Happy Bobby Bonilla Day - if you're retired baseball star Bobby Bonilla, that is. If you're a New York Mets owner or executive, maybe not so much.
Friday marks the team's annual payment to their one-time star, years after he left the game. It's become something of an ironic fan holiday, one the team's ownership has even acknowledged with a bit of good humor.
Who is Bobby Bonilla?
Bonilla played professionally from 1986 to 2001, including two stints with the Mets -- 1992 to 1995, and then again in 1999.
A two-time All-Star with the club, he left before the 2000 season, with the team still owing him millions of dollars.
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What is Bobby Bonilla Day?
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That's where the ersatz holiday comes in to play. The team struck a deal to defer the millions of dollars they owed Bonilla, with payments starting in 2011.
And, to his benefit, continuing through 2035.
Those payments of just under $1.2 million happen on July 1 every year, ergo the name Bobby Bonilla Day.
The deal worked out spectacularly for Bonilla - he was due about $6 million in 2000, but with interest, by the time the deal ends he will end up having collected nearly $30 million.
