Strawberry Cuts Ribbon on Bayside Store

Former Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry made a special trip to Bayside on Friday to cut the ribbon on AT&T’s newest hi-tech store in Queens during an event promoted by the Yankees and the Queen Chamber of Commerce.

At 5 p.m., two dozen fans – including a few wearing the blue and orange of the Mets and some too young to remember just how far he could hit the ball – had donned numbered bracelets to get an autographed picture.

But nobody can slug their way out of Long Island-bound traffic on a Friday evening and when an apologetic Strawberry arrived more than an hour late, the crowd at 205-14 Northern Blvd. had grown to nearly 100.

Although organizers had specified that “No personal memorabilia will be permitted,” the four-time World Series champion could not resist a few moppets who were the first on line, running over to his car presenting pens and baseballs.

The “Straw man,” who once had a well-earned reputation for breaking rules, led the gaggle of young fans inside and joined their conspiracy, before wielding the giant scissors to officially debut the store.

The store’s hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

And after signing and posing for nearly two hours, Strawberry made an appearance at his namesake restaurant in Douglaston, where he posed with several patrons.

“Hey I’m in the neighborhood – I might as well,” he said with a grin.