David Wright, Part II

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm going to hear even more "man crush" comments, but this is some good stuff that deserves to be told. David Wright took batting practice with the Cyclones again today, and we opened the gates early so fans could watch the Mets' star take some hacks. He once again peppered the scoreboard with some long home runs, and looked sharp fielding ground balls at third base.

But that's the boring stuff. Here's the good stuff:

He signed autographs for just about every person in attendance, making his way to pockets of crowds in the stands, taking pictures, and talking to the fans. At one point, he had to break away to take some more swings, and a little boy (wearing a David Wright shirt) who was just about to get an autograph looked heartbroken. In fact, he started crying, and had to be hugged by his mom.

At the end of the practice, I mentioned the boy to David, and he made a point to go over to him, and sign an autograph. The little guy was thrilled, and started to walk away with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Noah," said Wright, calling the kid by his first name. "Come back here, buddy. This is for you." He signed the bat he used during batting practice and gave it to Noah! The kid was awestruck and speechless. He just started screaming!

Then Wright signed his spikes, his batting gloves, his cap -- just about everything he wore or used during the day -- and gave them out to random kids in the stands!

That is what sports and the athlete/fan relationship is all about. All the negative stuff gets the headlines, but what David Wright did today was one of the coolest things I've seen in my nine years with the team. I think it's safe to say there were some kids here who are now DWright fans (and hopefully Cyclones fans) for life!

-- Dave