I think some people are born leaders and some need to grow into that role and frankly some are not suited for it , I think Wright could grow into that role if he wants it but I don't think it can be thrust on him because he is the clubs best player . Johnette Howard from Newsday thinks it's time Wright stood up to the role. ] Mets' Wright needs to step right up, knock club Johnette Howard It was encouraging to hear Billy Wagner call out Oliver Perez and the rest of his Mets teammates after Wednesday's 13-1 embarrassment against the Pittsburgh Pirates, baseball's perennial doormat. At least someone was disgusted. But such complaints would have been better coming from Mets third baseman David Wright. Or Carlos Beltran. Not just the Mets' closer. When you look around the Mets' clubhouse today and ask yourself who the leader of this tepid, puzzling team is, no one instantly leaps to mind. The Mets don't have someone who can transcend all cliques and be the straight-talking conscience of the club, a guy who demands accountability and imposes a personality or ethic on the team -- hurt feelings be damned. It's a lot to ask of anybody. It needn't come from just one player. And Wagner deserves credit for at least trying. But the truth is, in the pecking order of professional sports, a closer's influence in a baseball clubhouse is only slightly greater than a placekicker's clout in football. Teammates respect those guys when they do their jobs under pressure. But a closer or a kicker is a specialist. And that erodes their sway among the guys who are on the field every day for every play. Former Mets closer John Franco was a rare exception. An ace like injured Mets starter Pedro Martinez used to be is another. The longer Martinez is gone, the more it feels as if the Mets miss his personality even more than his pitching. He had a way of giving this team swagger when it had none, and lighting up the room just when the dog days were dragging everyone down or life felt too grim. The clubhouse is always a happier, noisier place when Pedro is around. Yet he also stood for uncompromising high performance and heart and passion. Wright has the game to be a bigger clubhouse conscience than he is. And now there's also a crying need for him to do it. He has the personality and scruples to take on the role. What he should reconsider is why he continues to defer to Beltran or Carlos Delgado or Wagner. A couple of weeks ago, Newsday's David Lennon did a fascinating interview with Wright in which Wright spoke about refusing to fraternize with opponents, even close friends, once he's in uniform and on the field because he's there to compete. Period. It's the sort of give-no-quarter attitude the Mets need. It's an old-school conviction that distinguishes Wright from most of his contemporaries. The bothersome thing was, who knew? Did you know Wright felt that strongly? Doesn't that conviction heighten your respect for him? So why keep it under wraps? Wright is too good to give way to Beltran and Delgado anymore. And what's at stake for the Mets is too important. They've been chasing the ghost of 2006 for two seasons now. They'd better hope their moment hasn't passed. Talent guarantees nothing. Wright has spoken frankly at other times this season about sensitive topics, such as the Mets' lack of a "killer instinct." But it was bothersome last Sunday when Wright used his age -- 25 -- as a disqualifier for not urging Delgado to take a curtain call Mets fans were imploring him to make. It would've been preferable if Wright had said he'll pick his spots and save taking stands for more important things. The Mets' self-sabotaging ways that Wagner cited certainly qualify. Someone needs to ride herd on these Mets. It can't always be manager Willie Randolph -- though it's about time for him to air out this team. The question isn't whether Randolph lets guys have it behind the scenes, because he does. The question is whether some of these Mets can take it. Every championship club that ever existed will tell you that winning imposes its own discipline within a team. Being mentally engaged and responsible to each other is a given. A collective spirit and mind-set takes hold. And right now, the Mets don't have it. They swore they learned the importance of each game from their collapse last year. But they don't play like it. They seem distracted. Delgado isn't hitting and now he's fielding like a bum. Perez is playing for a new contract. New ace Johan Santana seems to have no interest in a high public profile. Shortstop Jose Reyes is struggling to make the transition from talented prodigy to true professional. Criticism gets to him. Beltran is a terrific talent, but he doesn't have the personality to be a clubhouse sheriff. He seems more interested in stiff-arming a city that always expects more no matter how much good he does. So if it's not Wright who leads the Mets, then who is it? .
