Wilmer Flores and the Small Steps
ב"ה
We all fell in love with Wilmer Flores a few years ago when he showed us how much he wanted to be a Met. I have a secret to tell you -- I've been a fan of his since day one (which, in my parlance, is the first time I ever saw him). There was something I saw in him as a player; there was something I saw in him as a person. Always under the radar, just enjoying his job as a baseball player, still a kid when he started.
Then came the gossip about a trade being discussed for Wilmer to go to Milwaukee. Wilmer had been in the Mets organization since he came from Venezuela at 16. So, the friends he had in the US were in NY. But seeing him try (unsuccessfully) to hold back tears made Mets fans love him.
A couple of days after, Wilmer hit a walk off home run that one of the announcers said, "dissolved into fairy dust". It did seem to be Wilmer Flores day. But, to be honest, from my perspective, just meant that the other Mets fans finally figured out what I had already figured out --- that Wilmer Flores was a sweet, sensitive, low-key, day-in-day-out grinder who just so happened to also be a good player and wanted to play for US as much as we wanted him on our team.
I'm glad he's still with us -- I hope he never has to leave.
We all fell in love with Wilmer Flores a few years ago when he showed us how much he wanted to be a Met. I have a secret to tell you -- I've been a fan of his since day one (which, in my parlance, is the first time I ever saw him). There was something I saw in him as a player; there was something I saw in him as a person. Always under the radar, just enjoying his job as a baseball player, still a kid when he started.
Then came the gossip about a trade being discussed for Wilmer to go to Milwaukee. Wilmer had been in the Mets organization since he came from Venezuela at 16. So, the friends he had in the US were in NY. But seeing him try (unsuccessfully) to hold back tears made Mets fans love him.
A couple of days after, Wilmer hit a walk off home run that one of the announcers said, "dissolved into fairy dust". It did seem to be Wilmer Flores day. But, to be honest, from my perspective, just meant that the other Mets fans finally figured out what I had already figured out --- that Wilmer Flores was a sweet, sensitive, low-key, day-in-day-out grinder who just so happened to also be a good player and wanted to play for US as much as we wanted him on our team.
I'm glad he's still with us -- I hope he never has to leave.
Comments
Post a Comment