THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

But the choices for a new name for the Double A Binghamton NY Mets are not really all that much better. While they are not giving up their affiliation with the Mets, they are seeking something different from the parent club.

The Mets’ Class AA affiliate has been located in Binghamton, N.Y., since 1992. Throughout that time it has had a logical, informative and slightly bland name: the Binghamton Mets.

That will soon change. Next year at this time, the team could well be the Binghamton Stud Muffins.

“Mets” is definitely out. The team has turned to fans to find a replacement nickname with greater links to the area. Ideas were solicited online, and 1,500 were received. The goal, said John Hughes, the team president, was “a name that captured and embraced the community — something with a positive, uplifting story to it.”

The team has selected six finalists, and fans will now vote for a winner. Four of the choices allude to the local merry-go-rounds that have given Binghamton the nickname the Carousel Capital of the World: the Rocking Horses, the Rumble Ponies, the Timber Jockeys and, yes, the Stud Muffins. The choices are rounded out by Bullheads, celebrating a local fish, and Gobblers, in honor of the wild turkeys of the region.

Hughes stressed that the move was not a slight against the Mets, noting that Binghamton was one of the last teams in the minors to still carry its parent team’s name. “We are a very proud New York Met affiliate in the state of New York and plan to remain so,” he said.

The change will also be a blow to the career of the team’s current mascot, Buddy the Bee. “Buddy has been put on notice, though he may make special appearances,” Hughes said.

Many of the fans’ suggestions, like Stallions and Stampede, were rejected because they were in use in other leagues and sports. Other nominations were just a little too off the wall. Hughes cited “Baseball Players” as one of the suggestions that made him chuckle but did not make the cut.

Voting goes on until June 1 and then we will see what comes of it.