Granderson, Aquafina team up for All-Star sweeps

NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson is trying to help someone like you get to this summer's All-Star Game, spreading the word on his off-day Thursday by promoting Aquafina's new "Pledge. Drink. Win!" campaign and photo-upload sweepstakes at MLB.com/Aquafina.

As for getting back to a fourth All-Star Game himself, and for the first time as a National Leaguer, the Mets' right fielder knows he has not exactly caused a balloting rush after one-fifth of his first season with the club. Yet this .175 hitter sees himself as the same player who got to the Midsummer Classic in 2009 at St. Louis, '11 at Arizona and '12 at Kansas City.

"Baseball has a funny way of doing things that makes it very mentally challenging, which is also why it's also so exciting," Granderson said. "You have ups and downs, you have your past, you have what your future possibly could be like, and just understanding that every day, something different can happen.

"The cool thing about playing 162 games, you get a lot of times to go out there and see what the possible results happen to be. Staying positive, understanding your support staff, your coaching staff, your players and everybody else that got you to this point and will help you get to the future, things will always end up turning the way you want them to be at the end."

The entire Mets offense was shut down in the last two games at Miami, so Granderson was hardly alone there with his 0-for-6 finish to the last trip. But the cumulative look at his trip was promising for the club. Granderson has reached base safely in 13 of his last 14 games. Before those two shutouts, he was in a 9-for-23 (.391) stretch and had three multihit games on the trip, including a homer in the first game of the Marlins series.

Make no mistake, Granderson is a glass-half-full type of person. And on Thursday, the glass just happened to be filled with water. In addition to lots of talk about hydration and extolling the virtues of Aquafina at an event that included fellow spokesperson and Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Chrissy Teigen, Granderson sent a message to the Mets fans he still is trying to win over since coming from the other side of town as a free agent.

"Mets fans have been great," Granderson said. "They've come out and had to bear through some cold weather out here, some unfortunate weather. But as the summer warms up and the team continues to warm up, hopefully they continue to support us, come out in large droves. They can be very loud, they can be very intense, and all of those things would be very positive to have them on our side against the opposition."

By being very loud, Granderson is especially referring to something that is about to happen in this next week. The Mets are 16-17, 2 1/2 games behind the Marlins in the tight NL East, and they return to Citi Field on Friday for a three-game series against the Phillies. That is followed by the Subway Series, featuring games against the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday in the Bronx and then games Wednesday and Thursday at Citi Field.

"I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be awesome," said Granderson, who hit a combined 84 homers for the Yanks in 2011-12. "I get a chance to play on both sides of it now. I got a chance to experience four years recently with the New York Yankees, and now I get a chance to be with the New York Mets, and come back in. It will be the first time back there, I had some great relationships with some of the players and staff over there in the front office, and obviously the fans. So to get a chance to go back into Yankee Stadium, I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a little different, but that's what makes it fun."

To have a little fun right now, upload a photo at MLB.com/Aquafina, holding a glass of water or an Aquafina water bottle, and you will not only be automatically entered into the drawing for a trip to see the Midsummer Classic on July 15 at Target Field, but you might also even become Curtis Granderson, so to speak. You'll find a mosaic of No. 3 there, its pixels comprised of those uploaded shots.

Aquafina's drive for a million personal hydration pledges is done in conjunction with Partnership for a Healthier America's Drink Up initiative. You can join the social conversation by tagging posts with #SpreadTheWater.

"At Aquafina, we're always trying to think of new ways to encourage people to drink more water," said Jennifer Dubin of Aquafina's marketing department. "This new effort will help shine a spotlight on the benefits and importance of staying hydrated with water during the spring and summer months, especially as we get into the height of baseball season. We're honored to support PHA's larger 'Drink Up' movement and help spread the word about the importance of adequate water intake through the Aquafina 'Pledge. Drink. Win!' campaign."

"Drink Up has one goal: get more people to drink water more often," PHA chief marketing officer Drew Nannis said. "The 'Pledge. Drink. Win!' program will help us reach millions of MLB fans with this message. We're proud to have Aquafina, Chrissy Teigen and, of course, Curtis Granderson as supporters of Drink Up. Their leadership and support has helped us reach hundreds of millions of people with our simple message."

For Granderson, whether on the field or off, you could say that the situation right now is fluid.

"What a great way to do something that should be common to your normal diet, that's drink water," Granderson said. "Hydration is very important. It actually starts before I leave the house -- starting the morning off with a bottle of water. Before I get to the field, having another bottle of water. Once I get to the field, having some more water. And obviously over the course of the game ... as you know, summer sport, there can be some very hot places that you play at, so you've got to continue to get it in, because as you sweat, you've got to add some more to you.

"I've always stuck with the idea of half your body weight in ounces in water is a good one to go with," he said. "If you play in places like Texas, Arizona or Florida, or some very warm weather, obviously adding a little more to it. Water does some amazing things for your skin, it's good for the muscles, it's good for the mind, it's good for the body, all those great things that water is able to do, so I try to get as much as I can."