It’s almost crazy to think of a minor league baseball stadium built in 1992 as being old, but as the years go by – it becomes older.
To think that 1992 was more than 20 years ago will age a park, especially at the Double-A level. When NYSEG Stadium, in Binghamton, was built in 1992, it was quite the stadium. And over the years, it’s been used for other things, including high school football.
Home of the B-Mets.
But, in the landscape of baseball, it’s an older stadium. Though one thing is certain – it’s still a pretty nice stadium.
I usually make a few trips to Binghamton per season as it’s an easy trip, never a problem to park and there are no issues getting tickets. There isn’t a bad seat in the house and, unless you go on a few uber-popular days, you can usually lounge a little more when there. I’ve sat on both sides of this field, as well as in the “upper deck,” which came on this trip. The third-base line is better if you want to avoid the sun.
You really are pretty close to the action, which is always a bonus. There’s a train yard out over the left-field wall, so sometimes you may get a train going through. That’s kind of a cool thing, though. The fences are average or so in length, which gives you the opportunity to see some homers.
The day’s lineup.
There aren’t a ton of bells and whistles with this stadium. They do quite a few games and such and there’s a kids area down the first-base line. The food selection is decent and the prices are OK, but not stellar. Case in point – I purchase two hot dogs and a soda. The soda cost about as much as the two dogs and if I had wanted French fries, they would have cost more than $4. A little steep when consider the hot dogs were $1.75 each, if I remember right.
As a hot dog nut, I wouldn’t classify those served in Binghamton as the best I’ve ever had a game and it’s not even close. But, I did enjoy them as they were cooked right and tasted just fine. I’d go above average on the hot dogs, say a 3.5 out of 5 or a 7 out of 10.
Keeping book, as always, on my Eephus League Halfliner.
If you are looking to watch a baseball game, this is a good spot. The seats are pretty decent and you have a good amount of room. But if you are looking for a lot of extras, this might not be a place for you.
In recent years, there have been rumors about the Double-A team leaving Binghamton, which possibly could open the stadium up to be a Single-A team. This stadium, actually, would be really top-notch for that level (especially in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League), though drawing fans might take a hit in that regard. Still, even with the rumors, Double-A ball remains in Binghamton and, hopefully, it will stay that way.
Park Notes:
NYSEG Stadium
Binghamton, New York
Home of the Binghamton Mets (AA affiliate of the New York Mets)
Visited on: Monday, May 26
Opponent: New Britain Rock Cats (AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins)
Ratings (out of 10):
- Stadium: 7
- Concessions: 6
- Parking: 8
- Ambiance: 7
- Friendliness: 9
I am embarking on a summer of baseball with the plan to hit a minimum of 10 stadiums this summer. Hopefully, there will be more than that. I will report on each park that I hit on the blog.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!
Very cool. I have been to the minor league stadiums for the Yanks in Staten Island and Mets in Coney Island. Great stadiums and a lot of fun.
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I need to get to the one on Staten Island. I heard it’s actually a pretty nice place to take in a game.
Growing up in Orange County in Southern California, I never was exposed to minor league baseball. My dad would always take us to at least one baseball game a year in Anaheim (Angels), because it was very close and easy to get to. That and his two favorite baseball teams where the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. I can’t tell you how many White Sox games I saw growing up. Occasionally, we’d take in a Dodger game at Dodger Stadium, but that was farther away and we had to deal with traffic.
When I moved to Rancho Cucamonga in 1984, I continued to follow the Angels, as they were the closet team to where I lived, plus they were “MY” team. I root for the Dodgers just as heartily, but when push comes to shove, if they were to meet each other in the World Series, I would always root for the Angels but wouldn’t be disappointed if the Dodgers won.
In the 90s, Rancho Cucamonga built a minor league stadium and has been home to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Single A – first an affiliate for the Angels, now for the Dodgers. I first saw Mike Trout play at the “Epicenter” as the stadium is called, as well as many other well known Angels and Dodgers. I still prefer to watch baseball on the big stage, but every now and then, I’ll take in a minor league game.
I looked up the Epicenter after I read your article and was surprised to see that the Epicenter is “old” by your standards, having been built in 1993. It stands up well.
On a interesting side note. As we think about stadia on the major league level, I would assume that most people would think that most of the older stadiums are in the Eastern United States, and they would be right in that aspect as the two oldest, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field (Boston and Chicago) fit that bill nicely. Were you aware that the next three oldest stadiums in the major league are both here in California? You can win many a bar bet using that little tidbit. Dodger Stadium is the third oldest and Angel Stadium is the 4th. Oakland Alameda County Stadium, home of the A’s is the fifth oldest. And here’s another bar bet for you. I believe the A’s are the only Major League team left that still shares its stadium with an NFL team.
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I never really had the chance to see an MLB game until I was a young adult. The few times I remember my brothers being taken, I was younger and visiting family in Philly. They went to games and I got to stay back. Minor League games, to me, are more fun. It’s baseball in a more pure form. And there’s so many minor league teams, it’s affordable.
And… to think 1993 is an old stadium now. But, that also makes that stadium more than 20 years old. The way they go now… old. I love the older parks. Some can be fantastic to watch a game in. I’m going to be heading to an extremely old one this weekend.
Dodger Stadium — as well as Wrigley and Fenway — are on my to visit list. Oakland’s, not so much!
Sounds like a nice stadium. Our local team, Tulsa Drillers, is the AA affiliate for the Rockies. I’ll trade you, the Mets are my favorite MLB team.
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The best part of these minor league stadiums is there’s always something slightly different that makes them fun!