New York Mets: David Wright Is Right Not to Like the Underdog T-Shirts

Going into the 2011 season, I wrote that David Wright was a better third baseman than Alex Rodriguez.

At the end of the season, many New York Yankees' fans were pleased with Wright's season while many New York Mets' fans were glad that A-Rod had again disappointed Yankee's fans.

Regardless of one's rooting interests, it is undeniable that David Wright is a winner. We'll let Bronson Arroyo comment about Rodriguez.

It was reported today in the New York Daily News that Mets' COO Jeff Wilpon, the son of Fred, has little faith in his father's team.

Well, that's not the way it was reported, but David Wright knows that's what it means.

The younger Wilpon has given every player an orange T-shirt with the letter "U" on the front. The letter is the symbol used in a cartoon, "Underdog," that was popular many years ago when the Mets were a young franchise.

Most Mets, including manager Terry Collins, seemed to be pleased. 

David Wright wasn't.

“I don’t really like using the whole underdog thing. I don’t really like playing that card,” Wright said. “I think it’s just a way to remind everybody in here that the outside expectations aren’t the expectations that we have for ourselves."

Thirteen years before Wright was born, the Mets were starting the 1969 season with a team that had finished ninth the previous season (10-team league). The 1968 Mets were 73-89, batted .228 and averaged 2.9 runs a game.

Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman were expected to lead the 1969 pitching staff, but the rest of the pitchers were developing youngsters (Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw and Gary Gentry) or veterans that seemed over-the-hill.

To write off the 2012 season in February is ridiculous.

Going into the 1969 season, the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals were prohibitive favorites to win. They finished 13 games behind the Mets.

No one should concede anything to anyone. Not in February.