LANSING, Ill. — On this frigid winter morning, Curtis Granderson is on a mission.
The Mets’ big free-agent signing is driving his Jeep Wrangler to four schools to give inspirational talks, all before noon, getting the word out to students about one of the most important aspects of his life — the value of a college education.
Leadership is about making the right choices and doing the work it takes to succeed, a message he drives home through TheGrandKidsFoundation.org. His words come from the heart, and two of the schools he visits are schools he attended growing up in the Chicago area — Nathan Hale Elementary and Heritage Middle School.
In more ways than one, Granderson finally is home.
This is a family affair. His mom Mary and his dad Curtis Sr., both lifelong educators, are with him to help spread the word. When they look at their son, they see a bright light who is ready to take on the most difficult challenge of his career: helping to turn around the moribund Mets after four seasons with the Yankees.
“Nothing against the Yankees,’’ his father told the Post in a quiet moment away from the cheering students. “The Yankees, as my dad would say, is a big town, and … you’d rather be a big man in a small town than a small man in a big town. There were a lot of big guys over there.
“After Curtis signed, I asked him, ‘What do you think?’ And he said, ‘Dad, I’m happy.’ I said, ‘We don’t need to talk about it anymore.’ When you’re happy, you tend to work harder. It’s not work.’’
Granderson is ready to help lead the way for the Mets. They needed to sign the three-time All-Star, a player who hit 84 home runs over 2011-12 seasons, to give David Wright left-handed help in the lineup. They also needed someone to assist Wright in the leadership department — Granderson providing another strong, experienced, intelligent voice in the clubhouse to show New York is not just a one-team baseball town.
When Granderson was first signed by the Mets to a four-year, $60 million contract in December, he made that clear.
“A lot of the people that I have met in New York,’’ Granderson said at the time, “have always said that true New Yorkers are Mets fans, so I’m excited to get a chance to see them all.’’
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he loved hearing those words.
“I was pleased,’’ the ex-Marine said with a laugh. “I like somebody with a little edge.’’
Noted CEO Jeff Wilpon, “I thought it was a great comment. I knew it was going to be controversial, but he’s speaking from the heart, and if that’s what he feels, guess what, he’s the type of guy who can back it up.
“He’s a Met now. He’s turned the page. Curtis brings an outside view to the organization, and that’s a good thing. I’m very happy to get to know him.’’
Granderson said he has no regrets about his statement. In fact, he feels even stronger about his words now.
“My comment wasn’t a dig at anybody, it was just some things that people said to me on a consistent basis,’’ Granderson said. “I’m excited to see the New York sports fans that are Mets fans come out in droves. I’ve heard great things about the past, and now to get a chance to be a part of it in the present and the future, I’m very optimistic about it.
“The most interesting thing is the number of people who have been texting me or through social media, saying, ‘So-and-so is a Mets fan. I didn’t know he was a Mets fan.’ Or they are showing their big tattoos with the ‘NY’ in blue and orange. I’m hearing so much from people who are Mets fans.’’
Granderson’s words have brought Mets fans out of hiding, but he knows those words have to be backed up with success.
“We’ve got to go out there and produce, that is what fans want you to do,’’ Granderson said. “I was a fan of teams growing up. I wanted to see my teams play well, and that’s what the whole organization is about doing, putting a plan together and executing.’’
No one knows how to put a plan together like Granderson, his friends say.
His foundation is a model of his hand’s-on success. To see him interact and relate to different age groups at each visit was captivating. He brought down the house, talking about everything from his middle-school science project that won awards all the way to the state level — on the developmental stages of peanuts — to people he has met through baseball. Yes, Beyonce usually got the biggest response. He offered a free baseball clinic Feb. 1 to the children. One of his goals is re-establish baseball opportunities, especially for inner-city youth.
He has given $5 million to his college, the University of Illinois at Chicago, for a new baseball park — Curtis Granderson Field, that includes accompanying fields so kids from around Chicago can be exposed to a college setting at an early age in the hopes they set the goal of achieving a college education. UIC added another $4.9 million for the project.
“He’s the most organized person I know,’’ said friend Sia Debros, who first met at UIC. Debros was on the women’s basketball team. “I never would have graduated without his help. He would organize study hall for us. He knew my attention span was good for about 15 minutes at a time, and he outlined a program for me, and every 15 minutes we’d take a break. He helped everybody.’’
Granderson is the master organizer for his friends’ events, including bowling tournaments — yes, he loves to bowl. He is a big fan of Halloween, ordering his costume on Amazon — one of his favorites was dressing up as Urkel from “Family Matters.” He is rich beyond his wildest dreams but still buys clothes at Target and is known to use a 2-for-1 dinner coupon.
Alderson, COO Wilpon and assistant GM John Ricco made the trip Thursday to support Granderson and his foundation. Sure, they’re paying him $60 million, but their presence showed Granderson a different kind of support: a commitment of heart, as they stood along the walls of the packed gyms to listen to Granderson speak.
“He’s a great complement to David,’’ Wilpon said. “They’re cut out of the same mold.’’
“It feels awesome to be introduced as a Met,’’ Granderson told the students. Asked about the Yankees he said, “I’m looking to beat the Yankees when we play them. We play them four times in the season and who knows, we might play them in the biggest series of them all, the World Series.’’
Granderson, 32, is coming off a season of broken bones, his arm and his hand, after being hit by pitches. He made a point to tell students, when things don’t go your way, find a way to bounce back stronger than ever.
“David is going to be right there with me,’’ Granderson said of his leadership role. “I’m glad to get a chance to be in that position. I will help build team bonding and communication. I’m in a different position now in my career. It’s exciting to be a veteran.’’
His mother Mary looked over at her son and told me, “Every day I listen to the news and I just hear so many things that go on, and I just thank God every day that the things we taught him, he remembers them. Not only does he talk the talk, but he walks the walk as well.’’
It’s time to walk the walk at Citi Field.