Instead of making fun of or complaining about five different sports figures this week, I am instead going to focus my energy into praising one great one: David Wright.
Being a Mets fan isn't the easiest thing in the world. Sure, they won a World Series in 1986, but since I was only 13 months old at the time, I didn't get to experience it. Even when the Mets made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the excitement of those seasons were quickly washed away by the signing of Mo Vaughn and the Roberto Alomar trade.
As recently as three seasons ago, it appeared that the Mets were stuck in a hole that they would never get out of (for evidence, watch every game that Scott Kazmir pitches for Tampa, then look at the Mets pitching staff). However, that all changed the day that Wright got called up from Norfolk.
In order to understand Wright's importance, all one has to do is look across the city to Yankee Stadium. For the past 12 years, the Yankees have dominated the baseball world, and they have been led by Derek Jeter. Since Jeter's rookie year, he has been a winner.
In 2000, the Mets made the World Series for the first time since 1986, only to have to play the Yankees. The Mets seemed to gain momentum in the series with a win in Game Three; however the first batter of Game Four hit a home run to put the Yankees in front. Who was that batter? Of course it was Jeter. The Mets lost in five games.
Jeter's influence goes beyond baseball, as he is one of the most recognizable celebrities in New York. He has hosted Saturday Night Live, dated movie stars and has been praised as the perfect teammate.
However, Jeter will turn 33 this season; he is getting older and the Yankees haven't won a World Series since that win over the Mets seven years ago. Last season, it was the Mets who were more successful, coming within one game of the World Series, and David Wright was at the head of the revival.
Since the day he arrived in the minors, Wright has been viewed as the savior of the Mets organization. A star at every level of baseball he has played, Wright stepped into the major leagues and thrived right away. He hit 14 home runs in the
last two months of the 2004 season, and followed that up with an even better season, hitting 27 home runs and making the play of the year on an amazing barehanded catch in San Diego.
It was during the 2006 season that Wright became a star, leading the Mets to the best record in the league. He hit 22 home runs in the Home Run Derby, and hit a home run in his first All-Star at-bat. More importantly, the Mets came within one game of getting to the World Series.
While Wright is just one of many key players on the team, he is especially important because Mets fans finally have an answer to Jeter. Now it is Wright who has been getting put on magazine covers (including a recent issue of GQ) and getting praised by every baseball writer for being the perfect teammate. He has even started his own charity to help raise money for multiple sclerosis.
While Wright hasn't started dating celebrities yet, the fact that he is just 23 years old and worth millions of dollars has made him popular among female baseball fans. Last season, the team started selling T-shirts that said "Looking For Mr. Wright", with Wright's number on the back. Even my editor loves him, as she claimed that she would sell a member of her family into slavery to marry David Wright (and she's a Red Sox fan).
Not only is he the best young player to join the Mets in a long time, but he's given us hope. Although the Mets fell one game short of the World Series and now enter this season with many question marks (they just signed Chan Ho Park to fill a spot in the rotation. Vomit), there is a sense that the team can win again, simply because Wright will be at third base for the next decade. Pitchers and catchers may report today, but baseball season won't truly start until David Wright gets on the field.
