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09/04/2006 7:09 PM ET
Wright takes bubble-blowing crown
Contest helps raise awareness for pediatric cancer research
By Chris Girandola / MLB.com
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Tom Glavine and Talin Boyadjian work on their bubble-blowing technique. (Marc S. Levine/NY Mets)
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NEW YORK -- About a week ago, David Wright found out from Tom Glavine that he'd be participating in the Rally Foundation's bubble-gum blowing contest. Wright knew the National League record stood at 11.5 inches, held by Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz. So the Mets third baseman began the intense regime of daily gum chewing exercises to strengthen his jaw and practicing the technique of blowing bubbles.
Wright made sure to use Wrigley's Big League Chew, the gum of choice for the Rally Foundation. It also offered the best texture for manufacturing the best bubble.
And he noted the obvious.
"You've got to have a lot of gum in there," Wright said.
Days of practice evidently paid off as Wright demonstrated the competitive nature that has spurred him to an All-Star season on the diamond, beating out Glavine and Paul Lo Duca with a bubble that measured 14 inches. Not only did Wright top Smoltz, he bested the Rally Foundation's Major League record of 13.5 inches, set by Baltimore Orioles catcher Eli Whiteside earlier this year.
"I've been training for seven days for this contest," Wright joked following his victory. "I'm glad to see all my hard work paying off."
The contest was a part of the Rally Foundation's grassroots effort to raise awareness about pediatric cancer, which is the No. 1 cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States. Glavine, who is the Foundation's official spokesman, hosted the event and met with 30 cancer patients from Hassenfeld Children's Center at NYU Medical Center before Monday's game against the Braves.
Glavine and his wife, Chris, have always been involved with charitable events, but they were personally affected when Will, a child from the school their kids attend, was diagnosed with childhood cancer. The Glavines contacted the organization and pledged their services to help lead the Money in the Mitt campaign to raise money for pediatric cancer research.
"We want to raise as much awareness about what's going on more than anything else," said Glavine, who was most encouraged by the Foundation's insistence that all proceeds are used to support research. "Doing events like these are fun, but they also make it known what the cause is all about."
Rally Foundation president and founder Dean Crowe opened the festivities in the former Jets locker room by first introducing the children's champion, Talin Boyadjian, a survivor of pulmonary embolism. Boyadjian, 14, a sophomore at Paramus High School in New Jersey, set a mark of 8 inches to claim the crown.
Glavine went first for the players and set an admirable bubble size of 9 inches.
But then Wright stepped to the podium. The affable 23-year-old smiled, chewed vigorously and began to blow his gum. The focus and the intensity he has displayed on the field transferred to the bubble-gum stage. With Crowe measuring with the official Rally Foundation measuring device, Wright's bubble grew larger and larger. Rounder and wider it got to the cheers of the children, until he had passed the measurement set by both Smoltz and Whiteside and continued to his new record of 14 inches.
Lo Duca finished the contest with a bubble size that Wright would later describe as "embarrassing," or around 7 inches.
With the Braves in town, Smoltz had a chance to comment on his displacement in the record books.
"Well, I guess [if I face him], I'll just blow a bubble at him and throw a pitch," Smoltz said, laughing.
For more information on how to contribute or get involved, visit www.rallyfoundation.org.
Chris Girandola is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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