
NEW YORK, NY — In addition to the honorary marks of Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner, and Bill Shea, David Wright’s No. 5 will sit along the rafters of Citi Field with the following: Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18, Doc Gooden’s No. 16, Willie Mays’ No. 24, Keith Hernandez’s No. 17, Jerry Koosman’s No. 36, Mike Piazza’s No. 31, Tom Seaver’s No. 41, Gil Hodges’ No. 14, Casey Stengal’s No. 37, and Jackie Robinson’s universally retired No. 42.
Last week, the Mets announced that the team would honor their former captain, David Wright, by both inducting him into their Hall of Fame, and retiring the uniform number he wore, No. 5. While each of these accolades for David Wright were expected to happen eventually, the fact the Mets will give Wright this “honors doubleheader” on July 19 speaks volumes about the respect he commands.

David Wright poses for a photo during pregame festivities for the 2024 Battle of the Badges event hosted by Wright at Citi Field each year – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
Had it not been for the spinal stenosis which ended his playing career prematurely, Wright would have been on his way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He was a seven-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner in a twelve -year career despite too much time on the injured list during that time.
What is undeniable is that David Wright was a Hall of Famer when it came to media availability. Whereas many ballplayers try to avoid the press at all costs, David Wright was always at his locker ready to talk to reporters even after painful Mets losses.

David Wright, a role model for New York and all of the youth – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
I always appreciated Wright’s forthrightness. When I asked him about the Mets’ frequent inability to drive in a runner from third base with less than two outs (a hitting issue which still plagues them today), he responded, “I am guilty of that.”
David Wright played in only one World Series and that was in 2015. One of the rewards of being a high-profile professional athlete is the attention you get from the entertainment industry, especially after your team wins a championship. I asked Wright if he would consider hosting “Saturday Night Live” the way his friend, Derek Jeter had. “That would be somewhat outside of my comfort zone, but I would do it!” Unfortunately, the Mets lost that World Series in five games to the Kansas City Royals, and therefore Lorne Michaels did not call him.
Wright’s talent and affability was not lost on diehard Mets fan, Middle Village native, and Vitaminwater CEO Mike Repole, who is also active in the world of thoroughbred racing. Repole hired Wright to be a Vitaminwater spokesman in exchange for an equity stake in the company. Wright told me the Mets forced him to take the label off bottles of the VitaminWater bottles by his locker because the team had a sizable endorsement deal with a beverage rival, PepsiCo. When Repole sold the Whitestone-based Vitaminwater to Coca-Cola, Wright reaped a capital gain of approximately $20 million.
My most vivid David Wright memory was when he gave the eulogy at a Citi Field memorial service for Mets PR executive Shannon Forde who lost her valiant battle with breast cancer at age 44 in March 2016. Wright was so good that I asked him if he would consider writing my column if I took a week off.
“Nah. You use too many big words, Lloyd!” he said with his trademark laugh.
The David Wright announcement by the Mets had to have been cheered by Pete Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras. I have a feeling it did not warm Mets baseball operations president, David Stearns.

Pete Alonso remains on the open market – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Alonso holds the same level of esteem to most Mets fans which David Wright enjoyed. He is a homegrown Mets player who is now testing the free agent waters after six major league seasons in Flushing. The only player who spent his entire career with the Mets who is in their Hall of Fame is the late Ed Kranepool. David Wright will be the second.
Scott Boras acknowledged the obvious to me at last month’s Juan Soto press conference when he said Pete Alonso is worth more to the Mets than to any other baseball franchise. It remains a sore spot for many Mets fans, including Mets CEO Steve Cohen, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, and Jose Reyes were not lifelong Mets.

Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 and Doc Gooden’s No. 16 was retired by the Mets during a special ceremony in June of 2024 – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
I am sure Steve Cohen would very much like to have Pete Alonso back in the fold. I get the feeling however David Stearns, who is not known for being a sentimentalist, is not as enamored with signing the 30-year-old Alonso to a long-term lucrative contract for reasons I outlined last week. It will be interesting to see whether Cohen will lean on Stearns to get a deal done.
Netflix continues their venture into Live Sports and Entertainment World
Netflix, the nation’s largest streaming service, has dove into live sports and entertainment in the last two months. In December, they presented, albeit with some technical difficulties, a fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul on Netflix made for record-breaking numbers across the streaming industry – Image Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
That was followed by a Christmas Day NFL doubleheader which went off without any hitches. Last Monday, Netflix became the new television home for World Wrestling Entertainment’s “RAW” which had been the most popular weekly cable television show when it was on the USA Network.
The telecast from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA opened with a nice film montage of past WWE stars such as Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Another past WWE champion, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who serves on the board of directors of TKO Productions which purchased the company from longtime owner, the controversial Vince McMahon, greeted the sold-out crowd and Netflix viewers with his timeless “Can you smell what “The Rock” has got cooking?” shtick. They loved it.

Triple H makes an opening statement to the Intuit Dome crowd last week on Monday Night Raw, the first-ever Raw on Netflix – Image Credit: WWE
Another wrestling legend, Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea, did not receive the same warm reaction which “The Rock” did, and it shook him up. Hogan was a prominent Trump supporter, and that may not have played well in the very blue Los Angeles area. It is also possible his act may have grown stale.
The Intuit Dome WWE patrons gave 47-year-old John Cena, who will be retiring from ring action at the end of 2025, a far better welcome than they provided Hulk Hogan. Cena has used his WWE fame to branch out in many ways. He kidded about his acting career last Monday night, but the truth is he has gotten good notices in the films in which he has appeared. He hosted a knock-off of “American Gladiators” for FOX called “American Grit” a few years ago. He provides the voiceovers for all Honda television ads, and he is now doing ads for McDonald’s latest McValue meal deals.

John Cena addresses the Intuit Dome crowd last week during Monday Night Raw – Image Credit: Getty Images
Netflix and the WWE were lucky their big event took place the day before those horrendous wildfires broke out all over greater Los Angeles. The NBA postponed Lakers and Clippers games, while the NFL was forced to move the Vikings-Rams game to Glendale, AZ.
“NFL Icons” series returns for new season on MGM+
Quarterback Kurt Warner’s life story kicks off the latest round of cable network MGM-Plus’s “NFL Icons” series which debuts Friday evening, January 17. Warner never had it easy as he was overlooked by most colleges; had to play in the Arena Football League to get noticed; and had to work nights for a Des Moines supermarket to make ends meet after getting cut by the Green Bay Packers. Perseverance paid off as he eventually became an NFL Hall of Famer.

The fourth season of NFL Films’ “NFL Icons,” airs on MGM+ on Friday, January 17th – Image Credit: MGM+
Other greats who will be profiled in this go-round of “NFL Icons” are DeMarcus Ware, Joe Montana, and Gale Sayers.
Katie Nolan’s new show on SiriusXM, “Casuals” begins January 21st
I have always enjoyed watching Katie Nolan’s witty takes on sports and pop culture during her stints on FOX Sports and ESPN. For reasons which remain mysterious to me, she has never caught on with the mass of sports fans. She will be getting a new platform on SiriusXM starting January 21 with a show called “Casuals.” The show’s titular premise is to welcome sports fans who see it as a form of entertainment and are not obsessed with statistics and record books. If you are looking for a sports show which does not intimidate you with stat-geek terms such as “WAR” and “OPS,” this should be right up your alley.
Brazilian Lucas Divino wins 2025 PBR Monster Buck Off at MSG
Brazilian cowboy Lucas Divino won the 2025 Professional Bull Riders’ Monster Buck Off held at Madison Square Garden the first week of January.

PBR’s return to MSG resulted in a massive success and entertaining weekend for all who attended – Image Credit: Bill Smithuysen/Latino Sports
The PBR will return to the New York area from September 20-22 when the PBR’s team competition series comes to the UBS Arena just off the Cross Island Parkway. Local fans can cheer for the New York Mavericks.
My Top Five Elvis Presley Songs
Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday on January 8 did not get the hoopla I thought it would. The gravity of the Southern California wildfires had to have hurt the Elvis commemoration. For my money, here are my top five Elvis hits: 1) “Little Sister” 2) “Viva Las Vegas” 3) “A Fool Such As I 4) “If I Can Dream” 5) “Hound Dog.”
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Sam Moore
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Sam Moore who was one-half of the Memphis singing duo, Sam & Dave. These Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ hits included “Hold On, I’m Coming,” “I Thank You,” and “When Something’s Wrong with My Baby.” Moore was 89.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
