Later this month, training camps begin for the area locals. With the Mets playing out the string in a disappointing season, they gave some hockey fans a little treat during their 7-4 home win over the Diamondbacks at Citi Field.

Finally, playing top prospect Ronny Mauricio, the Mets are getting a glimpse of the future. The second baseman has hit well since debuting. In the home fourth inning tonight, Mauricio hit his first career major league home run off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson.

It was a moon shot that landed into the second deck. The lefthanded hitting Mauricio drove the pitch 440 feet into the back row of the Coca-Cola corner. Personally, I preferred the Pepsi porch. But that’s what you get these days with corporate sponsors.

As Mauricio was rounding the bases in celebration of his first big league home run, the Mets decided to go with a familiar hockey theme song to commemorate the moment.

None other than the Rangers goal song played over the speakers for Mauricio’s majestic blast. It definitely was classic. I guess somebody likes hockey in the production department. It’s a pretty cool thing if you ask me.

UPDATED: Rangers’ friend Jan Levine informed me that it was part of a promotion. The Mets had Hockey Jersey Night at the ballpark.

Prior to the game, Jimmy Vesey exchanged jerseys with Mets’ first base slugger Pete Alonso. Vesey was there with Erik Haula and Cal Clutterbuck. They all threw out the first pitches.

With the way football started for both the Giants and Jets, who lost Aaron Rodgers for the season four snaps into a come from behind overtime win over the Bills on Monday Night Football, hockey seems like the logical choice for sports fans.

The good news is they’re about a month away from the beginning of the 2023-24 season. That’s why I’ve been previewing some teams in the Eastern Conference. Catch my Red Wings piece from Tuesday afternoon.

With no October baseball looming for both the Mets and Yankees, I can’t wait for hockey. It should deliver better storylines than what happened this summer.