Eli Manning throws first pitch at New York Mets game

On this Father's Day, Eli Manning is a prince of New York City. It's a standing he's had to earn.

Five years ago, before Manning stumbled into Tom Brady's legacy like Forrest Gump, Manning would've been booed by fans if he tried to throw out a first pitch at a Mets game. He was an underachiever for a team that couldn't get it done. Besides, most Mets fans support the Jets.

But Manning is now a conquering hero, a two-time Super Bowl champion who looks across the Hudson River from his Hoboken home and sees a city that belongs to him. Clad in a Mets jersey, dad-style khaki shorts and white sneakers, Manning held his daughter in his left arm Sunday as he threw out a high-and-away floater to Mets third baseman David Wright. It wasn't perfect, but the crowd applauded anyway.

Mark Sanchez, take note. Throwing out a first pitch in any of New York's five boroughs would be a poor idea given the current circumstances. But Eli is proof it doesn't have to stay that way.