GaryMrMets
11-03-2006, 10:56 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/467731p-393611c.html
Wright seizes prime time
Meets Japan's PM & hits HR
BY ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
TOKYO - David Wright presented Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe with a Mets jersey. Then the third baseman asked for the leader's help in landing Seibu Lions ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, whom the Mets and Yankees covet.
"I asked him if he could make a couple of phone calls for us and maybe persuade him. We could use another quality starting pitcher next year," Wright said. "He said he'd look into it for me. We'll see."
Wright followed that meeting with a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth as Major League Baseball's All-Stars opened play with a 7-7 exhibition tie against the Yomiuri Giants last night. The 23-year-old Met sent a pitch from righthander Takahiko Nomaguchi over the left-center-field wall at the Tokyo Dome. The MLB All-Stars open their official five-game series against their Japanese All-Star counterparts tonight.
"You get in these international competitions, you're representing not only yourself - you're representing a lot of different teams and countries and major league baseball," Wright said. "It was very exciting. I watched the replay and saw the reaction of the bench and how excited the bench got. That makes it a lot of fun."
Said manager Bruce Bochy: "Our dugout went nuts. It's a great way to start the series."
During the afternoon, Jose Reyes, John Maine and Wright - along with the White Sox's Tadahito Iguchi and Mariners' Kenji Johjima - had a 20-minute sitdown with Abe in the Japanese leader's office. The prime minister even donned a pinstriped Mets jersey with No.1 and his last name on the back.
"We stayed strictly to baseball questions and not North Korean questions," Wright quipped. "We wanted to prolong the visit."
Added Maine with a laugh: "I figured he had to be a Mets fan if I was there."
After an 11 & 1/2-hour flight and dealing with the 14-hour time difference from New York, the Mets' trio has started to venture outside and experience Japanese culture. Maine traveled to Electric City, home of the next generation of electronics. Reyes hadn't strayed far from the hotel yet, though he did try sushi at a Yomiuri Giants-sponsored welcome party.
Told Wright had had pizza at a hotel buffet yesterday afternoon, Reyes shouted over to his teammate.
"No way!" Reyes told Wright. "You come to Japan and have pizza?"
Even after the homer, two days after his arrival, Wright still felt the effects of the grueling travel.
"It takes a little bit to get used to. I mean, right now, you're almost on the complete opposite schedule you would be in the States," he said. "It's amazing. Usually I don't get very tired. It just seems like this time of night, dinner time, you start to hit a wall. Your body is so used to that clock in the States."
Wright had met Bill Clinton during the former commander-in-chief's visit to Shea, and Dick Cheney when the vice president came to the Mets' clubhouse during a visit to RFK Stadium for the Nationals' home opener. Yesterday ranked up there.
"I thought it was pretty exciting," Wright said. "It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I was looking forward to it, getting a chance to go give the prime minister of Japan a Mets jersey. To have a 15- to 20-minute conversation with him was pretty special. Hopefully I can get a picture of the whole process captured, because that's something I'd like to keep."
Reyes replaced the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal at shortstop in the fifth, while Wright replaced the Angels' Chone Figgins at third base the following inning. In the seventh, Wright stepped to the plate to his typical Beastie Boys tune, "Brass Monkey," fouled off the first two pitches from righthander Hiroki Sanada, took a 132-kilometer-per-hour (82 mph) pitch for a ball, then struck out swinging. Two pitches later, Reyes grounded out to first base on a 1-0 offering. After Wright's homer in the ninth in his second at-bat tied the score, Reyes popped out to second base for the MLB All-Stars' final out. Atlanta's Andruw Jones homered twice. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard also went deep.
After the final out, Reyes appeared to be teaching Figgins the Mets' special handshake celebration.
"I think that was a different one," Wright said with a laugh. "He can't be giving away our little thing. I mean, that's our little thing."
Originally published on November 3, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/810-reyes_wright_PM.JPG
David Wright joins Jose Reyes in presenting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe with Mets jersey, ...
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/648-wright_hit.JPG
... then slugs tying home run for MLB All-Stars to delight of at least one Japanese fan (below).
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/935-japanesefan.JPG
Wright seizes prime time
Meets Japan's PM & hits HR
BY ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
TOKYO - David Wright presented Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe with a Mets jersey. Then the third baseman asked for the leader's help in landing Seibu Lions ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, whom the Mets and Yankees covet.
"I asked him if he could make a couple of phone calls for us and maybe persuade him. We could use another quality starting pitcher next year," Wright said. "He said he'd look into it for me. We'll see."
Wright followed that meeting with a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth as Major League Baseball's All-Stars opened play with a 7-7 exhibition tie against the Yomiuri Giants last night. The 23-year-old Met sent a pitch from righthander Takahiko Nomaguchi over the left-center-field wall at the Tokyo Dome. The MLB All-Stars open their official five-game series against their Japanese All-Star counterparts tonight.
"You get in these international competitions, you're representing not only yourself - you're representing a lot of different teams and countries and major league baseball," Wright said. "It was very exciting. I watched the replay and saw the reaction of the bench and how excited the bench got. That makes it a lot of fun."
Said manager Bruce Bochy: "Our dugout went nuts. It's a great way to start the series."
During the afternoon, Jose Reyes, John Maine and Wright - along with the White Sox's Tadahito Iguchi and Mariners' Kenji Johjima - had a 20-minute sitdown with Abe in the Japanese leader's office. The prime minister even donned a pinstriped Mets jersey with No.1 and his last name on the back.
"We stayed strictly to baseball questions and not North Korean questions," Wright quipped. "We wanted to prolong the visit."
Added Maine with a laugh: "I figured he had to be a Mets fan if I was there."
After an 11 & 1/2-hour flight and dealing with the 14-hour time difference from New York, the Mets' trio has started to venture outside and experience Japanese culture. Maine traveled to Electric City, home of the next generation of electronics. Reyes hadn't strayed far from the hotel yet, though he did try sushi at a Yomiuri Giants-sponsored welcome party.
Told Wright had had pizza at a hotel buffet yesterday afternoon, Reyes shouted over to his teammate.
"No way!" Reyes told Wright. "You come to Japan and have pizza?"
Even after the homer, two days after his arrival, Wright still felt the effects of the grueling travel.
"It takes a little bit to get used to. I mean, right now, you're almost on the complete opposite schedule you would be in the States," he said. "It's amazing. Usually I don't get very tired. It just seems like this time of night, dinner time, you start to hit a wall. Your body is so used to that clock in the States."
Wright had met Bill Clinton during the former commander-in-chief's visit to Shea, and Dick Cheney when the vice president came to the Mets' clubhouse during a visit to RFK Stadium for the Nationals' home opener. Yesterday ranked up there.
"I thought it was pretty exciting," Wright said. "It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I was looking forward to it, getting a chance to go give the prime minister of Japan a Mets jersey. To have a 15- to 20-minute conversation with him was pretty special. Hopefully I can get a picture of the whole process captured, because that's something I'd like to keep."
Reyes replaced the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal at shortstop in the fifth, while Wright replaced the Angels' Chone Figgins at third base the following inning. In the seventh, Wright stepped to the plate to his typical Beastie Boys tune, "Brass Monkey," fouled off the first two pitches from righthander Hiroki Sanada, took a 132-kilometer-per-hour (82 mph) pitch for a ball, then struck out swinging. Two pitches later, Reyes grounded out to first base on a 1-0 offering. After Wright's homer in the ninth in his second at-bat tied the score, Reyes popped out to second base for the MLB All-Stars' final out. Atlanta's Andruw Jones homered twice. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard also went deep.
After the final out, Reyes appeared to be teaching Figgins the Mets' special handshake celebration.
"I think that was a different one," Wright said with a laugh. "He can't be giving away our little thing. I mean, that's our little thing."
Originally published on November 3, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/810-reyes_wright_PM.JPG
David Wright joins Jose Reyes in presenting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe with Mets jersey, ...
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/648-wright_hit.JPG
... then slugs tying home run for MLB All-Stars to delight of at least one Japanese fan (below).
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/935-japanesefan.JPG