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In Newsday, Shaun Powell writes the following about David Wright, who he believes can do no wrong in the fans eyes:
“Here in the spring of their discontent, where they still remember the baseball crimes committed last September by their team, the fans often sit at Shea with their arms crossed, still waiting for the Mets to repent … until Wright comes to the plate. Then, it’s cheers, and only cheers, for the only member of the Mets who gets the Jeter treatment.”
…if i remember correctly, when wright went through his early season slump last april, he suffered through a strong amount of booing…but that seemed to be more directed towards wright’s perceived lack of preparation after a busy offseason…
…clearly fans tend to give david more leeway because; a) he works hard and doesn’t take his success for granted and b) he genuinely cares about the success of the franchise and accepts responsibility when the team fails…however, not that agree with it, but you can’t be naive to think wright would continue to escape a rousing set of boos if his production went into a slide reminiscent of say, Carlos Delgado…
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Wright will not come close to being a current Delgado any time soon. Why? B/C david comes to the plate, asseses the situatino, and actually has a plan to his approach.
Carlos Delgado clearly has no plan. He has no clue, it appears.
More than that Wright is one of the few guys that shows emotion and that you know works hard. Most of the team looks like they don’t care or like they are just lost. Fans want to see effort, if everyone looked like they were playing with max effort you would not hear so much booing.
i agree. Unfortunatly i think if santana can be booed i dont see wright getting any better treatment. And btw im sure jeter gets booed as well sometimes.
The gorilla in the room that nobody ever discusses about St. David’s teflon coating is that he’s white. It may not be the main reason he is immune to booing, but it is a factor. In Santana’s first start of the season at Shea, Wright’s stink was all over the game, but he got cheered like he hit a walk off grand slam when he hit a meaningless ninth inning home run.
Can’t see that as being a valid point considering this is a team located in NYC, and I am pretty sure that a good amount of the vocal fans in the stadium are hispanic, especially with the influx of latin players over the past 3-4 years.
yeah dude
the shea crowd really loves that white guy heilman
AND IT BEGINS……..
Nonsense.
It is because he’s homegrown and prettu much carried the team the 2nd half last year.
He hit .364 14hr 56rbi after the all star break.
And .352 6hr 20rbi in September while most of the team took the month off. I think the fans see him as the only one who tried to do something about the collapse and are thanking him for it.
That’s bogus, Wright is cheered because he is a homegrown superstar ala Derek Jeter. Delgado is a hired mercenary who admitted to being bored because he’s so good. Clearly not the same. You could make the same case with Reyes, who the fans clearly love and isn’t white. He’s homegrown. But even still, David got booed at the beginning of last year. Reyes got booed at the end of last year.
Winning cures the booing.
I know I am going to start a riot with my comment, but it has to be considered.
I have to say it, but I was thinking the same thing.
Can we quit playing the race card. I remember when Delgado was raking he was cheered every at bat.
This is sad that we are discussing this. Race, race, race. Get a grip and realize that respect is earned.
Look, Wright is one of the superstars of the team, but so is Reyes, Beltran, and Santana, but none of them are immune to being booed when they fail to meet expectations. Wright somehow does manage to avoid being booed. There is one obvious difference between Wright and Reyes, Beltran and Sanatana - race. I did not say, it is the reason Wright is teflon, but it cannot be ruled out tout court as one of the several reasons.
wright was booed last april, when he sucked and the mets were actually very good. i have also seen wright get booed when he airmails a souvenir ball in the direction of the 1B field seats. and even though the mets are perceived as struggling guys like reyes and beltran are only hearing a smattering of boos.
in short, the article is wrong, and you are compounding it with another, less correct, layer of wrong.
What about Shoenweis on opening day? He was booed before even giving up a run this season!
Take a look at the white guys on the Mets:
Wright
Schowenweis
Heilman
Church
Schneider
Maine
Wagner
Smith
The only ones that don’t get booed are the ones that don’t deserve to get booed.
I also recall Tom Glavine getting booed after game 162 last year…
Wright doesn’t get booed because he always put forth effort. Same cant be said for Beltran or Reyes. Santana getting booed opening day was pretty ridiuclous but that wasn’t race that was his massive contract and expectations it brought.
I don’t think it’s nuts…NY being racially diverse doesn’t exaclty mean NYers love everyone the same.
That said, I do think it is more because Wright is candid when his teammates are evasive, stand-up when his teammates hide, and he leaves no question he is giving it his all 100% of the time. I think fans react more to those aspects of his personality, in contrast to the laid-back, unflustered demeanors of Delgado, Beltran, Willie, etc.
When New York fans are angry and frustrated, we want to see the same in our athletes. Wright gives that, where most athletes do not.
Plus he’s a home grown player.
it has to be considered to be a complete waste of bandwidth. no offense.
If the entire stadium was white….valid point.
But shea displays a very racially diverse fan base. Probably the most in the country.
This is just a stupid and unwarranted accusation. But just happens to be the easiest thing to say….so people throw it out so easily. Very lazy, if you ask me.
no it doesn’t. he’s not getting booed because he was the only met not named alou, who gave a crap last year. he’s the only one who got mad AND produced on the field (you lo duca lovers can be quiet now). despite what people like wallace matthews say, these fans are quite knowledgeable about baseball and they don’t forget that. for the most part they aren’t booing just to boo, they’re booing the team because of a perceived lack of care. yeah david is slumping without the boos right now, but you can bet your a** that if he’s still slumping a month from now, he will hear them. it really saddens me that everything is turned into a race issue, especially something as trivial as baseball.
for the record i am half american indian and half mexican.
No. No, it doesn’t really have to be considered.
Wright was not heavily booed during his slump last April, much like Heilman (on a relative scale) is not being heavily booed now. Compare Beltran, Delgado, Mota, etc. Wright and Heilman are generally booed out of frustration AFTER they blow it in a big spot. Fans are on their side, and want to see them do well and win here. This is to some extent true with all players, but Wright has the most love, and it shows. Delgado and Sosa are closer to the Cedeno/Mota end of the scale. These are the players who may be booed for the horrible offense of stepping onto the field. I recall that Cedeno wouldn’t let his wife and kids come to Shea. I don’t imagine Mota was excited to have his close ones at Shea.
A number of factors go into fan love - Wright embodies them all. Recent success, legend status, class, value, off-field conduct (why Mota was doomed), personal reaction (good to be PO’d when the fans are), age, etc.
Why does every freaking article about the Mets have to cite the Yankees? One team has so little to do with the other. The “Jeter” treatment? Come on! Why can’t this just be about the Met players and the Met fans? If you wrote an article about the new Ford car, would you feel compelled to mention a GM as well. (You might on occasion, but this much? Please.)
I can’t stand it!!!
lol ford commercial
I think it’s nonsense to say Wright gets booed rarely because he’s white. Heilman and Show are white. A lot good that does them!
A big reason Wright rarely gets booed is because he’s homegrown. Both he and Reyes are usually treated more kindly by the crowds. The fans will always be the harshest on big ticket free agents. Or relievers from the outside. Like Show and Benitez.
Did it ever occur to anyone that the reason why Wright hardly gets booed has to be because he comes off as the only player that truly, and deeply cares for the success of this team,…or at least goes out of his way to wear it on his sleeve.
Being homegrown is a factor too when you add to it.
Santana being booed is just stupidity, but from what I heard it was a small vocal minority, unlike the booing that Delgado got lately.
Per my comment above re factors that contribute to fan love. I think that being home grown helps. Contrast Heilman and Schoenweiss, though listening to game on the radio makes it hard to tell if there’s a real difference. Race may be a factor, though it is one that may play differently among different fans. I don’t think the reason that Beltran and Delgado have a shorter leash with fans has to with race. I think Reyes had more love than Wright a year ago (excitement/entertainment are factors), but Reyes lost a lot of that in September ‘07.
What a silly counterfactual to propose!
Counterfactual! I love it. Maybe Wright gets booed in another possible world.
The bottom line is that David Wright still appears to be part of the solution.
After last year, the Mets fans wanted things fixed. That is why they were so loud about getting Santana no matter what it took. Wright is young. Carlos is not. Wright can still be good. Carlos may not. He may still be part of the problem. That is why he is booed. Heilman is acting like our bullpen did last year. That is why he is part of the problem.
The fans want players who can get beyond last year.
Mex,
I understand your thought process, and that may play in to the subconscious of a few fans who would lik eto think it doesn’t. And, the conscious mind of a very few bigoted fans.
However, I doubt it is the reason he is so well loved by the vast majority of the fanbase. Instead, most fans cut David a break because (1) he is so consistently good; (2) works his butt off to be better; (3) gets upset when he fails, (4) is a class act and MOST importantly vis a vis the fan impatience this season after The Collapse….(5) he played great even in the midst of The Collapse.
As others have noted, this is NYC, not Minnesota - and there are tons of Hispanic and black fans. Finally, the fans give the same demigod treatment to Pedro because we all know how good he is as a player and how muc he works to be effective even in his old age. Pedro is not white, last I checked. Maybe not to the same level, but the fans also show pretty consistent love to Alou and to Endy as well. Back in the day, Mookie could do no wrong (even before Game 6).
Eh I kind of agree about the Great White Hope sentiment. I’ve seen it a lot over the years.
Wasn’t the treatment the same for Mazzilli?
Hell, my own (irish) aunt, who is as racist as can be, only likes D. Wright. Im sure Church will be her second favorite player next time I see her.
Not to say it isn’t the same for other races…..do you think anybody in taiwan can name a non-choking pitcher on the yankees?
that individual fans may be racist does not mean an entire fanbase is racist.
this argument is giving me a stroke.
Statistically, Beltran has been a better offensive and defensive player than Wright for the past two years, but the fans love Wright because of several factors. He’s white, good looking, a native english speaker, homegrown and very media savvy. Hispanic players like Reyes and Beltran are not going to have as easy a time endearing themselves to a fan base if for no other reason than the language barrier. It’s not racism, it’s common sense. All that taken into account, we love who helps us win. A player could be a mute from Iran with a burned face and i’d love him if he hit with RISP.
Wright is also the face of the franchise and, unlike Carlos, hits well at Shea.
It would also help if someone other than white players gave quotes and interviews.
But over the past few years, minority players have absolutely been fan favorites, including Endy, Floyd and Duaner. Felix Milan was hugely popular on a terrible team and longtime met fans know that Cleon Jones was the most popular Met for a long time (Seaver was great but I don’t think he endeared himself the the crowd).
And let’s not forget Mookie.
Statistically, Beltran has been a better offensive and defensive player than Wright for the past two years
I don’t know what stats you are looking at, because Wright statistically was a better offensive player than Beltran in 2007 and 2005. Beltran was a better player offensively in 2006. So 2 out of the 3 years Beltran has been here, Wright has been a better and more consistent offensive player. Especially at Shea.
Beltran has been treated harshly because of his big free agent contract. Expectations were thus unreasonable at first. And when he struggled his first year, that’s the first impression of him that fans got. And he’s always hit less well at Shea.
ummmm where do the mets play………
Corona, Queens
Very hispanic neighborhood i doubt reyes and beltran have any problem endearing themselves a fan base. This race crap with Dwright is stupid im sorry. That is no explaination for why DW does not get booed. If he fails at the plate consistantly he will get booed i can guarentee you that. Its all about playing in ny and what have you done for me lately crap. Thing is DW does alot of things lately and he is a home grown player. Plus like many people have posted already there is alway a quote from wright after a win or loss in newsday or any media forum which makes him the face of the orgainzation. Similar to a mike piazza. People cheer results, people boo failures..its that simple.
And look at Lee of the Knicks. He’s the most popular player. Can anyone guess what other distinction he holds? Remember how much we loved Wayne Chrebet, a #3 receiver. In the same way Obama gets 90% of the black vote. We want people like us to succeed. Its human nature.
Is that why Darryl Strawberry is the most beloved player from the 86 Mets?
That team is loved by all Met fans but no one gets louder cheers than Darryl. Doc and Darryl owned NYC in the 80s.
Many factors are involved that make Wright the golden boy, which include but not centered around Race. As mentioned by others, he is most accessible during wins and more importantly Losses…a team player whether it be defense, hitting, or pitching (supporting them during and after games)..he is home grown… he carries himself with class and respect and gives it to others as well (teammates, opposition, media, and fans)…All of this makes him less susceptible to being booed along with the fact that he does bust his butt day in and day out — And it shows. His happiness and sadness can be seen miles away. These qualities are not projected or seen in other Mets so they have a higher chance to be booed.
Well, other than that 1 throwing error to cost a game, he was one of the few guys that produced in September last year. If a few more had joined him, the collapse would never have happened!
Bottom line is this. Most disagreements are if expectations are not being met. This is why Delgado is being booed. He has tons of power and is doing nothing with it. Heilman has great stuff and is doing nothing with it. Wright at least is near the top of the league in RBIs. He is meeting expectations. If he started out with 3 RBIs and was hitting .187 with 1 homer he would be booed also.
Wright gets the “Jeter Treatment” because he is
Good well rounded player who plays hard EVERYDAY and doesn’t make any excuses
young, single & good looking
because he was the only one not collapsing at the end of the year
I LOVE that everyone is saying “well the reaction can’t have anything to do with race ‘cause this is nyc”…sean bell, people…lets not be silly.
Anyone been to Citizens Bank lately? Rollins was the MVP, he plays the game extremely hard and never takes a day off. But, all you see in that statium are Chase Utley jerseys. Granted, Utley may be an MVP this year, I’m just saying though…..
I also tend to side with the fact that DW is one of our own….Delgado was an imported product that came here after his prime. I just hate to see him go downhill and suffer the same fate as Mo Vaughn. Never thought it would happen.
That’s because:
(1) Most of the Utley jerseys are on women, who give Utley the “Mr. Wright” treatment (though Utley is married, and has done quite well for himself)
(2) Utley, though having a shorter tenure on the team, has been consistently productive for longer. Rollins was a disappointment for a long time after his rookie year.
(3) Utley is a far better player than Rollins, and would have been the MVP last year had he not been hurt. In fact, he was probably still the team MVP. So, if you’re buying the jersey of the “best” all-around player, there’s no contest — it’s Utley. Lots of Howard jerseys, too.
Utley is a much better player than Rollins and the real MVP of that team.
Just another thought to throw into the mix; Many people say they only boo someone when they dog it. As far as I remember, I have never seen DWright dog it. Never. There were a couple of times when Reyes didn’t run out a pop up. There was one time when Beltran didn’t run out a pop up…. which resulted in a double play when the infielder let it fall and threw to 2B instead of catching it.
Reyes, Wright and Beltran are franchise players… but Wright has never failed to run out a pop up or a ground ball.
And someone mentioned Duaner and Endy being fan favorites…. again, I think it’s about the attitude they bring to the game and never, ever giving less than 100%.
These are the players that New Yorkers love. If Jimmy Rollins came up through the Mets system, we would love him as well.
Completely agree about Rollins. I’d take him over Reyes anytime.
Endy will always be an all-timer with me after that catch he made in the last game against the Cards in ‘06. He made that play because he cared enough to give his all. The fans will love players of any color if the player demonstrates that he cares about what he is doing. Fans are paying a lot of money to come out to the ballpark and it’s not too much to ask the ballplayers to hustle. Too many ballplayers have forgotten that they have a well-paying gig because of us.
I don’t think anybody is completely immune to the booing. Wright heard some of it last April when he was struggling.
But there are plenty of reasons why fans love Wright and give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes. Mainly, he’s been a damn good player since the day he put on a Mets uniform. And I think part of it is being homegrown. Beltran was paid big money and then was a big disappointment his first season and I think that still has somewhat of a carry over effect. Had he not had a whole season where he was a bust, and his first big splash was a season like he had in ‘06, he probably would get more leeway than he gets now.
I don’t think its really a race based thing. Being American and having English as a first language certainly helps from a marketing aspect, doing commercials, appearances and what not, but I don’t think Mets fans cheer and boo based on that kind of stuff. Up until the end of last season Jose Reyes was getting just as much love as Wright. If DW flopped down the stretch he probably would be getting booed as well.
And as others have said, I think personality on and off the field is a big factor. He comes across as a very likeable guy, and you can tell based on his actions on the field, and quotes afterward that he really does care. Not to say others don’t, I fully believe guys like Beltran and Delgado care too, but fans lots of times like the guys who show emotion more so than the stoic guys.
But again, it really comes down performance. He’s struggling somewhat now, but all in all he’s on pace for a pretty good season. If his slump starts to last longer, he’ll probably start hearing it too
how about that wright puts up solid number…sure he doesn’t come through in every situation but he clearly doesn’t deserve be booed with 23 rbis in 26 games…i mean lets be serious
To the average fan (lots of the folks in the seats), DW’s boos last yr weren’t about lack of preparation; it was lack of production….they could give a hoot about preparation…..
he gets love b/c he acts pissed and like he gives a damn when he’s on a K streak…….and he jumps up and down in the air when he helps the team (like we all do at Shea, in our living rooms etc….)
Beltran was so indifferent during his first season, and that doesn’t play at Shea….