In the jungle that is sports fandom, it is a signal of great regard. Call it a cross-tribal salute.
Sometimes, David Wright told The Post recently, he’ll be walking on the streets of Manhattan, get approached by a person and hear something like this: “Hey, I hate the Mets. I root against you. But I respect the way that you play. I enjoy watching you play.”
Yes, the begrudging respect from a Yankees fan. Out in public, even.
“That’s a pretty tremendous compliment,” the Mets’ captain said. “I think there’s an attachment where, obviously with Mets fans, I’ve been through the ups and downs of putting on this uniform every day. I can relate to them on that level.
“And then, on a New York sports perspective, I’ve been here long enough. New York is like a second home to me.”
On July 21, Wright will mark the 10th anniversary of his major-league debut. So the timing seems right for the mantle he’s set to inherit at the end of this season, once his Yankees counterpart Derek Jeter retires.
Is there any doubt that, upon Jeter’s departure from the stage, Wright will become the face of New York baseball?
“I would have to say he and Derek are the face of baseball in New York City,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “I think that’s a fair explanation of it. David Wright, when you’re around him, you’ll have the same feeling. This guy plays the game right. He prepares himself as well as anybody you’ve been around. And all he does is put up All-Star numbers. He certainly deserves that title.”
“He’s ready to slide on in,” said Cliff Floyd, Wright’s Mets teammate from 2004 through 2006.
“That’s undeserved, for everything that Derek has accomplished, both individually and as a team,” Wright said. “It’s not even a fair comparison to him for the amazing career that he’s had. Just to be even mentioned in the same sentence as him is an honor.”
Eh. Consider that, 9¹/₂ years into his career, Wright has 1,558 hits, 222 home runs and, per Baseball-Reference.com’s measure, 46.6 wins above replacement. Nine-plus years into his career, Jeter had 1,734 hits, 150 home runs and 44.6 WAR. The biggest difference comes in World Series rings at their respective junctures — four for Jeter, none for Wright — and no one will blame Wright for that disparity.
Indeed, most people find themselves quite comfortable making the connection between Jeter and Wright. Braves center fielder B.J. Upton grew up alongside Wright in Virginia and was the first high-profile young player to wear No. 2 in Jeter’s honor, while playing in the minor leagues in 2003.
Asked what similarities he sees between Jeter and Wright, Upton said, “Just the way they carry themselves. I think playing in New York, it’s a lot easier to get caught in the media. To get caught into doing so many things. For both of them to play for so long and not get involved with any of that says a lot about their character. That’s what it takes. Hats off to them for being able to do that.”
Wright and Upton were playing each other in Norfolk, Va. on July 20, 2004 — Upton was on the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate Durham, and Wright played for the Mets’ Norfolk outpost — when Mets minor-league manager John Stearns informed Wright of his immediate promotion. Wright can remember virtually every detail of the hectic next 24 hours that culminated with an 0-for-4 showing against the Montreal Expos at Shea Stadium (the Mets still won, 5-4): The 10 a.m. flight from Norfolk to LaGuardia; a quick stop at the airport hotel to drop off his stuff; his first visit to the Shea Stadium home clubhouse.
Floyd, who hit fourth for the Mets that day (Wright hit seventh), said that even then, “I knew he had the makeup of a guy [who could be a franchise player]. He had the right mindset. Plus, he hit the ball to the opposite field a lot. That was a good sign.”
Moreover, Floyd said, “Let’s be honest: He’s a really good-looking guy.”
Now committed to the Mets through 2020, Wright declined to reflect on what he has accomplished to get to this point.
“The game finds a way to humble you,” he said. “Hopefully, there are some good things, when I’m done playing, that I’ll be able to look back on and be like, ‘You know what?’ Pat myself on the back then.
“It’s just impossible, in my opinion, to sit back and try to enjoy what’s been in the past. Every day, it’s kind of like you have to be mentally prepared for that day. It doesn’t work if you sit there and you’re still pumped up about getting hits the night before because you won’t be prepared for that day.”
Miami Heat superstar LeBron James celebrated his 10th professional anniversary on Oct. 29, 2013, and he noted to GQ that he’d probably play another 10 years. I asked Wright if he held a similar timeline.
“Not really,” the 31-year-old said. “I’d like to play for as long as I feel like I’m playing at a high level. I think everybody kind of says that. But the last thing I want to do is feel like I can still do something and my body’s just not allowing me to do it. I still feel like that’s a long ways down the road.”
The immediate change will come next year, when Jeter is gone and Wright hopes that the Mets are ready to take a competitive leap. For sure, Wright will represent something bigger and deeper. He will be king of baseball’s toughest jungle.