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<blockquote data-quote="Slammed" data-source="post: 1907136" data-attributes="member: 554316">FANS TAKE WRIGHT TURNDAVID OUT$ELLS DEREKJuly 2, 2006 -- New York baseball fans have found a new Mr. Right - David Wright, that is.The Mets&#039; handsome, 23-year-old third baseman has dethroned perennial favorite Derek Jeter as the city&#039;s most popular boy of summer, according to sales of jerseys and T-shirts.Wright, who leads all National League third basemen in All-Star voting, sells more merchandise than any other Met or Yankee, toppling Jeter, who was the top-selling ballplayer for almost a decade.And thanks to Wright&#039;s supporting cast - shortstop José Reyes and recent additions Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez - the Mets have now pulled up alongside the Bronx Bombers in merchandising power.&quot;The Yanks used to account for 70 percent of baseball merchandise - 80 percent after July 4th because the Mets used to fall out of contention early - but now, it&#039;s 50-50,&quot; said Rich Yonkers, who heads the licensed merchandise operation at Modell&#039;s, the metro area&#039;s largest sports retailer with 80 stores.&quot;If the Mets continue to win, they will become the top-selling team, something that hasn&#039;t happened since 1986,&quot; he said.In fact, the Mets&#039; phenomenon is nationwide, according to Major League Baseball, which pegs the Amazin&#039;s as the hottest team in terms of merchandise sales in the entire country.&quot;The Mets are really the perfect storm, with hot young players like Wright and Reyes, proven stars like Pedro and Delgado, with the team performing superbly on the field,&quot; said Howard Smith, the head of MLB licensing.The Amazin&#039;s&#039; fight to take back the city is also being waged across the tri-state area on TV and at the turnstile.On the tube, ratings for Mets games on SportsNet NewYork are inching closer to the powerhouse Yanks. Last week, while the Mets played the Red Sox, the Mets posted their most lopsided ratings win - a 4.7 vs. a 4.1 - as Wright and company drew 45,000 more households than did Jeter and the Bombers.At the gate, the Mets&#039; attendance is up an astonishing 56 percent over two seasons ago.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Slammed, post: 1907136, member: 554316"] FANS TAKE WRIGHT TURN DAVID OUT$ELLS DEREK July 2, 2006 -- New York baseball fans have found a new Mr. Right - David Wright, that is. The Mets' handsome, 23-year-old third baseman has dethroned perennial favorite Derek Jeter as the city's most popular boy of summer, according to sales of jerseys and T-shirts. Wright, who leads all National League third basemen in All-Star voting, sells more merchandise than any other Met or Yankee, toppling Jeter, who was the top-selling ballplayer for almost a decade. And thanks to Wright's supporting cast - shortstop José Reyes and recent additions Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez - the Mets have now pulled up alongside the Bronx Bombers in merchandising power. "The Yanks used to account for 70 percent of baseball merchandise - 80 percent after July 4th because the Mets used to fall out of contention early - but now, it's 50-50," said Rich Yonkers, who heads the licensed merchandise operation at Modell's, the metro area's largest sports retailer with 80 stores. "If the Mets continue to win, they will become the top-selling team, something that hasn't happened since 1986," he said. In fact, the Mets' phenomenon is nationwide, according to Major League Baseball, which pegs the Amazin's as the hottest team in terms of merchandise sales in the entire country. "The Mets are really the perfect storm, with hot young players like Wright and Reyes, proven stars like Pedro and Delgado, with the team performing superbly on the field," said Howard Smith, the head of MLB licensing. The Amazin's' fight to take back the city is also being waged across the tri-state area on TV and at the turnstile. On the tube, ratings for Mets games on SportsNet NewYork are inching closer to the powerhouse Yanks. Last week, while the Mets played the Red Sox, the Mets posted their most lopsided ratings win - a 4.7 vs. a 4.1 - as Wright and company drew 45,000 more households than did Jeter and the Bombers. At the gate, the Mets' attendance is up an astonishing 56 percent over two seasons ago. [IMG]//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif[/IMG] [/QUOTE]

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