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New York Mets President Sandy Alderson had a busy week.
At 4:30 p.m. last Tuesday, Alderson waiting his turn to speak before an audience of both City of Syracuse and Onondaga County officials, was participating in dedication ceremonies of $25 million renovations of NBT Bank Stadium.
This in all likelihood wasn t his first or will this be Alderson s last appearance requiring he be handed gold-looking scissors, and to be among a group to cut a ribbon, and symbolically open a facility.
Reviewing his notes and adding to his soon to be delivered remarks, following Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Alderson had much to think about. He was the Mets general manager from 2010 to 2018, rejoining the organization when Steve Cohen purchased the club from the Wilpon family this past November.
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The afternoon started with a ribbon cutting ceremony and ended with a fireworks show. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson congratulated one another over the cut red ribbon. Thirteen months ago most Syracuse businesses were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. The city closed for 13 months and could no longer host the Mets’ Triple-A minor league team.
COVID-19 shut down the 2020 minor league season and NBT Bank Stadium a $25 million stadium renovation project funded by Alderson and Governor Andrew Cuomo stood still for a year before it even started. On Tuesday, 2,163 fans gathered outside NBT Bank Stadium for the first time since August 29, 2019.
Syracuse Mets set to welcome 2,000 fans for Opening Day
Daily Orange File Photo
On Tuesday, more than 2,000 Syracuse Mets fans will be able to see the new $25 million renovations in NBT Bank Stadium.
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The Syracuse Mets will welcome 2,163 fans back into NBT Stadium on Tuesday for its home opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. The game will be the largest in-person gathering in Onondaga County since before the pandemic.
The absence of Mets baseball in 2020 had implications on both staff within the organization and in the Onondaga County community, said Michael Tricarico, director of broadcasting and media relations for the Mets. Seasonal employees have gone without work, and interaction with fans has been significantly limited.