Driving back from North Carolina on Saturday, I fumbled with the radio trying to get WFAN. Around Salisbury, Maryland, I was finally able to pull in the 50,000 watt station. The first thing I heard was Wayne Hagen saying that David Wright had finally sat up at home plate with the trainers hovering over him. Gulp!

Another glaring indication of how this Mets season has gone. I kept wondering while on vacation if this season could get any worse. Each night, the scores on ESPN were not making me feel any better that the Mets had any chance of getting back in it this year. Then the icing on the cake was Wright getting plunked on the head. There is not a more symbolic event this year than what happened to Wright on Saturday.

The core is completely gone, on the disabled list, a season of injury like no other. Thank goodness David will be okay and I’m glad to see that common sense prevailed in disabling the third baseman.  In fact there is no reason to bring him back even when he comes off the list. Why take any chances with Wright’s future on a season that has become meaningless.

You can criticize David’s loss of power or his bad throws to first all you want but there is no bigger gamer the Mets have than David Wright. Marty Noble of MLB.com has hinted at David struggling with a groin injury all season and that could be why he has not hit for power or appears to be dogging it out of the box. But Wright would never use an injury as an excuse or stay out of the lineup. Now, the concussion has given him and the Mets no choice.

The Mets should rest Wright, Reyes, and Beltran the rest of the season. There is no point in bringing any of them back, especially David. The worst thing that can happen is for Wright to get hit again. Regardless if Wright is in the lineup, the Mets will finish in fourth place.  It’s time to start thinking about next year.

It’s also time for MLB to make the 100MPH helmet developed by Rawlings mandatory. A lot of players do not like it because the way it looks, big and clumsy. But if it’s mandatory, all hitters will look just as silly, no one will stand out.

A couple of years ago, minor league third base coach Mike Coolbaugh died of injuries suffered when struck by a batted ball in the temple. Had he been wearing a helmet, he likely would have survived. Since then, all line coaches in the major and minor leagues must wear a helmet, a common sense solution a bit tardy in being implemented.

Although, Wright was wearing a helmet, the model he and others currently use has little padding on the sides. The helmet prevented Wright from severe head injury but did not protect him from a concussion. Baseball should do everything it can to protect its players before a player is severely injured or God forbid, killed.

Last Saturday, Wright, Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers, and Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda were all hit in the head, Kuroda by a batted ball. Thankfully, none were seriously injured beyond concussion. Hopefully, Saturday will serve as a warning to MLB to get safer before it’s too late.