BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- The wait is over; the Binghamton Mets officially have a new name.
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are now the Class AA minor-league franchise for the New York Mets. The team announced the new name and new look, in front of an exuberant audience at Ben Franklin Elementary School on Thursday.
Back in April, fans submitted more than 1,500 ideas for a new name. Team officials narrowed it down to six finalists: the Bullheads, Gobblers, Rocking Horses, Rumble Ponies, Stud Muffins and Timber Jockeys. The goal was to create a name that would be more reflective of the Binghamton community -- and after 6,000 votes, the Rumble Ponies emerged.
The Rumble Ponies is a tribute to the Triple Cities' carousel heritage. The team says it is a herd of fierce horses that no carousel center pole can contain.
"I thought back when [to] we would go to the carousels, we would go with my grandfather, who was a really big part of my life,” said Nicole S., who submitted the winning name. “Now, when I take my kids, I just watch their joy and amazement at the horses."
"What we are doing is creating an identity that is local to the Binghamton community and represents the community," team owner John Hughes said. "I think that's our objective, not just to create a new logo or sell merchandise. Our objective is to go out an find an identity that fits with this community, and tie this team to the community."
Team officials say it took all summer and more than 100 revisions to come up with the logo and red, blue and silver color scheme.
"I think the colors are representative of the fighting spirit of Binghamton,” said Hughes. “Not only the fighting spirit, but the proud heritage."
While Hughes says fans were resistant to the change up front, he thinks they'll embrace the new name.
"We're going to have the lovers convert the haters. That's our goal," he continued. "One of the things for the people who aren't really happy, I'm energized by their passion. To me, the biggest thing they could do is be indifferent or ambivalent, because that means they're not a passionate fan. I like the passion. I enjoy the challenge."
The team will take the field for the first time with its new look on April 6. Its first home game is April 13.