18
2011
In Unabashed Praise of David Wright – And His Friend, Derek
An article by Former Writers
I come before you to praise David, not to bury him. If you don’t want to read this, you need not.
David is from Newport News Virginia where his Father is a Police Captain and his Mom is a School Guidance Counselor. He has three younger brothers, with whom he shared one room with two bunk beds, while growing up.
Now, David is the only one who does not have a college education – why? – because he spent his baseball money putting his brothers through college. Schools and Police Departments do not have big budgets.
David has a friend named Derek. Someone who has helped him through his years here in NY. No matter what you think, say, or imagine, these two men are the idols of many children – and grown ups – who recognize their devotion to their teams, and how hard they work, both on and off the field.
I feel that both men are doing the work of the angels. Proving to one and all that you can be an athlete and remain a good guy while providing a shining example of sportsmanship for all youngsters.
Thanks – Derek and David – you’ve got my vote and admiration forever. I’ll bet there are a whole bunch of people in the metropolitan area who agree with me.
Let’s hear the applause.
About the Author: Former Writers
30 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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David Wright is a wonderful young man and deserves accolades for his love of family and for being a real MET ambassador. I don’t know of any Met fan or read any post on this site or any site that denigrated him as a person. True baseball fans don’t do stuff like that (except for “Nails” but those comments were made after his arrest and the same goes for K-Rod after his assault charges).
this article is a distraction in that fan posts I read stick to the subject of his baseball skills and whether he should be a future Met. I admit that I moved over to the trade him side after last Sunday’s 0-5 performance and I think it is best he move on, based on his baseball skills.
I’m sure Wright is a very decent young guy. Gotten into zero difficulties since he got up here. Rarely do you hear of him off the field but the same can be said of Jose. Jose’s father wasn’t a police captain. He probably didn’t have the opportunity to be a police captain. Jose spent his bonus on adding a room to his parents house in case the baseball thing didn’t workout he would have a place to live and start a family of his own. That’s the way things are in other parts of the world. Wright certainly had plenty of fallback options, Reyes, not so much. I’m sure Reyes had some guidance from someone along the way too, after all it’s not easy to stay out of trouble at 19 in NYC with some money in your pocket and no one family around. Reyes has no college education either for the same reason Wright doesn’t. They started their pro careers at 16-18 years old and I’m quite sure that Reyes has supported his entire family from day one and deserves at least as much respect as anyone else for that.
With all due respect I think this article could very well have been about David and Jose, not David and Derick.
I agree T Agee. Reyes has been a model citizen since coming to the US. Given the fact he was basically on his own, in a foreign country and different culture, the fact that he has stayed out of trouble is rather amazing. To be 19 in NYC with a myriad of temptations to get him into trouble, Reyes has managed to stay away from them. More amazing, IMO, since the Mets history has cautionary tales of woe for talented young players (Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry spring to mind). So really, the article could have been (should have been really) about David and Jose, not David and Derek (taking nothing away from Jeter of course).
t agee tell it like it tiz.
Not related to this article but why didn’t Collins pull R.C Dickey after the first guy got on base in the bottom of the eight. It was apparent he ran out of gas after a great pitching job for 7 innings. This goes way back prior to this season in that a real weakness for this team’s braintrust is an inability to mange the pitching staff.
Why did Collins even let him hit leading off the 8th. I know he was pitching a great game. But it wasn’t a no hitter. Who knows ? Maybe the pich hitter hits a HR or starts a rally. He should have been happy with 7 fine innings, and let him leave before he had a chance to lose the game.
Well considering how well our Pen has performed in the past can you really blame him?
By leaving Dickey in he gives him the best chance to get the win and the blame goes to the rest of the team who was unable to score a single run!
Both David and Derek are great men and fine examples for the boys and girls to look up to.
Annie – I applaud what you tried to do but I fear that all it will accomplish is to create a new topic that will soon degenerate into the Wright is _______ debate we have seen everyday for a month now!
Too bad there are a lot of people who only look at Wright as a statline. Good thing for us that he doesn’t just look at the fans and the community as just a money source like MANY a player with good statlines have done over the years, exhibited by charging a 4 year old for an autograph or ignoring a fan as if he was not even there.
Wright is a great guy. He is a great baseball player too. He has been good on and off the field helping the team, his fanbase, the city and various charities in NY and elsewhere. He has been a leader. Some fans get down on him for not being a flawless super hero. As much as we all would like our team and players to be perfect it just doesn’t ever happen. Hell, even the beloved Jeter has had bad years. For the Mets and their almost complete lack of true all stars in the history of the team, Wright has been a shining star. He is probably going to end up being the #1 leader in most of the career team stats with the Mets but some fans will always be down on him.
Whatever would I do if I didn’t know Derek Jeter and David Wright were BFFs. News to me.
Hey, The Coop! I can understand how you didn’t know Derek Jeter and David Wright were BFFs. The author of this piece didn’t mention it in any of her previous posts on Jeter, such as this one:
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/07/the-captain-derek-jeter-2.html
or this one:
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/06/get-well-soon-derek.html
or even this one:
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/05/david-and-derek.html
I’m sure she wanted to mention in those other pieces how Derek Jeter has helped David Wright for so many years since obviously, they’re on each other’s speed dial and hang out all the time, but didn’t do so to focus on Mr. 3000′s heroics. I am glad I can always turn to a Mets site to read all about how great Derek Jeter is, and hear about how he’s helped his crosstown buddy make it in the big leagues. I guess it’s something David’s police captain Dad couldn’t do.
Very interesting,
Annie so where is Jose Reyes in all of this? Have you ever written about Jose on his own? Or how about Carlos Beltran or Carlos Delgado. Those guys have charities and have helped the Mets win too.
I’m curious as Annie ever written about them? Or is it just David and the other player across town.
You can’t be serious with this. This is a blog where anyone can write a blog, and Joe D and staff are very generous in posting most that is submitted.
Why don’t YOU write a blog about those other guys. No on is stopping you, your problem is because it’s about Wright. Don’t like the title, move on
You have a lot of nerve, really, or is it just jealousy?
MMO fans at their lowest point ever.
A new low, even twisting this.
Disgusting
George, is your response towards Second Suitor or Bayonne Met Fan? Cause I’ll tell you what, Bayonne MF and I disagree as the day is long but he has a very strong point here. Along with Second Suitor, mostly because as you say, every blogger has a right to post what they want and are certainly entitled to their opinion, but Annie Savoy has made it a point to give her own little version of a standing ovation to Jeter (on a METS SITE) and Wright, which again is her choice but he doesn’t deserve the sucking up to he gets on a constant basis. Oh and for the record, plenty of stuff is written about Jose Reyes here, it’s just buried under the constant praising of Derek Jeter and David Wright by the original poster.
If there are too many articles about Wright and not enough other current members of the team there are a few ways to handle it.
Write an article about other players you speak of, and their accomplishments.
Send a private note to Joe D – he’s the one in charge of what gets published here, let him know you’d like to see (or what you’d like to see less of), or even contribute to the site about other players.
You being generic you, you the reader/writer/blogger.
Nothing more annoying, then sitting back, complaining about an article when you have every right to produce one and get it published about a subject you’d like to read.
Hey, talk about BB. Who cares what you think.
Thanks for playing along…..
after reading this piece i felt compelled to play my violin.so wright and jeter are buddies(who cares)? as i have stated many moons ago on this site fans listen to the voices in their heads. these voices make fans believe that they hang out with ballplayers…that they eat dinner with the wilponzie family…that they have a say in the day to day operations of geiusalderson…that they are relevant to this baseball organization.what the hell these dreams are better than the reality of the nl standings!
Thank you for your responses – they turned out pretty much as I expected.
annie, with all due respect, i can care less wo wright is BBF’s with, one would think that if YOU would write a piece about wright and SS it would be OUR OWN SS, not derek jeter whos a yankee, our SS is right now BETTER than jeter and does a lot to help with the team and has been a model citizen, you never hear bad stuff about him, or wright for that matter.. giving praise to jeter on a mets blog is a little TOO MUCH imo.. but, to each their own i guess…
I did not say that Derek and David were ‘best friends’. They are two professional ball players who also go out into the community for all kinds of reasons and represent their teams.
so does reyes. but i guess he’s not that good looking and doesn’t speak english well for some ppl. but again, is your article, i am just giving you my opinion on it. beltran helps the community in NY and also in puerto rico, where was his article about giving back, and he was a MODEL citizen with us as well. where was HIS ARTICLE about how well he represented the NY METS organization??
amazing…
Don’t be shocked, Alex. The message board didn’t allow my response to Annie’s article. There’s a reality here and it’s not right or wrong. The truth is a little hurtful, because certain people don’t want to suggest there is a certain bias for players and where they came from. People bond with those they can relate to. Annie can’t relate to Jose Reyes. A lot of the writers here can’t relate to Jose Reyes. That’s why a justifying article about Wright pops up with regard to a true superstar named Derek Jeter.
You and I can relate, Alex. I feel a certain disgust for those who bash Omar Minaya. The things said about his reign here are SO incredibly wrong, one has to wonder what is going thru their minds. Then I see an article like this written by Annie and it brings everything into order. Her plea is to support “her guy” and she does because she senses a change in the way Wright is perceived lately. The Mets have marketed Wright to be their Derek Jeter. Wright falls woefully short in so many ways on the field. That doesn’t matter. This is her guy and the Mets marketed him to be that way.
You and I don’t view him that way. We don’t bond with the guy for any of the reasons most Met fans do. It’s not right or wrong, but it’s 100% reality. Much like most fans couldn’t relate to their from the hood, hometown boy GM Omar Minaya. Despite all the good he did for the organization, the fans were quick to stab him in the back. If things break right, Omar will have about a dozen+ kids make this roster as the years go on just from his drafts and international signings, along with a few All-Stars. You have to go back to 80′s to find a successful GM like him. His detractors will say he didn’t win a ring. Why does he have to be tied to such expectations? Pretty simple if you ask me. That’s the ONLY way he will accepted by certain people. Is THAT right or wrong? Ask his detractors. They can lie on the board, but their mirrors won’t lie.
well said omar, the CORE salutes you for that, i remember how back in 2008 when the mets blogs started to really come out, david wright was viewed as a demigod, he could do no wrong, he was been given a pass because, every player has a bad year hear and then, but it kinda bother me how reyes, beltran and delgado were getting murdered by mets fans for any little s*** they did, yet wright was viewed as a golden boy who no maater what he said or did, it was ok because he DID IT. Cerrone and Co started this trend of love him or get out trend and most blog posters follow up, then guys like me who see reality were getting called names, saying i hate the guy,etc.. all kinds of stuff that made me think, WTF, the guy is a choker, am i the only one seeing this? fast forward to 2011, the guy STILL a known choker and yet, he’s view as good looking guy, who speaks well english, not as the superstar we thought he’d become, but as a good spokesperson for the mets, and jeter’s BFF lol.. is comical how things changed. good for david doing all that he does, but reyes, beltran, hell, even pedro martinez have been model citizen for NY and this city and also DR and PR yet, no article about how great they’ve been to the community. but, it is what it is. that’s why we’re in 4th place, we no longer care whether our “superstar” hits or not as long as he’s good looking, speaks great english, remains jeter’s BFF all will be forgiven.
Alex, you and I look @ Wright and his upbringing and think he has lived a charmed life. No struggles or obstacles in his way. He’s a country boy who actually got to live his dream. When you look at the obstacles Jose Reyes has had to deal with, it’s a shame people don’t honor this kid. Instead, the Met fan base is lukewarm regarding Jose, because he isn’t given the benefit of the doubt. Concerns about injury are the prevailing negative tag he’s hit with. One wonders if other things aren’t in play here.
Jose is demonstrative. In old school days, that kind of exuberance is deemed negative. Self-promotion, when you don’t share the same “criteria” others do, brings ugly tags. Jose has been called a cancer, lazy, bad influence, dumb, and all the typical negative stereotypes the media has dropped on people like Jose for decades. Jose Reyes isn’t any of above. He’s actually a nice kid.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Jose on a few occasions. I remember listening to old men like Ed Coleman, Howie Rose and Gary Cohen describe Wright as the perfect kid. The guy you want your daughter to date. All these other superlatives, but I have yet to hear that type of description for Jose Reyes. Why is that? It’s very simple from where I stand. These old men live in yesterday’s era. They never met a Jose Reyes. They don’t know a Jose Reyes. Jose Reyes is the type of kid who lights up a room with his personality and humor. He’s a great kid who’s only problem is he smiles too much. He enjoys life too much. Unfortunately, when you have outdated older men like Coleman, Cohen and Rose, you’re fed only what they can relate to. They can never relate to a Jose Reyes.
This is why Jose Reyes isn’t getting the overwhelming love he should be receiving from Met fans. It goes to show a severe divide between Met fans and the rest of New York City. Shame, but it is what it is.
the CORE is with you 100%… plain and simple, you’d get articles like this about wright because he’s americ-an, good looking and speaks english very well
No one is denying Wright is a “great guy”, and a decent MLB player.
The probem is that is he is commanding a salary of what $14-17M per year? The Mets have a budget and a payroll.
If salary was no issue, sure, you could do worse than Wright at 3B. But if you have to pay Wright as if he is an elite player, when he’s not, then at that point he is hurting the franchise. That’s what people don’t like.
I have nothing against Wright personally. I feel bad for him that he hasn’t had more success here, because he seems like a super nice guy.
But I sure as hell don’t want to build our franchise around him, and I don’t want to pay him like ARod either. Sadly, he has been way overrated. Not his fault, but it is what it is.
The only budget concern is for over paying free agents and losing #1 draft picks.
Resigning home grown talent is a priority, especialy for the Mets, who retire the numbers of guys that played 5 years for them and let all home grown talent slip through there fingers. What team did your favorite Mets finish his career with?