It was a rare weekend where the kids had no cheerleading and what better way to spend the day than at a football game! Princeton has a fantastic program that I recommend any families in Jersey to look into. When you join their Kids Club for free, there is one game designated for each ticketed athletic event where the kids are no charge (parents used to be free too, but they dropped that). The season opener was that one for football and the Tigers held a youth sports clinic before the game at an adjacent field. After trying out different sports, we headed inside, where a section of the concourse had a bounce house, Jenga and other games. Perfect, while I watched the game. It was a beautiful afternoon and the writing seemed to be on the wall as Princeton jumped out to a 21-0 lead against San Diego, just six minutes in. They racked up 338 yards and 35 points by the end of the 1st half and had a huge lead. What I didn’t account for is that maybe the California kids were suffering from the cross-country travel and 9 AM body clock start. I couldn’t believe what I witnessed in the second half as the Toreros held the Tigers to just 64 yards! San Diego scored 28 unanswered and won 42-35, thanks in large part to a Jae’Von Reels forced fumble late. There also was this ridiculous catch during the game. That whole event took up the day and only cost a grand total of $35 for three of us (free parking, tickets and concessions for lunch). Afterwards, we made our way to Nassau Street and with plenty of good choices, ended up at Jammin’ Crepes for a sweet treat. Princeton Stadium’s review can be seen here.
The next day, with the Bills not playing and some other things freed up, I couldn’t resist getting a taste of playoff baseball. It’s been 18 years since I was at Binghamton’s ballpark (now called Mirabito Stadium) and a lot has changed in my review process. I made the two-hour trip to the Southern Tier for a thorough tour and chronicling of this ballpark experience. The team is no longer the B-Mets as they are now known as the Rumble Ponies. That’s a very minor-league ish take on this being the Carousel Capital of the World. At least they have their own identity and not an MLB hand-me-down. My prior ventures to Binghamton made me think it is a drab place and that overgeneralization was probably unfair. I went around downtown a little more and was surprised at the decent architecture and a pleasant variety of bars/restaurants around Court and State Street. The ballpark is a half mile away and while that immediate neighborhood isn’t all that appealing, I liked the old-school bar (Mad Monk’s) right across from the entrance. Mirabito Stadium is also nicer than previously seem: the underneath concourse is not as dark and wall decorations went a long away…..the Spiedie actually had flavor….and the fans were into the game. It was the playoffs and not all minor league cities have a decent crowd when you take away group outings and what not. Binghamton showed out decently with a half-full stadium and an energetic crowd. On this day, it was Erie that brought the noise at the plate and their emphatic 14-4 victory send them back to UPMC Park, one win from their 3rd straight Eastern League title. I was there last year when they beat Somerset and will try to tune in online to see if they can get it done again tomorrow or Wednesday.
Here’s an updated review of Binghamton’s Mirabito Stadium and the ranking went up a whopping 13 points since I last visited.
Stadium and Arena Visits 