I'm rooting for a David Wright Comeback

[Guest 41Forever]

Gwreck wrote: Of course they will induct him into the Mets HOF and retire his number. I expect these events, as well as the last start on the 29th will all be done at separate times, of course.

Big time. Will be sometime next season so they have time to prepare and build a day or weekend around it.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I think he meant (and correctly, if so) that they'll milk the gate
as much as possible.

[bmfc1]

From The Athletic:

Wright is not technically retiring after his final game; instead, he will be listed as medically unable to play. That distinction will allow the third baseman to collect the $27 million remaining on his contract and the Mets to still receive insurance money on the deal, provided Wright remains on the team’s 40-man roster. (The club could ultimately reach an agreement with the insurer that would allow them to release Wright and free up that roster spot. The Rangers did the same with Prince Fielder.)

https://theathletic.com/523379/2018/09/13/david-wright-prepares-for-one-more-and-one-last-mets-game/

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I'm glad that Wright will get a final chance to play the game he obviously loves and the fans will get an opportunity to show him their appreciation for the many years he represented the Mets with distinction and class.

[ashie62]

Rockin' Doc wrote: I'm glad that Wright will get a final chance to play the game he obviously loves and the fans will get an opportunity to show him their appreciation for the many years he represented the Mets with distinction and class.

Same here

[batmagadanleadoff]

It's not the outcome Wright was hoping for, but he handled it with the customary grace and class that we've come to expect from him. This guy's been a true class act all the way through.

It's the outcome the Wilpons were surely hoping for, though, because if Wright continued to insist on a full blown comeback and played this at arms length-- if Wright was reactivated, the Wilpons, depending on how that played out, could risk losing control of the situation and whatever insurance benefits they'd otherwise receive. They could potentially be on the hook for all of Wright's remaining salary and nobody in their right mind would want to pay $27M for the next two years of Wright's baseball future, especially eff and Jeff.

[Ceetar]

he physically can't play. There was no risk of that.

[Vic Sage]

i hope #5 is the next number they retire, and they do it next year. I know this team is parsimonious about such honors but i can't imagine a better candidate. Our best position player ever, played his entire career here, was team captain and face of the organization. No, he won't get into MLB's HOF (nor should he, any more than Mattingly should, who had a similar career), but that can't continue to be the only criteria for number retirement.

[Fman99]

I'll be away from home, that night, and not able to watch, as I'll be in a hotel in Bath, NY, and I can't imagine that the hotel will have WPIX which is airing the 9/29 game. I guess I'll just have to catch the audio broadcast instead.

[Fman99]

Vic Sage wrote: i hope #5 is the next number they retire, and they do it next year. I know this team is parsimonious about such honors but i can't imagine a better candidate. Our best position player ever, played his entire career here, was team captain and face of the organization. No, he won't get into MLB's HOF (nor should he, any more than Mattingly should, who had a similar career), but that can't continue to be the only criteria for number retirement.

More likely it'll end up in the "unofficially" retired bin where #8 lives, not retired but also not issued. Which is a shame.

[Centerfield]

Struggling with this more than I expected I would. I mean, it's no surprise at all to hear that David Wright is done. We've all known it was coming.

But I found I was in no mood to watch the press conference, or to see the video tributes or anything. Life is just unfair. And I know that any one of us here would love to have the "unfair" deck of cards David was dealt, but he was and is legitimately one of the best guys in the game. No one deserved to play until age 50 more than him.

A dickhead like Clemens gets to play until forever, but our terrific guy has his career cut short. Fuck these baseball gods.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm between there and being thankful that given his bad luck he's not quitting because he's been secretly battling a fatal disease

[Vic Sage]

Fman99 wrote: Vic Sage wrote: i hope #5 is the next number they retire, and they do it next year. I know this team is parsimonious about such honors but i can't imagine a better candidate. Our best position player ever, played his entire career here, was team captain and face of the organization. No, he won't get into MLB's HOF (nor should he, any more than Mattingly should, who had a similar career), but that can't continue to be the only criteria for number retirement. More likely it'll end up in the "unofficially" retired bin where #8 lives, not retired but also not issued. Which is a shame.

It would indeed be a shame because Carter was here for only 4.3 of his 19 career seasons, comprising 1 great year and 1 good one, and 2.3 shitty ones. He was a career Expo who contributed to a Mets WS team one year. This is hardly comparable to Wright. And if they treat him similarly, that would be inexcusable.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Unfair? Wright's one of about 1,000 people that got to play MLB every year, this out of a US population of over 320 million. When his contract is fully paid out, he'll have made over $200M from baseball. And he's not even 36 years old. He'll go down as the greatest position player in Mets history. Unfair? Talk to Bobby Valentine, a can't miss superstar phenom who destroyed his leg early in his career and was essentially a mediocre scrub the rest of the way. If Wright had the same career but was born 25 years earlier, all of his baseball money would be long gone by now and he'd have to work. To make a microscopic fraction of the money he's going to retire with. Talk to Johnny Bench and Mike Schmidt about that, players way better than David Wright. Unfair? David Wright wouldn't trade places with any one of us.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Vic Sage wrote: It would indeed be a shame because Carter was here for only 4.3 of his 19 career seasons, comprising 1 great year and 1 good one, and 2.3 shitty ones. He was a career Expo who contributed to a Mets WS team one year. This is hardly comparable to Wright. And if they treat him similarly, that would be inexcusable.

I agree. I'm just about never in favor of retiring a number (and that includes Gary Carter's 8, which should be put back into circulation) but I'm totally on board with David Wright's 5.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I agree. I'm just about never in favor of retiring a number (and that includes Gary Carter's 8, which should be put back into circulation) but I'm totally on board with David Wright's 5.

Me too. And don't get me started on the idea of the Mets retiring Gary Carter's number. It's the absolute dumbest idea out there about the Mets and retiring numbers. And it's persistent, too.

[Vic Sage]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Unfair? Wright's one of about 1,000 people that got to play MLB every year, this out of a US population of over 320 million. When his contract is fully paid out, he'll have made over $200M from baseball. And he's not even 36 years old. He'll go down as the greatest position player in Mets history. Unfair? Talk to Bobby Valentine, a can't miss superstar phenom who destroyed his leg early in his career and was essentially a mediocre scrub the rest of the way. If Wright had the same career but was born 25 years earlier, all of his baseball money would be long gone by now and he'd have to work. To make a microscopic fraction of the money he's going to retire with. Talk to Johnny Bench and Mike Schmidt about that, players way better than David Wright. Unfair? David Wright wouldn't trade places with any one of us.

It isn't unfair to him, it's unfair to us. He was on his way to a HOF career if injuries didn't start debilitating him after he turned 30. How much we would have loved seeing a Met position player play his whole career here and then go to Cooperstown? WE're still waiting for that.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Vic Sage wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Unfair? Wright's one of about 1,000 people that got to play MLB every year, this out of a US population of over 320 million. When his contract is fully paid out, he'll have made over $200M from baseball. And he's not even 36 years old. He'll go down as the greatest position player in Mets history. Unfair? Talk to Bobby Valentine, a can't miss superstar phenom who destroyed his leg early in his career and was essentially a mediocre scrub the rest of the way. If Wright had the same career but was born 25 years earlier, all of his baseball money would be long gone by now and he'd have to work. To make a microscopic fraction of the money he's going to retire with. Talk to Johnny Bench and Mike Schmidt about that, players way better than David Wright. Unfair? David Wright wouldn't trade places with any one of us. It isn't unfair to him, it's unfair to us. He was on his way to a HOF career if injuries didn't start debilitating him after he turned 30. How much we would have loved seeing a Met position player play his whole career here and then go to Cooperstown? WE're still waiting for that.

It's still not unfair. That's all built-in. No one has a right or an expectation to make the HOF. The odds are extremely miniscule for everybody and the road is paved with all kinds of pitfalls and obstacles, injuries being the main one and the most common. I could type you a list of derailed HOF'ers but my wrist would start to hurt before I'm even close to finishing it.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'd retire his number next year and have a nice ceremony for him. Lord knows he deserves it.

[Guest 41Forever]

Centerfield wrote: A dickhead like Clemens gets to play until forever, but our terrific guy has his career cut short. Fuck these baseball gods.

Clemens' longevity was suspect, of course.

I'm assuming the Mets Hall of Fame is a matter of scheduling as opposed to worthiness.

I think they should retire No. 5. It does set a different precedent. The only other players are Seaver and Piazza, both Baseball Hall of Famers. But Wright is certainly worthy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Wright's a complete slam dunk for number retirement, perhaps moreso than Seav or Piazza in the sense that he was never property of any other club that those assholes were

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

David Wright was the best player and the face of the franchise for over a decade. He represented the Mets with class both on the field and off. He has spent his entire career with the Mes. He is arguably the greatest position player in Mets history. He is, without a doubt, deserving of both honors for all he has done (and I expect he will continue to do in the future) for the organization.

[Guest d'Kong76]

As I've done for so many years, I got a single ticket for that last Sunday game.
If David holds up that weekend and maybe can pinch hit or play a few innings,
it will be an honor to witness that in person. #lgm #ygb #tkti

[Frayed Knot]

Small note in one of the tabs today about David possibly PH-ing a few times prior to that game - no reason why he couldn't/shouldn't really.
The game noted in the presser sounds like that's been tabbed as the only game in which he's going to be in the starting lineup.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Yeah, the Saturday night game. Fireworks, big crowd.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Frayed Knot wrote: Small note in one of the tabs today about David possibly PH-ing a few times prior to that game - no reason why he couldn't/shouldn't really. The game noted in the presser sounds like that's been tabbed as the only game in which he's going to be in the starting lineup.

Tuesday Night Mets Club will be chanting in the 1st inning 9/25

[Gwreck]

I am certain they will try to PH him as much as possible in the Braves series but I am worried it won’t be all 3 games. Sadly, I am out of town for the Saturday game but trying to calculate the best odds of seeing David in one of the other games.

[MFS62]

Callaway announced that he will start Reyes at shortstop, alongside Wright, on Sept 29th.
Memo to Terry.: Don't start a "ground ball" pitcher that day.

Later

[Ceetar]

MFS62 wrote: Callaway announced that he will start Reyes at shortstop, alongside Wright, on Sept 29th. Memo to Terry.: Don't start a "ground ball" pitcher that day. Later

boo.

[seawolf17]

MFS62 wrote: Callaway announced that he will start Reyes at shortstop, alongside Wright, on Sept 29th. Memo to Terry.: Don't start a "ground ball" pitcher that day. Later

You know Mattingly is going to have everyone bunting to the left side on every pitch.