Fresh off a three-game sweep of the lowly Washington Nationals, the first-place New York Mets took a break from baseball Thursday night to throw
a first-class fundraiser in Greenwich. Players were decked out in designer duds befitting Richards, the chic Greenwich Avenue clothing and accessories store that opened its doors to host the event. Mets legends from every era showed up to lend their support to the foundation. Rusty Staub, Darryl Strawberry and former Greenwich resident Tom Seaver signed autographs and smiled for pictures alongside current stars Jose Reyes, Johan Santana and David Wright. Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, a Greenwich resident, was hopeful that the live auction, featuring items such as batting practice at Citi Field, would net approximately $500,000, bringing the event’s three-year total to over $1.5 million. “This is unbelievable,” said 10-year-old Strauss Mann, of Greenwich, who printed out a Mets lineup card off the Internet and was busy collecting signatures during the exclusive MVP reception. “You feel like you know the players watching them on TV, but now you really get to know them.”
Strauss was accompanied by his father, Tony, and his older sister, Isabelle. It was a big day for 13-year-old Isabelle, who just hours earlier received the sportsmanship award from her Greenwich Country Day School softball team.