So yesterday I was supposed to join the Cyclones in the Polar plunge charity event, but the weather here in New York caused the event to be cancelled. I have to admit that originally the thought of jumping in the Atlantic ocean did not exactly thrill me but it was to be for a great cause and I ended up feeling bad we could not do it. But we have been promised that there will be more plunges in the future. We did all get together and have a lot of fun yesterday anyway so that was nice.
Lots of David Wright stuff to tell you guys today. He has been very vocal about his hopes for the 2010 season. He has been working harder than I ever knew him to do this winter preparing for the new season. David is determined to bounce back, and I can tell you based on what people who have seen David have said there is little doubt he will do just that.
To begin with David trained very hard, took off what some have called his “baby fat" and toned up adding muscle and tone. Nothing dramatic, in fact his weight is within its customary 205- to 210-pound range. His body fat percentage has dropped only marginally. Still he definitely looks different than last year.
David has paid particular attention to his diet eating only healthy foods and cutting out all the junk. Now it’s bananas and water instead of beer and pizza.
One thing David is very sensitive about and that is any talk about him ever cheating with performance enhancing drugs, something he would never do. David was raised in a way that it's not even an option. He is quick to point out it’s not an option for him, his father is an assistant police chief and formerly the department's vice and narcotics captain. As David says "It's something I take a lot of pride in - putting work in. Good or bad, I'm able to put my head on my pillow at night and say I did everything I could to be this player. I'm not going to do anything to try to cheat myself or try to cheat the system
He was seen after his workout getting his lunch out, which he makes himself at home before coming to the park;a peanut butter, honey and jelly sandwich. By his own estimate, Wright eats these sandwiches 75 to 80 percent of the 365 days on the calendar, and he makes almost all of them himself. Jeff Francoeur said “He eats them nonstop, sometimes even for dinner.”
Wright said his affinity for peanut butter sandwiches began in the minor leagues, where the food spread was not all that tempting. Sometimes the best available option was the vat of peanut butter and the loaf of bread in the clubhouse. Often enough, it still is.
“It’s just something that’s quick, it’s easy to make and I like it a lot,” he said. “There’s really nothing more to it. I love ’em.” .....I mean come on how cute is that?
Wright likes his routines. During the season he gets up, has breakfast, watches a movie or plays some video games, and then heads into the ball park around 2 p.m. to begin his baseball routines, which include watching video, hitting and weight lifting. David likes following the same patterns if possible, but he is not a fanatic about them. The Mets are asking their players to limit their lifting during this season to prevent injuries, and Wright said he would comply.
More important than the weight lifting, though, is the work he did with Howard Johnson over the winter. Wright hit .307 last season. But he mysteriously lost a lot of his power, falling from a career-high 33 home runs to a career-low 10.
Ho Jo said he thought David might have overcompensated last year and tried to hit too much to right field. It wasn’t necessarily because of the intimidating distances in left, but because hitting to the opposite field was emphasized in spring training.
So during the winter, Johnson worked with Wright to stay back on the ball a little longer, and then get aggressive when the ball gets deeper in the strike zone. It is not just a formula for Wright, either. The Mets want everyone to use the whole field.
David says he would always like to pull the ball a little more, But can’t get away from his strength, which is going to the other gap. He feels that if the result is that he don’t hit as many home runs, so be it. He also thinks maybe its stubbornness or ignorance, but he is not going to try to revamp the swing that I’ve had his whole life just to fit the ballpark. He will just try to grind it out.”
Even Jose noticed and admired David's new biceps
