My eyes aren’t glowing and I’m not glowering. I’m not going to preach and I’m not going to tell you what you’re doing and thinking wrong. I look at my Facebook feed and see fear and despair. That calls for a thanksgiving and hope edition of Wise Madness. I’m not even going to tell you that things in the world are better than you think they are. I’m going to keep it personal and tell you things I’m thankful or for or looking forward to. These aren’t political or social, I’m not going to rack my brains looking for things that are particularly meaning. My tool will be my calendar; that’s where I keep track of the things to look forward to. My brain’s RAM is not reliable.
I’ll start with the obvious, one where even my brain proves sufficient. I live in the same world as David Wright. I’m a Met fan. The Mets are not exactly a well-run franchise. We’re not the Yankees or Red Sox where you know if you wait a few years you’ll have a great team. That doesn’t sound very thankful or hopeful. That’s where the magic comes in, it makes a Met fan appreciate the good things even more.
In the middle of the 2004 season the Mets promoted a highly touted 21-year-old third baseman, David Wright; that first season he did very well for a 21-year old getting his first taste of the big leagues; he hit 19% better than the average major league player. After that experience he learned to take a walk and over the next four years had the greatest sustained stretch of any player in Mets history, His combined BA/OBP/SLG were .311/.394/.534 he averaged 29 HR and 112 RBI. His defense continued to improve and his WAR for those four years were; 4.8, 4.1. 8.2, and 6.9. All-star level is 4 MVP level is 6. He was all of 25 years old at the end of that stretch. Then he was hit in the head literally and then metaphorically when the Mets built a new stadium that could have been designed to minimize is performance. It took time but he came back to have two more outstanding seasons, at ages 29 and 30, putting up a WAR of 7.1 and 5.9. the latter was done in only 112 games. He hurt his back and was never great again. That’s enough. What he did between the ages of 21 and 30 makes him the greatest Met position player ever. But he was not just a great player, he was a mensch. He was a team leader. He had class, dignity, and style. He was the Mets’ answer to Derek Jeter. He was the captain. His struggles since then were painful to watch. I hated watching his physical pains and professional struggles. This year he finally accepted reality and was able to appreciate what he accomplished without the bitterness of what might have been. As he accepted it so did the Met fans, and finally the Met management. Yesterday he had his farewell, one final start. He didn’t do anything memorable, 0-2 with a walk. He was taken out early in scoreless tie. The Mets gave him a dramatic game as a swansong, and won 1-0 in 13 innings. The faithful stayed till the end and Wright came out thanked the fans. It was not a classic, “I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth” but it was heartfelt. It sealed the bond between Wright and the fans. I wasn’t there and I’m jealous of all those who were. In the scheme of things that a man can swing a round bat at a round at a round ball traveling 95 MPH and hit it squarely is of no great importance. We don’t live in the scheme of things, we live in our minds. In our minds that’s a spiritual experience. It makes us feel part of something bigger. He makes the entire world look better, the sun shines brighter, the sky is bluer, and the grass greener. Thank you David Wright, you made my life better.
When I started this I planned on writing about more than David Wright but now I see that wouldn’t be right. This is David’s day and I’m not going to make him share it even with others that I love. I can save the rest until tomorrow. I’m not going to have much to write about anyway.
I’ll just finish with a bit on my day. I was looking forward to seeing Caves and Clouds yesterday, they played at 3 o’clock at Rockwood. Then after I blogged I fell asleep without even eating. After I ate it was too late to get to the show. It was a wasted day. Then I didn’t get to sleep at a reasonable hour and slept late this morning. I’m finishing this late. Now I have to head over to City Island and see if I can get the TV and internet working at Jane’s apartment so she doesn’t go stir crazy when she arrives tomorrow. My other mission today is to get to sleep by 1 AM and get back on my preferred sleep schedule. No napping allowed today.
Wise Madness 