If you followedDavid Wright’s career, watched how he ascended from mega-prospect to All-Star to Mets captain and beyond, what happened Saturday afternoon at Citi Field was no surprise at all. Throughout his time in Flushing, Wright handled most things deftly, from whatever happened on the field to a debilitating back injury that derailed what seemed like a rocket ride headed for Cooperstown.
So why would it be any different on the day Wright’s No. 5 jersey was retired and he was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame? The Captain did everything right, as usual, appearing as natural as ever, as if he were scooping grounders at third base in his prime. Well, maybe with more tears.
Wright was self-deprecating, serious, funny, emotional and more during the pre-game ceremony and at a press conference beforehand. He was clearly touched by the applause, going over to third base and standing on the bag when he was first introduced. But, he admitted, the attention made him a tad uncomfortable, too.
It was obviously his day – even the Home Run Apple had his No. 5 on it and it was also cut into the grass in center field. But Wright seemed delighted, and determined, to share it all with the Met teammates, mentors and friends who showed up to help him celebrate his big day, along with his wife, Molly, his three kids and family. Wright and his two daughters and son threw out the ceremonial first pitches before the Mets played host to the Cincinnati Reds.
But Wright also didn’t shy from what were obvious disappointments in his career, either. Early on in his speech, he noted to fans, “I never accomplished my goal of winning the World Series. But I wanted it just as badly as you did.”
Fans, he said, realized that. As a result, “You supported me unconditionally, good and bad,” Wright added. For that, I will always be thankful.” The crowd erupted then, one of several times throughout the ceremony that fans roared, an obvious marker of their deep connection to Wright.
And he talked more about that, too. He said during his press conference that he felt Met fans were “bring your lunch-pail to work” types, and that worldview jibed with his own. He learned quickly that there was “no pixie dust to make the Major Leagues, to become the third baseman of the New York Mets. Looking back, the recipe was pretty simple – want it more than everybody else and be willing to work harder than anybody else.”
During his speech, a light rain began to fall. Wright didn’t stop talking and few, if any, stirred in their seats. No sparse shower was going to dampen the day. It dissipated quickly. Good vibes 1, Weather 0.
Near the end of his speech, Wright, tears in his eyes, borrowed a phrase from his kids: “This sure doesn’t feel like the for-real life,” Wright said. “Thank you for allowing me to live out my dream.”
At the press conference 90 minutes or so before the ceremony, Wright enjoyed some of the clubhouse-type banter he excelled at during his career. It’s something he says he’s missed about being retired.
At one point, Wright was asked a question about a story Terry Collins has told recently, where Wright and Jose Reyes, after spring workouts, would race. Did Wright ever win one with his speedy teammate? In the back of the room, Reyes, who has known Wright since both were teenagers in the Mets system, chuckled.
Wright then noted that he could certainly beat one of the people standing next to Reyes. Daniel Murphy, the man next to Reyes, replied, “How am I catching strays?” Everybody in the room laughed.
That population included many former teammates or mentors, some of them Met royalty. In addition to Reyes, Collins and Murphy, Howard Johnson, a significant Wright mentor, was there; so were Michael Cuddyer, Cliff Floyd, Josh Satin and Joe McEwing and others. Rob Butcher, the PR man for the Team USA squad that Wright played for in the World Baseball Classic, was there, too. So was Dave Racaniello, the Mets bullpen catcher who is one of Wright’s best friends.
Carlos Mendoza, after his own pregame press conference, sat in the crowd for a while before he left to prepare for the game. His seat was taken by former Met manager Willie Randolph.
At another point, Wright joked that Reyes is getting “emotional in his old age” and would start crying any moment. “And he’s gonna make me cry, so this is going to be a whole thing,” Wright cracked. Wright, a prankster of some renown during his playing days, even joked that the ultimate prank would be if he went to the podium to make his speech and someone yelled “Psych!”
There were touching moments, too. Wright reflected on his close relationship with Shannon Forde, the Mets’ beloved PR executive who died in 2016 following a long battle with breast cancer. “Every time I walk in the building, I think about Shannon,” Wright said.
He talked about his heartbreak over the Mets’ collapse at the end of the 2007 season, when they blew the division title. It’s evident that it still stings – he brought it up, unbidden, when asked about thanking fans at the end of the 2015 World Series.
“It was a lot easier to go on the field and thank the fans after winning the National League as opposed to, you know, coughing up a seven-game lead,” Wright cracked.
There will always be a bittersweet note to Wright’s career because of his back injury, which forced him to retire. He recently had another procedure about 18 months ago, he said, and he still performs a routine of exercises for his back.
He wanted to play one final game in 2018, a sweet farewell, and did serious work to get ready. The man who had authored some terrific Met moments – his World Series homer, his barehanded catch, the walk-off RBI against Mariano Rivera – just wanted to play one last time.
“There was nothing that I could do to, you know, do the thing anymore,” Wright said. “It was done. It took a while for my brain and my heart to kind of match up with that. But I think that very few athletes get the ending that they want, that storybook ending.
“I certainly wouldn't call mine a storybook ending, but it's better than 99 percent of what most athletes get, and I'll forever be thankful for getting that opportunity. I think that the send-off that the organization, that the fans, gave me, I guess I truly realized at that moment the bond that I'm going to have with this city and this organization for the rest of my life.”
On Saturday, Wright got honors that will only strengthen that bond, exactly what a forever Met deserves.
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