Profiles in Leadership

What makes a leader?

This was the question inexpertly tossed around* by that daffy broadcasting duo Joe Morgan and Steve Phillips, while the Amazins balked and bases-loaded GIDP-ed their way to a 2-0 losing conclusion to an otherwise successful 4-day vacation in San Fran.

The context was a re-hashing of the pre-winning-streak brouhaha over comments by Omar Minaya that suggested the Mets needed more of an edge.

“Some people see edge as leadership. Sometimes, you need a little meanness to your game. Some people perceive leadership as meanness.

“I couldn’t tell you that we have that type of guy. We have leaders. But everyone’s perception of leadership is different.”

Well, as everyone** knows, when a GM calls his team out for not having a leader, the first guy to respond gets the gig. Since then, David Wright has let his bat do most of the talking, and now everything is hunky dory. But he did at least offer the following to the New York Daily News:

“The definition of edge is going out there and getting a few wins, and then all of a sudden you don’t have to worry about anyone talking about edge anymore”

Well, they’ve got a few wins. But do the Mets have a true leader? What makes such a leader? And most importantly could Steve Phillips be any more of a horse’s patoot what is that that sixth tool*** that separates the leaders from the lineup fodder? To answer this, when we say “Jump” the Wright Stache will consult the acknowledged leader in defining leadership:

Motivational posters!

Jump.

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1am Shadow

"This dirt makes good mustache wax."

D-Wright was absolutely scorching over the weekend in San Francisco. Might it be that David is shining on the west coast because his facial hair is that much more full at the late hours (by East Coast standards) at which he is forced to play? We can only surmise.

David’s 4 stolen bases against the Giants on Thursday night tied a club record set by Vince Coleman twice and matched by Roger Cedeno in 1999. But even more impressive is the following record, dug up by (who else?) The Elias Sports Bureau and reported by The New York Times:

David Wright is the first player since 1920 to have at least nine hits, nine runs batted in and five stolen bases over a three-game span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

HotFootBlog.com reports a week’s worth of stats that are even more astounding:

For the week between May 11 – May 17, David Wright’s been hitting a red hot .556, with 3 doubles, a triple, 9 RBI, and a 1.366 OPS.

The very definition of “hot.” He’s been doing it in the clucth, to boot. That 10pm-1am shadow must be the key. It must be.