Cook: Once ridiculed, gung-ho Jack Wilson gets last laugh
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
You think Pat Meares didn't earn a cent of his $15 million from the Pirates? You're wrong. You think Kevin Young was a complete waste of $24 million? You're wrong again.
"I can't tell you how much those guys helped me," Jack Wilson said.
It's a bit of a sad story, really. If you look at Wilson now, at Minute Maid Park in Houston getting ready for his first All-Star Game tonight, you see a confident player, a .332 hitter, a defensive wizard, the Pirates' MVP, one of their leaders. But it wasn't always that way.
In his early days in the big leagues, Wilson was the target of much ridicule from his Pirates teammates. Part of it was his physical appearance. He had bad teeth, which he couldn't afford to get fixed until after his rookie season. You know how cruel boys can be. That was especially true of those in the Pirates' millionaire boys club. They also had a good laugh over Wilson's wife, Julie, working as a waitress during his first spring training with the team in 2001.
But there was more. Wilson oozed enthusiasm. He always looked as though he was loving life, loving his job, having fun even as the Pirates were on their way to a 100-loss season. Often, his gung-ho style called attention to himself. Some of the veterans -- Brian Giles, Mike Williams, Jason Kendall -- didn't approve. They thought Wilson was unprofessional, uncool, if you will. They believed rookies should go unnoticed, at least until they proved themselves.
It didn't help that Wilson struggled that first season -- offensively and defensively -- and was sent back to the minors for a month. You might imagine the older players' reaction when they heard Wilson had driven all night to get to Nashville after his demotion, so eager was he to start working on his game.
Uncool, indeed.
"I read and heard what was being said, but what was I going to do?" Wilson asked. "That's the only way I know how to play. That's how I made it to the big leagues.
"I was only concerned about one thing: Was I doing something to hurt or disrespect the game? But I knew I wasn't so I didn't let it bother me much."
Meares, one of the Pirates' most respected veterans, provided positive reinforcement. As it turns out, he carefully walked the line between the cliques in what, at the time, was a dysfunctional clubhouse. He didn't just gracefully move from shortstop to second base to make room for Wilson. He befriended him.
"He'd tell me, 'Don't listen to them. Keep playing the way you're playing,' " Wilson said. "Then, after he was gone, Pokey Reese and Kevin Young would say the same thing. I'll never forget 'KY' telling me, 'Don't ever change. People take to that enthusiasm.' "
Still, Wilson finally had to stand up for himself. It happened in Chicago in the 2002 season after someone stole his suit from his locker. He said he got in Williams' face and told him he was tired of the silly abuse.
"After that," Wilson said, "it stopped."
Those difficult experiences helped Wilson become the All-Star player he is today. Certainly, they helped him grow into a team leader. He rightfully defers to Kendall, a much better teammate now that Williams and Giles are gone. "If they ever decide to put a captain's 'C' on someone, it would go to him. He's our guy," Wilson said. But there's no question Wilson is always there for his younger teammates.
"I think part of that is the shortstop position and part is because we have young guys at second and third base," Wilson said.
Jose Castillo and Bobby Hill couldn't have a better role model. Wilson plays all out, all the time. If you watched the Pirates' doubleheader sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers July 2, you know. Wilson hustled for an inside-the-park home run in the first game, then made a game-saving diving catch in shallow left field in the second. The PNC Park crowd loved it. If every player gave that effort, the Pirates wouldn't have an attendance problem.
Wilson's production has been phenomenal. Besides that .332 average, he has 22 doubles, seven triples and eight home runs. Those are more doubles and extra-base hits than he had all of last season. And don't believe him when he describes his defense as "horrible. ... I have eight errors!" He has played the best all-around shortstop in the National League and should be starting tonight instead of the St. Louis Cardinals' Edgar Renteria.
There's some truth to the theory that Wilson is playing with a chip on his shoulder because the Pirates took him to salary arbitration before the season. He would play hard, anyway. But he admitted he has a little extra motivation.
"Obviously, the Pirates didn't have too many plans for me if they took me to arbitration over a one-year deal. I wanted to show every scout with every other team that I can play in case I need a job next year."
Kevin McClatchy disputed that Wilson doesn't fit into the Pirates' long-term plans. "The arbitration was just business. I was the first one to congratulate Jack after he won." Then, McClatchy said something that surely will make Wilson's day.
"I love his enthusiasm. I wish we had about 10 more just like him."
Imagine that.
Uncool has never been so cool.
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(Ron Cook can be reached at
rcook@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1525.)
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