— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) September 13, 2018This wasn't a surprise and I thought for sure I had mentally prepared myself for it, but yet here I sit...upset. Why, though?
You see having been around for the entirety of David Wright's career, I'm acutely aware of how special he is. I'm not just talking about talent, which he had plenty of. I'm talking about everything else. He gave you everything, and in the past few years he tried to give more than his body would allow. But that's not it either...
Wright is unlike most other athletes. Once a Met, always a Met, we saw him evolve from the face of the franchise, to the team's captain, and for a brief period of time, even Captain America. He didn't flee for more money. He didn't make the game about him. He just played the game right, for as long as his body would let him. He was a role model...perhaps one of the last.
In two week's time, David Wright will take the field for what will almost certainly be the final time. I wish I could be there. I wish I could take my son. I wish he could know just how special David Wright is, before Wright gingerly limps off into the sunset.
We may never see another player come through Queens with the perfect package of talent, leadership, and grace. That's what made Wright special. That's why I'm upset.
I'll leave you with this. My favorite David Wright moment. Despite all of the injuries that have marred a career that once had Hall of Fame potential, this is how I'll remember him.
