Mets minor league staffer honored for his military service

by Nick Giacone December 20, 2017

Mets fans could use some good news from this year’s Winter Meetings, so here it is: Richard Tylicki, Director of Stadium Operations for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, received the Charles K. Murphy Patriot Award for his outstanding service as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

The Charles K. Murphy Patriot Award honors a Minor League team or individual that exudes exemplary support or service for the United States Armed Forces and Veterans. The award was created in 2016 and is named after the late Florida State League president, Charles Murphy, who served in the United States Army for 21 years. Murphy was president of the FSL from 1990 until he passed away in 2015.

Our guy 👇 pic.twitter.com/adCVFq7871

— Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) December 11, 2017

Ironically, Richard Tylicki’s baseball career originated at the Winter Meetings. He attended the PBEO Job Fair in 1994, and applied for internships with various organizations. He landed an operations intern position with the Binghamton Mets in 1995. Tylicki has been with Binghamton ever since, working his way up to their front office while concurrently serving in the National Guard. During his tenure with the Rumble Ponies, Tylicki has implemented numerous promotions to honor the military, ranging from free tickets for Veterans to on-field flag presentations during games.

Tylicki’s military career parallels his baseball career’s success. He began taking ROTC classes in 1992 when he was in college, and remains active today as a Lieutenant Colonel for the National Guard. He will miss the 2018 Baseball season to serve his fifth tour of duty in Kuwait. Throughout his service in the US Armed Forces, Tylicki has earned numerous medals and honors that paved the way for his latest acknowledgement, including the prestigious Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat.

It’s easy to overlook a story like Richard’s. We as fans get consumed with the emotions of sports, and sometimes forget that there are greater moments than wins and losses. Those that serve in the US Armed Forces continually make sacrifices so that we can enjoy things like the game of baseball. The Mets should be proud to have Richard Tylicki in their organization, and Richard should be proud of his most recent recognition. We at T7L wish Richard good luck on his next tour of duty, and thank him and all other members of our armed forces for their service.

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