter going. The fact the St. Louis Cardinals spoiled his bids twice makes me hate them all the more, and I’ll never forgive Felix Jose.

With Cone, we always rooted for him. We stopped everything to watch his perfect game. We did the same for Dwight Gooden‘s no-hitter. While they weren’t Mets at the time, they are forever Mets, and their heroics were worth celebrating.

The same goes for Tom Seaver‘s no-hitter. That glorious one came against the Cardinals.

For the Mets, they were defined by not getting the no-hitter. At times, you wondered if it was a curse emanating from them trading away Nolan Ryan.

But, then it finally happened. To some degree, because we’re Mets fans, we’re almost conditioned to believe it would never happen again. After all, how is it Jacob deGrom hasn’t come close to one?

For me, I got to experience this no-hitter in a completely different way. This time, I was the dad letting my kid stay up late. I was the one regaling him of stories of Mets greats and misses.

Of course, I was on the phone with my dad. First, calling him to make sure he had the game on. Next, to just share that moment only for it to be hijacked by his also wanting to share it with his overexcited grandson.

In a word, the moment was perfect.

That’s why I don’t care if Megill had to share the feat with Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz. All that mattered was the moment happened.

It brought back fond memories of my youth and why I became a Mets fan in the first place. I got to share it with my son who will forever have this memory. In the end, it was three generations of Mets fans celebrating a moment no one expected.

In the end, not only did that no-hitter count as a no-hitter, but it also mattered to Mets fans. It mattered more than anyone will ever know.

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Sticks Out For Teddy . . . And Stricter Protective Gear Mandates

On January 6, 2022, high school sophomore Teddy Balkind suffered a fatal injury. During a collision, a skate sliced his neck causing him to bleed to death.

At this point, we don’t know if he was wearing a neck guard or not. What we do know is two things: (1) they’re designed to prevent tragedies like this one; and (2) they’re not mandated by USA Hockey.

The second point is a massive problem. When you don’t mandate it, you allow children (and sometimes parents) to get lax with pieces of safety equipment. Moreover, when you don’t introduce it and/or enforce it with young players, they become less inclined to wear it as they age.

It’s more than that. There needs to be appropriate minimum standards. If you’ve seen hockey necks guards, they run the gamut. There’s the it’s a neck guard to say you have a neck guard to actual Kevlar.

Governing bodies need to not only set standards, they need to lead studies. More than that, they need to inform.

Most parents are decades removed from playing the sport. That’s even if they played the sport. Parents are only guessing what’s the correct and most up to date equipment.

In addition to neck guards, there are hockey wrist guards too. In baseball, there are chest protector shirts, and former New York Mets LF Cliff Floyd introduced protective cap liners to the market.

There is equipment out there. However, most parents don’t know about it, and worse yet, it’s not mandated. All of this needs to change. Teddy shouldn’t have died, and we can’t sit around and wait for the next tragedy.

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Marcus Stroman Is A Role Model

Getting to watch and follow Marcus Stroman since becoming a member of the New York Mets organization, it has been increasingly clear he is a role model. He has been that in every sense of the word.

Outside of being a terrific pitcher, what first comes to mind with Stroman is HDMH, i.e. Height Doesn’t Measure Heart. This mantra emanates from Stroman being a 5’7″ pitcher to make it to the Major Leagues, where he has established himself as an excellent pitcher. It speaks to believe in self and not allowing obstacles stand in your way.

Stroman has made it more than that. Aside from a mantra, it’s also an apparel line and foundation. We have seen him invite children to unique baseball events not normally available to them. He has also created uniforms for different youth baseball teams. We have also seen Stroman give of himself working with young players, especially during the early parts of the pandemic last year.

In addition to what Stroman does to help children, there is also how Stroman carries himself. He not only has a belief in himself but also his teammates. If you follow what he does and says, Stroman is all about building up yourself and those around you. That is a very powerful message he strives to deliver:

Keep in mind, Stroman is a fiercely loyal person who will do what he needs to protect those he loves. During the pandemic, he gave up millions of dollars to sit out the season to protect his family. Rather than risk his parents catching COVID19, he stayed home in what was his last season before free agency.

It didn’t matter to him that he was giving up money both that year and potentially in free agency. He did what he knew in his heart what was right. We see him do that in everything he does. That includes speaking out against injustices he sees.

If you are near and dear to him, he will continue to build you up and show the world all the ways you are great. He does that with his teammates, and he does that with his little brother.

Part and parcel in that is Stroman trying to become an increasingly positive person who tries to shut out the noise. We know he acknowledges the negative, but rather than dwell in it and drag him down, Stroman seeks to find ways to improve himself and the world around him. This is not just a one dimensional human being. He is one of the most unique people we have ever seen play the game.

Mostly, Stroman is the person he is, and he is unapologetically so. That’s great because he is a terrific human being who carries a great message. In everything he does, he not only seeks, but he exudes greatness.

This is someone who isn’t content. He is always trying to improve as a player and a person. Case-in-point, he follows around Jacob deGrom to learn from him. He has talked with other players to see how he can improve as a pitcher. This year, we saw those efforts result in a new split change and a phenomenal start to the season.

Lest we forget, Stroman is an intellectual in every sense of the word. Yes, even after being drafted and beginning is playing career, he did make sure to finish his degree at Duke University, one of the best universities in the country. It is more than that. He has an intellectual curiosity when it comes to his craft and everything in his life. Really, it is no mistake he is successful in nearly every undertaking.

When you look at Stroman, you see a real human being not only trying to be a great baseball player, but you are looking at a man trying to leave his mark on the world. He is trying to make himself a better person, and he is trying to make those around him better. Hopefully, even through all the naysayers and all the noise, he realizes he is accomplishing that goal.

Next time you look at Stroman, hopefully, you see more than a great pitcher. You should see a good person. You should seee a role model to hold out to the next generation of baseball players and leaders.

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Baseball Mitts Need To Become NBA Players’ Sneakers

When a really good NBA prospect is drafted, the question is which sneaker company is going to sign him. Invariably, it is Nike, and we see the shoe company put out new designs for those players. Inevitably, that leads to a rush of purchases for those exclusive sneakers, and it does lead to that players’ profile being raised even higher.

For other sports, this doesn’t work quite as well. While NBA players wear sneakers, which people, especially children, can wear everyday, you can’t wear cleats or skates on an everyday basis. So, to that end, other sports need to find a way to better market players and their equipment. If you look towards Marcus Stroman and Francisco Lindor, the answer to that might just be baseball mitts.

It used to be baseball mitts were basically two to three colors. There was the tan, the brown, and the black. Now, we are starting to see many more colors on the field as players begin to express their personality more. It is not just through the bat flips and celebrations. It is increasingly by what they wear when they take the field.

When it comes to fans, they love this, and when it comes to kids, they want to be just like their favorite players. That’s why they want to wear their favorite players jerseys and shirseys. If there was a special mitt out there, they may well go out there and try to get their parents to buy that too.

Yes, many players have their signature in baseball mitts. If you go to Dicks right now, you can go get your Mike Trout baseball mitt. It is just like the mitts they had 30 years ago where the only real defining characteristic was the signature. If you are Rawlings or another company, you could go out and change that.

Every year, you could have a release of the new fashion designed mitts for their top MLB players. They can make specially designed mitts for each player, and they could send that out to the market. For children, who need a new glove every few years (if not more), this could lead them to try to get a new one each year. The same could be said for older players who need to replace them more for wear or tear reasons.

This could very well be a unique opportunity for baseball companies to market MLB players. They could have a release during Spring Training or at some point during the offseason. Will it reach the height of the sneaker releases, no, but it doesn’t have to reach those levels. Rather, all they need to do is just raise the visibility of the product and the players.

If they can successfully pull this off, MLB players could see their popularity increase, and baseball equipment companies could very well see their product lines sell more. After all, what little Mets fan wouldn’t be running to the stores begging their parents to buy them the new Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Jacob deGrom, Lindor, or Stroman mitt as Little League seasons are about a month or so away?

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NJ Hockey Parents Should Be Able To Attend Games

Imagine this situation.

Your seven year old doesn’t just love hockey. He lives and breathes it. He practices and practices, and he gets so good, he gets an incredible opportunity.

Despite being a younger seven year old, he gets called up to play a Squirt game. There’s this little boy on the ice with 10 year olds. They just tower over him.

Undaunted, he steals the puck, goes the length of the ice. Despite getting knocked down by a larger kid, he gets the shot off, and he scores. He’s beyond excited, and just like he’s done since his first ever game, he looks to the crowd to look for his family cheering and giving him a thumbs up.

Except, they’re not there. Instead, it’s 19 degrees outside, and dad is sitting in a car desperately trying to get WiFi so he can watch this game.

Now, imagine finding out in another part of the state, parents were huddled together getting to watch their children on the ice. They got to see their children skating, but your child didn’t get to see his smiling and cheering family because of what now appears to be a completely arbitrary and capricious decision.

Well, that was my Sunday.

In that boondoggle that is the American Dream mall, parents were permitted to stand and watch their children skate. However, if that was a hockey game, they would’ve been cleared out because no spectators are permitted for youth hockey games.

Those people are masked, and the groups appear six feet apart. According to every COVID protocol we know, there’s nothing wrong with that. As hockey parents, that’s all we want.

But, we can’t. Believe it or not, we’re not even permitted to attend outdoor games. For some reason, that’s also not allowed.

Over the course of this season, kids have scored goals or made great saves. They’ve fallen and gotten hurt. They’ve had big wins and tough losses.

When those kids needed a reassuring face or a hug, there’s no one there. They just need to hope the WiFi was working so you could see the moment, and/or know they have to now try to convince someone at the arena they need to be allowed to enter.

Again, if this was an open skate or a skating lesson in a mall, this wouldn’t be an issue.

All hockey parents want is to see their children play. They’re happy and willing to do the temperature checks, fill out the waivers, wear as many masks as required, and stay as far away from everyone else as is required.

If it’s alright for a mall, it should be alright for a rink who has far less traffic and is better able to sanitize between games and events.

This isn’t pretending there isn’t a pandemic. It’s also not pretending there isn’t a need for safety measures. Making those counter-arguments purposefully misses the point.

Rather, this is about fairness. It’s about families and children.

So long as social distancing measures can be accomplished in an arena, and it can by marking off seats six feet apart like they do in restaurants where people eat unmasked, at least one parent per child should be permitted inside to watch their child play a game.

Really, this isn’t too much to ask.

We want to be there to celebrate. We don’t want to miss seeing them do what they love more than anything. Mostly, we want to be there to give them a hug to celebrate or to let them know it’s going to be alright.

Sadly, we can’t do that. Instead, we sit in idling cars in freezing temperatures hoping to get a glimpse. We hope not to miss anything, and we hope some day, someone will not punish our children and families because our kids are playing hockey.

Until then, we will all do what we need to do to permit our children to be able to play just like we’ve done all year. We’ll wait until we’re treated the same as that person eating in a restaurant, shopping in a crowded mall, or watching their child participate in a non-hockey ice event.

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MLB Needs Weekly Nickelodeon Or Disney Game

By and large, the NFL having a playoff game on Nickelodeon was a massive success. When you looked at it, there really wasn’t anyone with a true negative thing to say about the game.

At my house, my son wasn’t as enamored with the graphics. As he put it, “It’s not really slime; it’s graphics.” However, he loved how great a job Nate Burleson did teaching the game.

Specifically, he said he thought Burleson did a great job explaining the red zone. With the fun graphics, he got a better understanding of the sport there. He also had fun with the other kid friendly things like the NVP.

Like me, he was also disappointed there was no slime. It seemed like a big missed opportunity, but based on what we saw, it should happen next year.

And it should happen again. As a parent, I liked being able to put my kid in front of a sporting event and not have to worry about the commercials. I also really thought they did an extraordinary job explaining the game while not pandering or condescending to the kids.

On another important note, I’m not a special needs parent, but seeing the reaction on social media, it was a success for those families as well:

What the NFL did yesterday was truly remarkable. They need to be commended, and if you’re another league, they need to be replicated.

That goes double for baseball. We hear time and again people lament how kids aren’t following the game like their parents and grandparents. We hear about their difficulties attracting newer and younger fans.

Well, the NFL just gave it to them. They now have their template.

If you’re MLB, you should be more daring. This shouldn’t just be a single postseason game. Instead, they should have a game of the week with a children’s network.

Yesterday, we saw Nickelodeon could handle it. We also know MLB has a relationship with Disney by and through ESPN. It makes you wonder if they could instead opt to have a game on the Disney Channel.

As an aside, we know MLB and ESPN agreed to cancel the weekday games on Monday and Wednesday. Those are two days available right there to have the games.

Now, this is where people clamor for afternoon weekend games. That’s a mistake waiting to happen. At that time, parents are out with kids running to practice, games, recitals, birthday parties, and much more. The weekend afternoon is when kids are not at home.

And if they are home, they’re outside playing with their friends. They aren’t going to be cooped up in their living rooms when they can be outside playing or swimming.

No, the best time to do this is the weekday afternoon games. They could make the game start around 5:00 or 6:00 to make it a little more kid friendly. They could also do 7:00.

Whatever weekday time they choose, they need to find a way to make it work with a kid’s channel like Nickelodeon or Disney. They need to find broadcasters like Noah Eagle and Nate Burleson who do a great job explaining the game to kids.

We’re all aware of what a success the game was yesterday. Now, it’s up to MLB to make it a success for them and to grow the game.

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