By Christina Kelly

Christina Kelly: Can you give the students at Hofstra an idea of what you do during the off-season? I know you started the David Wright Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis and Children’s causes, are you very busy with that at this time of year?

David Wright: We have a big event coming up on Nov. 12 in the city. I’ve done a lot of work with that; I also do work with other guy’s charities. I have a couple of buddies back home in Virginia that play in the big leagues who also have their own foundations. I’m going back to Virginia next week to play in their golf tournaments. For the most part it’s just getting ready for next year. Baseball has become such a year-long sport where you can’t afford to take time off in the winter because you’ll lose ground to the other guys that are working.

While the scenarios are definitely different, you came up in the major leagues when you were only 21. Like a lot college students, you’re miles from home for months out of the year. What was it like to be so far away while also trying to succeed in the majors?

For me being called to the major leagues, you accomplish a goal but at the same time it’s the start of trying to accomplish another goal in staying there and being successful. On one hand you’re thrilled to be there and you’re excited to wear a New York uniform, but on the other hand, it’s a long way to go and you realize that hopefully it’s just the start of a long career, and you do want to be successful and get better.

How do you respond to the pressure of all the high expectations that go hand and hand with playing for a major league sport in New York City?

I don’t necessarily feel the expectations and pressures because I think I put more expectations and pressure on myself than anybody can put on me. I have very high goals for myself, I have very goals for our team. I don’t necessarily feel the outside pressure because I put so much pressure and am so hard on myself.

I’m sure many of the players at this Topps clinic at Hofstra have aspirations to play in the major leagues. When a player has to make a decision between a full scholarship at a D1 school or going into the minor leagues-a decision that you had to make-how would you council them on the pros and cons of that decision?

For me, at the beginning of the draft, I had a full scholarship to Georgia Tech, and I was 100 percent ready to go to school if things didn’t work out in the draft. And I’m not just talking about the money aspect. I’m talking about the right team drafting you, the right situation. And I felt like I got the right team, the right situation. Obviously, I got a signing bonus being drafted at the end of the first round so everything worked out. I worked hard in high school.

Just out of curiosity, what would you have majored in?

Engineering. I was very good in high school: I made very good grades so college was extremely important to me and my family. I was ready to go to school but the right situation happened at the draft, I got a chance to be drafted by my favorite team growing up, so it was an opportunity that you couldn’t pass.

Over the past few years, you’ve assumed the role of unofficial leader despite your young age. A lot of people in the media and the baseball world say that next season, you need to increase that role even more. How would you respond to that statement?

I will agree with it. Each year that you have more experience, you can not only become a better player, but become a better leader, and not just a vocal leader but a leader by example. I think I would prefer to lead by example, to play hard, to be someone who goes out there everyday and plays with a winning attitude, and I think that rubs off on the rest of my teammates. But I will agree with the statement that not only do I need to step it up on the field as a baseball player, but I think that I need to step it up as a leader in the clubhouse.

Jerry Manuel became manager under unusual circumstances last season. What kind of differences did you notice in the clubhouse and on the field with him as your manager?

Wel (Manuel) is a different personality. Willy [Randolph] was more old school: more rules, whereas Jerry is a little looser, a little more easy-going. He likes to have fun, joke around in the clubhouse. I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong way to manage, I guess time will tell, but it’s just two different philosophies and two different attitudes.

We all know that the Mets lineup definitely has playoff potential. What do you as a team and an individual need to do before April and during next season to live up to that potential?

I think obviously with us being in a big market we should try to get the best free agents, make some trades for some of the best players in the game. I also think the core group on this team, the guys that have been here for a few years and are expected to go out there and play everyday need to step up their game. We need to make sure we get ourselves in shape when we go out there and play everyday, play every single game, come out of spring training with focus and determination. We’ve had two opportunities these last two seasons to get into the post season and we failed on that, and we have to remember what that feels like and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

The Mets just announced that they renewed Carlos Delgado’s contract for the 2009 season. Your opinions?

How can you not? He had a great season; he got off to a slow start last year but finished strong. Carlos is one of those, again core guys that’s going to go out there and play everyday for you, and if he can continue to do what he did last year, we’ll be in pretty good shape. I think it was a no-brainer to pick up that option.

How do you feel about the Phillies being World Champions considering the Mets were only a game or two at most from having the same opportunity that they did?

I mean, it’s something that they deserve. They played their best baseball when they had to and that’s not something that I can say about our team. They went out there they played great down the stretch, they played great in the playoffs and they deserve to be champions. I think that instead of being bitter about it, I think that you can look at it and say that, at least to me, the World Series Championship is more attainable now knowing that we played those guys 18 or 19 times last year and we had success against them and they went onto to win a World Series. I think that hit a little closer to home knowing that it is attainable to win a World Series and that a team in our division won it, and I think that should be our goal for next year.