Meeting Your Hero
There’s something strange about meeting your hero.
You turn and he’s there. The man who defined your childhood. The one you cheered on for years, no decades, as he emerged as the humblest superstar your franchise ever produced. The one you cheered on, in person, in his last professional game. As he exits the field one last time, you feel tears drip down your cheeks, as tears stream down your hero’s face, all while Alan Silvestri’s Captain America theme blares through stadium speakers.
You begin a casual conversation with your hero, your mind unravelling under the sheer weight of trying to piece together the right combination of words to thank him for a decade of hope, a decade of optimism. You’re trying not to stammer and trying not to stutter as the conversation you’ve practiced for years finally comes to fruition: thanking your role model for setting a path to follow, not only for himself and his teammates, but for an entire generation of young adults in the tristate area to follow.
On Friday, I ran into David Wright on my way home from work.
I can confirm that the public accolades are correct. David is as nice as can be, as pleasant as advertised.
David has a rare ability to resonate with anyone, even a random star-struck young professional. I didn’t need additional proof to believe the story of David driving a rookie Josh Satin home to Manhattan in the middle of the night, but I certainly got it. His public image, among Mets fans, is as pristine as it should be.
David’s contributions to the Mets have been well-chronicled and rightfully so. He’s the franchise leader in hits, runs, total bases, RBIs, bWAR, and Win Probability Added. He wasn’t just a great Met; his contributions on the field resulted in a nomination to Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame Ballot, with a chance of getting in.
But his off-the-field work is what shone through. Steve Phillips’ call of “Not Only a Great Player, but a Great Person” still rings true.
In only his second season in the bigs, Wright established the “David Wright Foundation,” a local charity designed to increase awareness of multiple sclerosis. New York’s media, always ready to shoot someone down, rightfully put Wright on a pedestal thanks to his exceptional character, his never-ending work ethic, and his accountable captainship.
He was always the bright light during some putrid Mets teams in the mid-2010s. On September 29th, 2018, David received the send-off he so rightfully deserved after years of grueling rehab to heal a degenerative back condition.
Today, Citi Field will be rapturous as Wright’s No. 5 joins the rafters, alongside fellow Mets greats. I will be among the crowd, drowning out his speech with cheers of appreciation.
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