Intro No. 73 RESOLUTION Date ,;;It 9/f r BROOME COUNTY LEGISLATURE Reviewed by fl , i... BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Co. Attorney ------'~=!ll:...c::..,-) ___ Date l u( '-t j l 'l

Sponsored by: County Administration Committee

RESOLUTION URGING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (MLB) TO RETAIN MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN BROOME COUNTY

WHEREAS, in November 2019 it was reported that Major League Baseball (MLB) and Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. are planning for a massive overhaul of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for the 2021 Season, and

WHEREAS, this proposal includes the elimination of 42 of the 160 MiLB teams, nearly 26%, which would include the elimination of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies from the Double-A Eastern League and would instead elevate the Brooklyn Cyclones from the Short-Season A New York-Penn League to take their place, and

WHEREAS, the Triple Cities of Broome County, Binghamton, Johnson City & Endicott, has held a long and vibrant tradition of baseball, which has included MiLB affiliations in both the New York-Penn League and the Eastern League, and

WHEREAS, the Binghamton Triplets had seasons in the New York-Penn League from 1923 to 1937, the Eastern League from 1938-1963, the New York-Penn League from 1964-1966 and then in the Eastern League from 1967-1968 before taking a 24-year break and re-entering the Eastern League in 1992 as the Binghamton Mets, and

WHEREAS, the Binghamton Mets were rebranded as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in late 2016 and will host the 2020 Eastern League All-Star Game, and

WHEREAS, the Eastern League of Professional Baseball was founded in Binghamton, New York at the Arlington Hotel on March 23, 1923, and the Binghamton Triplets, Binghamton Mets and Binghamton Rumble Ponies have enjoyed warm relationships with both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, and

WHEREAS, the Greater Binghamton area of New York has produced great talent, from the great Johnny Logan of the Boston/Milwaukee Braves (Endicott, New York) to Steve Kraly of the 1953 World Series Champion New York Yankees, who settled in Johnson City, New York after his playing days, to Joel Bennet, John Pawlowski, Jim Johnson and Rob Gardner, and umpires Ron Luciano, the author of five books, and Joe Mickel, and

WHEREAS, with a nearly 100 year rich and deep history of baseball, the Binghamton area deserves to be a market in MiLB; communities like Binghamton are the backbone and feeder system for players, managers, trainers, umpires, front office personnel and most importantly, the fans, now, therefore, be it Intro No. RESOLUTION Date ,ilim BROOME COUNTY LEGISLATURE Reviewed by Co. Attorney ______BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Date

RESOLVED, that this Broome County Legislature urges MLB and Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. to abandon this ill-advised plan to eliminate professional baseball in Binghamton, and save the Binghamton Rumble Ponies from extinction, and instead work toward a solution that allows small towns like Binghamton, New York to continue to be included and part of the most inclusive sport of all-time, the game of baseball, and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the Clerk of the Legislature shall forward a copy of this Resolution to MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MiLB President & CEO J. Patrick O'Conner, Eastern League President Joseph McEacharn, Binghamton Rumble Ponies Owner John Hughes, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Congressman Anthony J. Brindisi, Congressman Antonio R. Delgado, State Senator Frederick J. Akshar 11, Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch, Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend, Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo, and the New York State Association of Counties.