David Wright's career is really taking off.
Delta Air Lines named a plane after the New York Mets' all-star third baseman Monday at LaGuardia Airport.
The plane, an MD-88, is called The Wright Flight, and it shuttles between New York, Boston and Washington. The plane's name and Wright's signature and jersey number (5) are next to the boarding door.
The 23-year-old Wright and his brothers, Daniel, Matthew and Stephen, often joked while growing up in the suburbs of Norfolk, Va., that they were related to the other Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who are credited with making the first successful flight on Dec. 17, 1903.
``I use Delta to go home to visit family and friends,'' Wright said Monday, ``so this will be pretty cool to take a plane named after me when I go home.''
Wright was the NL's starting third baseman in the all-star game this year. The Mets, who won the NL East, are making their first playoff appearance since 2000. They face the Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium on Wednesday.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
