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Wright now shilling for a Billy Graham wannabe?

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 06:52 AM

From Phil Mushnick in today's post. ]July 17, 2006 -- TO LIFT a line from The Doors, strange days have found us. So it's Saturday afternoon and we're watching the Mets on Ch. 11. They're playing the Cubs in Wrigley, when, during a commercial break, David Wright, in his Mets uniform and standing in Shea, pops up to tell us: "Hi, I'm David Wright. I invite you to the 'Salvation Miracles Revival Crusade' with Dr. Jaerock Lee, at Madison Square Garden, July 27, 28 and 29." And then a graphic, giving the dates and printed in Spanish, appears. Next we see footage of a man holding two crutches aloft, as if they were suddenly rendered needless by the Rev. Dr. Lee's astonishing healing powers. And then a similarly miraculous story is told as we see an elderly woman walking across a stage, her abandoned wheelchair in the background. Sorry, boys and girls, while we mean no offense toward anyone's spirituality and religious devotion - Wright's included - that was the weirdest player/team-connected TV ad we'd ever seen within a telecast of a big league game. And are Mets telecasts and Mets dressed in their Mets uniforms now available to help deliver religious come-ons of any and all kinds? But above and beyond all that, why is Wright telling us about the Rev. Dr. Lee? If this holy man can spring people from wheelchairs, shouldn't Wright, at the very least, be telling Victor Zambrano? Errmmm, not sure what to tell ya here. I'd imagine its Wright's personal thing not a Met sponsered spot.

soupcan Jul 17 2006 07:06 AM

Disheartening.

Frayed Knot Jul 17 2006 07:22 AM

]I'd imagine its Wright's personal thing not a Met sponsered spot. Except that if it's purely a personal thing then I'm not sure he coulld do it in his uniform. MLB controls the rights to those unis & logos & such and I was under the impression that they have to approve any ads that take place with them. That's why you sometimes see a player in some generic baseball uni if he's plugging something - say a video game - that's NOT the brand MLB endorses. I didn't see the ad but the whole thing sounds kinda odd. I guess the folks at MLB figured it was a local ad for a local event and didn't see any harm in one of the players providing some pr - and probably didn't check on the content.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 07:22 AM

If he's in uniform, the Mets had to have approved it. Or at least, they should have approved it. There have been cases of players appearing in commercials in uniform without authorization, but they get slapped when they do that. (Ed Kranepool in an ad endorsing Al D'Amato comes to mind.)

Edgy DC Jul 17 2006 07:50 AM

I don't think Billy Graham's ever been a faith healer.

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 08:07 AM

Edgy DC wrote: I don't think Billy Graham's ever been a faith healer. Fair point, and he's never been considered a snake oil, "bad hair & dimples" cultish salesman either, I was quickly going with the first name off the top of my head, hence the "wannabe" label

MFS62 Jul 17 2006 08:08 AM

Didn't one of the Yankees (Andy Petite?) have a commercial for Bibles? Was it sponsored by a particular church? (MOrmon?) I forget if he was in uniform or announced himself as a member of the Yankees. Later

Elster88 Jul 17 2006 08:19 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 17 2006 08:31 AM

old original jb Jul 17 2006 08:24 AM

Googling Jaerock Lee produced some interesting results. I'm not posting a link, because I have no idea about the source of the web page, but I'll share my favorite tidbit: At least one critic claims that the Reverend Lee teaches that Adam and Eve used to use earth as a "vacation spot", and on their vacations, built the pyramids. So, if I have this straight, the Garden of Eden is Paradise, but even people in Paradise need a vacation. So you go to this resort called "earth" where you engage in major construction projects. And then when you are "bad" and get expelled from Paradise, they send you back to the resort as punishment? Let's hope that Jaerock is not being consulted on any baseball decisions.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 08:27 AM

I hope David doesn't believe this stuff. Maybe his agent isn't good at selecting endorsements. I'm getting the feeling that within a year or two we'll be seeing David Wright jumping up and down on Oprah's couch. I want David Wright to be our Cal Ripken, not our Tom Cruise.

Nymr83 Jul 17 2006 08:28 AM

MFS62 wrote: Didn't one of the Yankees (Andy Petite?) have a commercial for Bibles? Was it sponsored by a particular church? (MOrmon?) I forget if he was in uniform or announced himself as a member of the Yankees. Later i don't remember the commercial but t had to be the Mormon church, none of the other denominations advertise the bible on TV that i've seen. hey its yours free if you call now! i do need a new door-stop....

Vic Sage Jul 17 2006 09:17 AM

And there i was, already about to annoint Mr. Wright as the Mets' Mr. Right, and it turns out he's shilling for a faith healer. Ugh.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 17 2006 09:21 AM

Has anyone ever seen this commercial? I'd like to watch it myself before passing any judgment.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 09:35 AM

What Norrin said.

Edgy DC Jul 17 2006 09:42 AM

And there I was, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Somebody hurry up and pick up that damned other shoe.

Willets Point Jul 17 2006 09:45 AM

No one is seeing the upside of this! We need Wright to get the faith healer to work on Pedro's hip.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 09:48 AM

What kind of a name is Jaerock anyway? I think if Fred and Barney went to a Mets game last year, Jae Rock Seo would have been pitching.

MFS62 Jul 17 2006 09:59 AM

Willets Point wrote: No one is seeing the upside of this! We need Wright to get the faith healer to work on Pedro's hip. And Delgado's strikeoutitis. Later

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 09:59 AM

http://www.wcdnindia.org/miracle/jaerocklee/jaerocklee.htm ] To live, I'd drink even the liquid of feces! Modern medical science was not able to heal me, so I used all sorts of folk remedies. I ate whatever was said to be good for my health. I even changed my name and invited a sorceress to perform an exorcism. But to make things worse, I got the rheumatic arthritis and I had to hide myself. In this terrible situation, I heard that the liquid of feces was good for recovering my health. Although its stench was unbearable, I drank it earnestly. But it was all in vain and my condition got so worse that others had to help me urinate and defecate. I didn't know about God's providence and tried many things in human way, only to see no hopeful result for the future. My wife frequently ran away from home and my beloved mother wished I would die. Nobody can imagine how sorrowful and painful it was! If I started drinking the liquid of feces, I think my wife would run away from home too, and I wouldn't blame her. It's surprising that his condition got worse. If he started feeling better after he stopped drinking the liquid of feces, it can only be because of the healing powers of Dr. Jae Rock Seo. I have to wonder, is Liquid of Feces available over the counter at your local CVS? Or is it a prescription thing? (I can imagine the commericals: "Ask your doctor if Liquid of Feces is right for you.")

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 10:00 AM

And maybe we've uncovered the cause of Pedro's recent food poisoning.

MFS62 Jul 17 2006 10:03 AM

Thank you for posting that right before lunch. I think it was once available without prescription. They called it New Coke. Later

Lundy Jul 17 2006 10:44 AM

]Has anyone ever seen this commercial? I'd like to watch it myself before passing any judgment. I saw it, and it seemed like David Wright was reading the copy off cue cards--definitely not something that looked like a personal endorsement, rather something like a bad concoction from the PR department, like Frayed Knot alluded to earlier in this thread.

Hillbilly Jul 17 2006 10:49 AM

old original jb wrote: Googling Jaerock Lee produced some interesting results. I'm not posting a link, because I have no idea about the source of the web page, but I'll share my favorite tidbit: At least one critic claims that the Reverend Lee teaches that Adam and Eve used to use earth as a "vacation spot", and on their vacations, built the pyramids. So, if I have this straight, the Garden of Eden is Paradise, but even people in Paradise need a vacation. So you go to this resort called "earth" where you engage in major construction projects. And then when you are "bad" and get expelled from Paradise, they send you back to the resort as punishment? Let's hope that Jaerock is not being consulted on any baseball decisions. This actually makes more sense to me than most of the bullshit in the Bible.

OlerudOwned Jul 17 2006 11:47 AM

For some reason that reminded me of a page is saw where they try to prove that there are dinosaurs in the bible. It had a great picture.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 11:50 AM

This whole thing is bizarre and disturbing.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 17 2006 12:45 PM

Vitamin Water has dropped Wright as its spokesman. He now shills for Shit Water.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 17 2006 01:04 PM

FWIW, this doesn't seem to be one of the beneficiaries of [url=http://www.davidwrightfoundation.com/beneficiaries.cfm]David's foundation[/url]

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 01:16 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: FWIW, this doesn't seem to be one of the beneficiaries of [url=http://www.davidwrightfoundation.com/beneficiaries.cfm]David's foundation[/url] Heh, so pretty much proves the point that he just read the cue cards, this isn't a Steve Carlton situation

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 01:18 PM

FWIW according to NY Times' Jack Curry on WFAN Mariano Rivera actually cut Sunday's press gathering short because he was late to mass! Would be shocked if Rivera was attached to this guy.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 17 2006 01:40 PM

SteveJRogers wrote: FWIW Nothing.

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 01:41 PM

Can a comment about a MFY go without a comment?

TheOldMole Jul 17 2006 01:53 PM

David's foundation seems to support solidly worthy causes. I liked the part about Jaerock's mother telling him it was his filial duty to die, die, die.

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 01:55 PM

TheOldMole wrote: David's foundation seems to support solidly worthy causes. I liked the part about Jaerock's mother telling him it was his filial duty to die, die, die. Yup, this seems completely like someone wanted David to do an ad on the spot and didn't give David a chance to fully understand what he was attaching his name to. Chalk it up to 24 year old naiveté

soupcan Jul 17 2006 02:36 PM

BTW - I've heard at least two commercials on the FAN today for this self-same faith healer. One was narrated by Jerry Manuel and the other was Jay Payton. Odd. And getting odder.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 17 2006 02:40 PM

Faith healing is going to be the next steroids.

Farmer Ted Jul 17 2006 02:42 PM

His foundation is located in an apartment in Harlem? 279 West 117th Street, #6N New York, NY 10026 Weird.

SteveJRogers Jul 17 2006 02:49 PM

Farmer Ted wrote: His foundation is located in an apartment in Harlem? 279 West 117th Street, #6N New York, NY 10026 Weird. Not so weird, Harlem is having a bit of a renaissance, businesses are starting to set up shop there again

Edgy DC Jul 17 2006 02:55 PM

My guess is that #5N is Keith Miller's office. Or, more likely, the two offices are the same.

martin Jul 17 2006 03:55 PM

i have seen this commercial, and i get the impression that wright was standing around and some joker says: "hey do us a favor and read this", and david is a nice guy so he did. my guess is that is all there is to it.

Edgy DC Jul 17 2006 04:08 PM

"David, do us a favor and hold this bag." "David, do us a favor and drive this girl home." "David, you too much of a big shot to take a hit?" Nice guys with a lot to lose have to be very careful. They can also use friends --- agents and older players --- with enough interest in them to steer them right when somebody is looking to exploit them. It's part of why I have have some sympathy for Seaver reportedly being so inuslar and curt.

*62 Jul 17 2006 05:16 PM

soupcan wrote: Disheartening. I can't imagine why. Last time I checked we still enjoyed freedom of religion here. Doesn't meam I'd invite him over for dinner, either, but .........

old original jb Jul 17 2006 06:13 PM

*62 wrote: ="soupcan"]Disheartening. I can't imagine why. Last time I checked we still enjoyed freedom of religion here. Doesn't meam I'd invite him over for dinner, either, but ......... Freedom of religion is great, but I'd like to think that my favorite third baseman on my favorite team is smart enough not to be swayed by a guy like Jaerock. If the Adam and Eve Earth ResortVacation Pyramid Building business isn't enough for you, google "Jaerock" and "liquid". Freedom of religion means that someone is free to practice their religion as long as they don't hurt or coerce others. But it doesn't mean that I am obligated to think that anything and everything presented as religious belief or practice is sheer brilliance when it is obviously rank stupidity at best and chicanery at worst.

martin Jul 18 2006 03:51 AM

our friend adam rubin has the word on the ad, which has been pulled: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/story/436002p-367371c.html also a little more here: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/keep_it_heal_mets_mark_hale.htm "I believed that I was accommodating an agency which had been authorized by the Mets" - señor wright

Johnny Dickshot Jul 18 2006 05:34 AM

Lord, be praised. Hallelulah!

Willets Point Jul 18 2006 05:56 AM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Lord, be praised. Hallelulah! Post of the Day ™ Award Winner!

Benjamin Grimm Jul 18 2006 07:07 AM

Hopefully a lesson or two will be learned from this: Don't stand in front of a camera and say anything that somebody pays you to say. Make sure you know what you're endorsing before you endorse it. Don't drink liquid of feces or your wife will run away from home and your mother will wish you were dead.

soupcan Jul 18 2006 07:19 AM

*62 wrote: ="soupcan"]Disheartening. I can't imagine why. Last time I checked we still enjoyed freedom of religion here. Doesn't meam I'd invite him over for dinner, either, but ......... I've got no problem with exercising one's constitutional rights. I do have a problem with someone shilling for a snakeoil salesman.. I also have a problem when its a young influential athlete who is fast becoming role-model to a lot of impresionable people. You're Southern Baptist and proud of it and want to thank the Lord Almighty every time you interviewed? Knock yourself out. You're a Jew and proudly wear your wrapped tifilin on a box on your head while shagging flies in the outfield? Be my guest. But please don't come on my TV when I'm watching a game with my children who very much look up to you due to your athletic success and and insinuate that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the real deal, that there's no little dude behind the curtain and if the kids listen to you and go see this guy, like of course you will, then they wiill be that much closer to being you. I respect other people's beliefs just don't try to sell them to me, 'kay? I'm glad the ads have been pulled. "Next time do a little research."

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2006 07:46 AM

"David Wright and the New York Mets have no affiliation or association whatsoever with the event entitled 'Salvation Miracles Revival Crusade,' Except for that affiliation we had when we encouraged attendance at their meetings. and neither approve of nor endorse the event," the Mets said in a statement. "The recent TV ad about the event was produced without authorization or approvals through an abuse of a media-newsgathering credential. Our 3rd baseman was kidnapped and forced into it! No really, he was. "The Mets did not and would not endorse any such event or allow their logos and trademarks be used in such a fashion. At least not a second time. The TV spots have been pulled and will not air again. We apologize for any problems or confusion that may have been caused by this unauthorized action." They fooled us with an "unauthorized" check.

old original jb Jul 18 2006 08:06 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Don't drink liquid of feces or your wife will run away from home and your mother will wish you were dead. Not just once, but she will run away "on many occasions".

seawolf17 Jul 18 2006 11:55 AM

For what it's worth, WFAN is running a radio version of this spot featuring Frank Thomas. So I wonder if it's not all David. That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 18 2006 12:10 PM

That's Big Hurt Frank, not Original Met Frank, I assume. It seems that Dr. Jaerock has been targetting athletes (or at least, baseball players) for these endorsements. That so many are doing it shows that some of these guys don't vet their offers very well. This guy's doing a major campaign for his little faith rally. I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from and about Dr. Jaerock Lee.

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2006 12:44 PM

Add Jay Payton to the roster of ballplayers doing radio ads for this dude and his Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

Edgy DC Jul 18 2006 12:50 PM

A quick Googling makes it hard to distinguish the actual case against this guy from the complaints of competing sects, but he sure reads like a divisive figure.

Edgy DC Jul 18 2006 12:50 PM

At best.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 18 2006 12:54 PM

How did he get all of these guys to record promos for him?

Willets Point Jul 18 2006 12:58 PM

seawolf17 wrote: That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face. It's a commercial anyone's entitled to buy air time. Personally, I find more odious things shoved in my face through advertising than religion. But we can all exercise our right to tune out commercials. Or change the channel.

silverdsl Jul 18 2006 01:21 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: How did he get all of these guys to record promos for him? That's my question too. Are media credentials being abused in other stadiums as well? And if there's funny business with the credentials, are they lying to the players and their agents in other ways as well to get them to record these?

Benjamin Grimm Jul 18 2006 01:22 PM

That's one reason why I don't think we've heard the last of this.

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2006 01:35 PM

"Media credentials being abused" sounds like a pretty lame excuse.

soupcan Jul 18 2006 01:37 PM

Willets Point wrote: ="seawolf17"] That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face. It's a commercial anyone's entitled to buy air time. Personally, I find more odious things shoved in my face through advertising than religion. But we can all exercise our right to tune out commercials. Or change the channel. Hey, there's nothing illegal about it. Personally I find it unappealing and distasteful. They want to keep running something thats controversial, thats their choice but they run the risk of alienating a lot of folks and possibly harming the image of their stars. MLB would be smart to act before a lot more people than me get turned off.

martin Jul 18 2006 02:14 PM

i wish some of the players would put out statements on where they stand on throat-tube guy. yunno when he was a kid, swimming was a way of life, but now he might drown. edit: oh yeah i guess it is a throat-hole, not a tube. i guess i need to maybe do a little research.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 18 2006 02:43 PM

I kinda hoping David Wright takes a bat to the German guy in the Crysler commercials.

old original jb Jul 18 2006 02:58 PM

soupcan wrote: ="Willets Point"] ="seawolf17"] That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face. It's a commercial anyone's entitled to buy air time. Personally, I find more odious things shoved in my face through advertising than religion. But we can all exercise our right to tune out commercials. Or change the channel. Hey, there's nothing illegal about it. Personally I find it unappealing and distasteful. They want to keep running something thats controversial, thats their choice but they run the risk of alienating a lot of folks and possibly harming the image of their stars. MLB would be smart to act before a lot more people than me get turned off. Or, the Mets could really run with it and have Faith Healing Day, Adam and Eve Bobblehead Doll Pyramid Building Day, and the ever popular "Liquid of Feces" Day. Why is everyone acting as though this isn't completely insane?

OlerudOwned Jul 18 2006 02:59 PM

old original jb wrote: ="soupcan"] ="Willets Point"] ="seawolf17"] That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face. It's a commercial anyone's entitled to buy air time. Personally, I find more odious things shoved in my face through advertising than religion. But we can all exercise our right to tune out commercials. Or change the channel. Hey, there's nothing illegal about it. Personally I find it unappealing and distasteful. They want to keep running something thats controversial, thats their choice but they run the risk of alienating a lot of folks and possibly harming the image of their stars. MLB would be smart to act before a lot more people than me get turned off. Or, the Mets could really run with it and have Faith Healing Day, Adam and Eve Bobblehead Doll Pyramid Building Day, and the ever popular "Liquid of Feces" Day. Why is everyone acting as though this isn't completely insane? "What are feces?" - "Baby mice" "Aww"

Benjamin Grimm Jul 18 2006 03:00 PM

No way would I pay ballpark prices for Liquid of Feces. They'll charge you six bucks, and it probably won't have the right stench.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 18 2006 03:01 PM

If you told me yesterday morning that I'd be typing the two sentences above I wouldn't have believed you.

Willets Point Jul 18 2006 03:11 PM

="OlerudOwned"] "What are feces?" - "Baby mice" "Aww" Nice Donnie Darko reference.

MFS62 Jul 18 2006 03:29 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: No way would I pay ballpark prices for Liquid of Feces. They'll charge you six bucks, and it probably won't have the right stench. I grovel before the brilliance of that post. Later

Elster88 Jul 18 2006 05:00 PM

soupcan wrote: ="Willets Point"] ="seawolf17"] That said, I completely agree with Soup. Get your religion out of my face. It's a commercial anyone's entitled to buy air time. Personally, I find more odious things shoved in my face through advertising than religion. But we can all exercise our right to tune out commercials. Or change the channel. Hey, there's nothing illegal about it. Personally I find it unappealing and distasteful. They want to keep running something thats controversial, thats their choice but they run the risk of alienating a lot of folks and possibly harming the image of their stars. MLB would be smart to act before a lot more people than me get turned off. The Lord will save you, My son.

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2006 07:30 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: No way would I pay ballpark prices for Liquid of Feces. They'll charge you six bucks, and it probably won't have the right stench. Yeah, but these modern stadiums won't even let you bring in your own Liquid of Feces -- they confiscate that kind of stuff at the gate now.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 18 2006 09:02 PM

MFS62 wrote: ="Yancy Street Gang"]No way would I pay ballpark prices for Liquid of Feces. They'll charge you six bucks, and it probably won't have the right stench. I grovel before the brilliance of that post. Later Then wipe that shit-eating grin off your face.

Edgy DC Jul 19 2006 08:08 AM

Anybody find out if these other ballplayers are jumping off the salvation bandwagon with Wright?

Edgy DC Aug 23 2006 09:55 AM

Jaerock Lee healed Tom Glavine. On your knees, you ungrateful wretches.

MFS62 Aug 23 2006 10:05 AM

Elster88 wrote: The Lord will save you, My son. I was in the Army with a guy who would climb up on his foot locker and proclaim that he could save us for $29.95. Later