By Christina Kelly

On Saturday November 1st, third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets ran a Topps baseball clinic for kids ages 7-14 that took place at Hofstra.

The clinic was held at the Hofstra practice bubble. There was a group of about 50 or so campers sitting cross-legged, each one of their faces gazing up as the superstar spoke.

“How many of you want to be major leaguers?” Wright asked the crowd. Both hands of every camper were raised as high as they could reach.

Wright laughed, and answered their enthusiasm, “Well this is the first step. While all your friends are sleeping, playing video games, you guys are out here working. You’ve got to be determined and you’ve got to want this more than anybody else. The philosophy that I’ve had over the years is that I’m not the best player out there, but I’ve worked hard to achieve my goals. And it’s important to remember that, whether it’s high school baseball, college baseball or little league baseball.”

Wright began the clinic by breaking down some basic fundamentals of the game. He used other sports to explain the best approach to a batting stance and even described his own “basic stance,” as he called it.

He asked for volunteers to help demonstrate different positions and related to the kids as if he was their little-league coach rather than a major leaguer with a $55 million contract.

For one particular demonstration, he asked if anyone had a younger sibling that agitated them from time to time. He wanted to demonstrate how important strength and position is in the game. Many hands went up and Wright picked a camper who had a little brother who constantly bothered her.

“Okay, pretend I’m your little brother. Now punch me as hard as you can.” The camper looked nervous to do so but went along with it, which was followed by a feigned “ouch” from Wright.

The kids couldn’t help but laugh as Wright created a comfortable environment for learning about the game of baseball, while also having some fun.

After finishing the baseball tips, Wright held a question and answer session. The questions from the young fans varied from why David chose number five, to what he was for Halloween.

The campers asked Wright one last question before they went back to working at their drill station. Who was David’s least favorite team to play? Wright paused for a few seconds when a little voice from the audience of campers yelled out, “The Phillies!”

Wright did admit that he enjoys the Met’s rivalry with the Phillies, but his initial widespread grin spoke louder than words.