Mets rising stars visit Fort Hamilton
BY JAIME DEJESUS
[email protected]
From the diamond to the alley: On September 15, seven of the Mets’ top minor league players along with General Manager Sandy Alderson visited troops at the Community Activities Center at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton for an afternoon of bowling, lunch and conversing. Soldiers posed with the franchise’s top prospects as well as discussed the base and their hardships.
“We got some of our best young players in the Mets organization here,” said Alderson, a former Marine. “This is special for me. I’m an Air Force brat. I grew up in military bases around the world. This is part of our effort to recognize everything all of you do who are in the military, the burdens you shoulder from us, the benefits we derive from your service. We just want to recognize it and thank you for it.”
The troops were glad to take a few minutes to try their hand at bowling with the ballplayers. “It’s very exciting to meet these guys. Hopefully I’ll be able to see them on the major league field soon,” said Staff Sergeant Ricardo Ortego, who admits to being a Tampa Bay Rays fan.