I went to my first spring training game in March of 2006. My dad says, "Go see if you can get any autographs." After two hours of waiting, I come up with the cu de gra, David Wright in what I call a miracle accident. In 2007, I decide to try again. Hey, I got it once, how hard can it be to get David Wright to sign another baseball? Actually, pretty hard.
Which takes us to March 16, 2011: Vindication Day. I got to Hammond Stadium bright and early because I knew David had gotten on the bus. I patiently waited as David took batting practice and fielding practice. When he came back, he stopped to sign a couple of autographs. One of those autographs is the baseball to your left. Vindication four years coming.
For those who have maybe stumbled upon this blog, long story short: for every year I did not acquire a David Wright autograph, the Mets have re-defined the terms "collaspe," "choke artists," and "suckage." Casey Stengel, I'm sure, is rolling over in his grave. However, my "miracle accident" year, 2006, was the year the Mets made it all the way to the NLCS.
This year, by scoring the cu de gra of current Met autographs, I am hoping that this team's luck turns around. We've already eliminated what was left of our negative past by releasing Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez. We have a new front office, new management, and even though they lost both the spring games I went to last week, they made it interesting until the very end.
Our pitching is still our strength, even with questions about a lefty specialist and Jason Isringhausen's elbow. Chris Young, in my opinion, is returning to the ace that he was in San Diego. Jon Niese continues to confound batters with his offspeed pitch.
My concerns lie within the offense. Both Jason Bay and Jose Reyes need to have good years. I don't worry about Angel Pagan or Wright; they just need to stay healthy. This year, we even have reliable options on our bench, including Scott Hairston, and everybody's favorite Murphy, Daniel.
The Mets have all the pieces to contend this year. They just need to get out there, play their hardest, and hopefully, hopefully, my autograph superstion holds true.
David Wright (Spring) Strikeout Counter: $0.60
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