DAN WILSON ARTICLES PG. 1
******HERE YOU WILL FIND ARTICLES ABOUT DAN WILSON FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES, SAID ARTICLES REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AUTHORS AND ARE HERE ONLY FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES******
Wilson the Mariners' Unknown Star
Seattle Mariners catcher Dan Wilson has toiled for years in near-obscurity on a team loaded with superstar sluggers.
That's just the way he likes it.
``I think it's a complement when you go unnoticed,'' Wilson said Wednesday after the Mariners' final workout before the exhibition games begin. ``I'm just a guy who wants to do my job.''
It's easy to see how someone who's more steady than stupendous could be overlooked in a clubhouse filled with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez and the recently departed Ken Griffey Jr.
But Wilson's contribution since he was traded to Seattle by Cincinnati after the 1993 season is difficult to ignore.
The 30-year-old Wilson's 713 games played place him ninth on Seattle's career list and, with his 95th appearance behind the plate this season, he will pass Dave Valle to become the team leader in games caught.
Wilson also is ranked ninth in career doubles, RBIs and total bases, tied for 10th in career extra-base hits and is 10th in at-bats.
Despite all those credentials, Mariners manager Lou Piniella still views Wilson as a throwback catcher - someone who finds more satisfaction in how his pitcher performs than how he looks in the box score.
``I call him a caring catcher,'' Piniella said. ``He would rather call a good game and win than put his batting first. He's got a pretty good idea what he's doing out there.''
Such knowledge was needed last season when Wilson was catching a bullpen full of young, inexperienced pitchers. He finished the season hitting .266 with seven homers and 38 RBIs.
``I think for a catcher, defense is the first responsibility,'' Wilson said. ``But I don't want to neglect or not worry about my offense at all.''
This season, Wilson will have the benefit of working not only with some of those same pitchers a year later but also with veterans such as Aaron Sele, Brett Tomko and Jamie Moyer.
``The only thing we need to do is rest him from time to time because he wears down a little,'' Piniella said. Notes: John Halama, who likely will be battling Gil Meche for the fifth spot in the Mariners' rotation, will start Thursday and pitch two innings in the Mariners' annual spring opener with San Diego. The Padres and Mariners train at separate facilities in the same baseball complex. ... Seattle routed the Hanwha Eagles of South Korea 12-0 in a seven-inning exhibition Tuesday. ... Reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki, the all-time save leader in Japan now trying to earn a spot on the Mariners' roster, has been officially Americanized. He was wearing his cap backward during pitchers' mobility drills.
********************
Home Improvement
Funny things happen in the third grade. Some kids get their two front teeth, others begin playing baseball for the first time, and some meet their mate for life. Third grade -- that's when Dan Wilson met Anne Palmer. In the seventh grade, they became study buddies. By high school, they were lab partners with a twinkle in their eye. They began dating and became high school sweethearts at Barrington High School in Barrington, Illinois. You know, two-time All-State baseball player, quarterback of the football team Dan, and his editor of the school newspaper, pom-pon squad member, A-student girlfriend Anne.
Today, Dan and Anne are husband and wife -- have been for more than 5 years, since their December 1991 wedding.
Like most professional baseball families, the Wilsons have traveled plenty. But along the way, this young couple faced one huge obstacle that had nothing to do with flight schedules or long road trips.
They were confronted with a situation that many couples struggle to overcome. Dan and Anne Wilson were told by their doctors that conceiving a child would be nearly impossible. After hearing the bad news, they carefully considered all the options.
"Anne and I had always talked about adopting," Dan says, "and we knew we were going to do that. So when we had problems conceiving, we decided to speed up the adoption process."
So in 1996, the Wilsons' focus turned to Bulgaria. They worked to adopt 2-year-old Sofia, and everything seemed to be working out perfectly. The child they had always wanted was about to join their home.
Then, as they finalized details, the unexpected occurred.
"During that process, the Lord blessed us with a pregnancy as well," Dan explains. "So it was really a pretty amazing situation, and something we've been blessed with."
The Wilson family was about to double in size. During the 1996 baseball season, Anne flew to Bulgaria to bring home Sofia, and the team allowed Dan to take time off so he could be with them in Washington, D.C. "It was a pretty emotional time," says Dan, "a day I'll never forget."
Soon after welcoming Sofia to Seattle, the Wilsons once again opened their hearts and home to a new arrival, their second daughter, Josephine. "Looking back on it, I think that's maybe the Lord's sense of humor a little bit. He's got a plan for us, and we've got to just let go and let it happen," says Dan. "We couldn't be in a better situation, and the girls are just doing great."
Far From Home
During Dan's first 3 years with the Mariners, Anne traveled with the team as often as she could. With family in New York, Minnesota, and Chicago, she would go and visit relatives while Dan played a 3- or 4-game series. "It's a little tougher now with the kids, so the trips will probably be much more limited," says Dan.
But that won't mean Anne and the girls will be bored.
Anne is a certified teacher, and since moving to Seattle she has worked with a variety of children's agencies. Her favorite is First Place School, a school for homeless children.
"She has a special knack for kids," Dan says, "and a special place in her heart for them. So we try to help out kids that wouldn't normally get the same chance as somebody else. These kids are at-risk -- they have a non-stable home life or unstable parent situation. These children really need some help, and they're the kind of people my wife and I really enjoy working with."
Dan admits that his own involvement begins with Anne's enthusiasm and concern for those who haven't experienced the kind of rewards he and his family have enjoyed.
"She's very motivated and involved," he says. "Without her I don't think I would get involved in a lot of things that I do. She's a very active person, and someone who has meant a great deal to me as far as her community service or public service is concerned. My wife deserves a lot of the credit, if not all the credit in that area."
Dan realizes that it's not just the kids at First Place or the ones at church that are paying attention to his actions and words on and off the field. He's known as an easy target by young autograph seekers, and he is keenly aware that there are many people watching to see how he demonstrates his faith in Christ.
"They really do watch everything," Dan says, "and now having kids of my own I really see what mimicking is all about."
But he never resents being in a position where fans are searching for good people as well as good athletes. "I think it's always important to remember that there are people watching; everything you do is being watched by a lot of different people. That does put in perspective how we need to be as people and how we need to act and what kind of impact we have on people, especially little kids. It really makes you look in the mirror and think about what you're doing, and how that is portrayed to other people."
Mariners chapel leader Chuck Snyder likes what Dan portrays to the fans and the rest of his big league peers. "He lives the Christian life. He's a man of God."
At Home Behind the Plate
Dan has always been a solid contributor on the baseball diamond, but the rewards have not come without a lot of work. Selected by Cincinnati in the first round (7th player overall) in 1990, Dan quickly rose through the system with hard work and steady, consistent play. In his first assignment with Class A Charleston, he posted a .995 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 215 chances.
"There's no substitute for hard work," Dan says of his rapid 3-year trip to a big league uniform. "Baseball is a game that takes a lot of time and effort."
That effort is paying off. Dan made it to "The Show" with the Reds, but was dealt to the Mariners prior to the 1994 season with pitcher Bobby Ayala for Bret Boone and Erik Hanson. For the first time in his career, Dan Wilson was looked upon to be the starting catcher on a major league roster.
Mariner's skipper Lou Piniella told Mariner's Magazine, "We felt when we brought him over here from Cincinnati that he would be a fine major league catcher, and he has exceeded our expectations. He has a good baseball mind. He works hard, and does what he's told. He's conscientious."
Dan worked extensively with Piniella his first season in the American League, and he spent many hours with hitting instructor Lee Elia last year.
His numbers clearly reflect his effort:
In 1994, Dan hit .216 with 3 home runs and 27 RBI in 91 games.
In 1995, Dan upped his average to .278, with 9 home runs and 51 RBI in 119 games.
In 1996, Wilson had a breakthrough season. He sported a .285 average, 18 home runs, and 83 RBI in 138 games. He started out the season with a 3-home-run game in early April, becoming only the fifth Mariner to accomplish such a feat. Just 5 days later, he knocked in a career-high 5 RBI in a game and hit his first career grand slam. Wilson tied the club record and set a new personal best with five hits in a game against the Twins last season. For his efforts, Wilson was named to his first All-Star game in 1996, yet he never let the honor weaken his work ethic. He never let up. In early August Wilson engineered a career-high 10-game hitting streak and managed an 8-game streak in September. Then he really began to throw his 6' 3", 190-pound frame around. He hit home runs in three consecutive games September 10-12, and clubbed a game-winner less than a week later in front of friends and family at Chicago's Comiskey Park.
"I'd like to be able to stay consistent with what I did last year. I had the kind of year that maybe I didn't think I ever could. Hopefully, I can at least repeat that, if not do better," Wilson says. "I just want to stay consistent, continue to do the things that I've done in the past that'll translate into the same type of results."
Through the first month and a half of the 1997 campaign, it hasn't been a problem. Dan was hitting well over .300 with 20 RBI after the first 35 games. Among Seattle regulars during the early going, his batting average was second only to that of Ken Griffey Jr.
Wilson has shown that he's just as good behind the plate with a glove as he is standing beside it with a bat. In 1996, he led the league in putouts and chances, and he threw out more than 1 out of 3 attempted base stealers. He was also the only catcher to nail the American League's top two base stealers (Kenny Lofton and Tom Goodwin) three times each.
Mariners bullpen coach and former major league catcher Matt Sinatro reflects on Dan's breakthrough year and says, "Dan worked hard every day and really got some great results. He's a great catcher. He throws the ball well. He handles the pitchers. He's very intelligent. He really has great presence behind home plate."
Former teammate Chris Bosio told Mariners Magazine, "Dan is a solid receiver who works well with all the pitchers. He calls a good game. He can adapt to pretty much anybody's style. He understands the game."
Another former Mariners teammate and current San Diego pitcher Sterling Hitchcock says, "I saw him in Class A ball in 1990, and I think from where he was then to where he is now is totally just a dedication of his good work. He's great behind the plate. Last year he had an offensive explosion! I think he's one of the most motivated players in the league, not to mention just a phenomenal human being."
Despite his offensive explosiveness, Dan still thinks defense first. "Defense should be number one and offense should be number two," he says. "There are a lot of duties for a catcher defensively. Those can't be overshadowed offensively."
Sinatro adds, "He's a take-charge individual, a great man. Just a joy to work with."
Wilson's rapport with his teammates and coaching staff doesn't stop with baseball. He is respected for his character.
When Wilson was acquired from the Reds in November 1993, he soon became the Mariners' player representative for the players' union, a challenging and often thankless job. Dan had to jump in headfirst. He was immediately responsible to communicate with teammates throughout the strike-torn winter months between the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
"We voted Danny into that position because of the way he carries himself," admits Bosio.
Typically low key about his important responsibilities, Dan says, "It doesn't take up a lot of time now that the agreements have been made. There are always meetings, and there are always day-to-day things with players and the players association that need to be taken care of. But it's nice to represent the team."
In just 3 years with the Mariners, Dan has gained the enduring respect of teammates, coaches, and fans. With his bat, his glove, and consistent character, Dan Wilson has carved out a new role for himself; he's now a star.
But that doesn't take any of the shine off that other new, more important role he's getting accustomed to: being just plain, ol' Dad.
********************
How Hard Work Paid Off for Mariners' Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson grew up as one of three boys in a competitive household in suburban Chicago.
"We were pretty intense," says older brother Toby, now a pastor in Minnesota.
And sports was their passion.
As a three-sport athlete in high school, Dan could have chosen any number of athletic heroes from the Windy City: Walter Payton of the Bears in football or Tony Esposito of the Blackhawks in hockey or Carlton Fisk of the White Sox in baseball.
He, however, was a fan of catcher Johnny Bench, who led the Reds to two World Series titles in 1975-76 when Wilson was an impressionable youngster.
So you can imagine Wilson's disappointment when the Reds, the team the catcher signed his first pro contract with in 1990, traded him three years later to the Seattle Mariners.
"You feel deserted," says Wilson, the Reds' No. I selection out of the University of Minnesota. "It was a little difficult at times."
Now, some three years later, Wilson has gotten over the fact that he will not follow in the footsteps of Bench as a long-time catcher for the Reds.
Wilson, 27, also a standout goalie and football quarterback in high school, has emerged as one of the solid young catchers in the game. The Seattle receiver played in his first All-Star game in Philadelphia in 1996, and produced some of the best offensive numbers for his position in the major leagues this past season.
And it's the Mariners who are looking good for acquiring Wilson, who came to Seattle with pitcher Bobby Ayala, while pitcher Erik Hanson and second baseman Bret Boone were sent to Cincinnati after the 1993 season. Wilson made his big league debut with the Reds in 1992, and was on the opening day roster the following season.
"It's a trade that came out much for the better," says Wilson, who went right to the big league club with Seattle for the 1994 season.
He hit .216 in limited playing time that year, and in 1995 improved t0.278 with nine homers and 51 RBI as the Mariners won the A.L. West title.
Last season he moved up another notch, hitting .285 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI. Those numbers were among the best for all major league catchers in 1996, and Wilson enjoyed the first three-homer and five-hit games of his career in two separate contests early in the campaign.
This from a 6-3, 190-pound catcher who was known more for his defense throughout his pro career.
One person who has watched Wilson's progression is Rick Down, the hitting coach from 1993-95 for the New York Yankees, a team that lost out in the play-offs to the Mariners in Seattle's first post-season appearance.
"Dan came into the league with the reputation as a defensive catcher," says Down, now the Orioles' hitting coach. "He was a big plus last year in that (Seattle) lineup." That was a very explosive lineup, and Wilson wasn't an easy out. His bat came alive. He was more relaxed, more aware of how pitchers were working him. When you know you are going to be in the lineup, a player can be more comfortable at the plate.
The scouting report on Wilson after his first minor league season in 1990 was that he was a defensive gem with a questionable bat. The right-hander hit just .248 with two homers and 17 RBI that year with Class A Charleston (West Virginia) of the South Atlantic League.
"He's a take-charge receiver with a strong arm. He stepped in at mid-season, and immediately won the respect of more experienced pitchers with his ability to handle a game," said one report prior to the 1991 season.
"Physically, Wilson figures to get stronger as he matures, and that might aid his offense. He has shown the willingness to go the other way with pitches, and that helped him keep his head above water in his pro debut."
Wilson has become a big splash with the bat, after hitting just 12 homers in more than 320 minor league games. But it's his defense that first made an impression on the Mariners, and Wilson was behind the plate most of the way as Seattle stormed back to catch division foe California in 1995 and then faced the Yankees and Indians in the playoffs.
"Hard work is such a cliché, but hard work does pay off," said Wilson, who has made himself a good hitter on a team of big boppers.
Wilson has always been one of the hardest catchers to steal against in every league he has played in. He was drafted out of Barrington (Illinois) High School by the Mets in the 26th round in 1987. Instead he attended college at Minnesota, where he caught Atlanta's left-hander Denny Neagle and was named an All-American in 1990.
In his minor league career he cut down 38.2 (116 for 304) percent of would-be base stealers.
With Seattle in 1994 he was fifth in the American League at 32.8 percent, trailing veterans Terry Steinbach of Oakland, Ivan Rodriquez of Texas and Sandy Alomar of Cleveland.
Wilson also improved that mark in 1996, nailing 34 percent of would-be thieves (29 for 86).
So no longer is Wilson known as the man who has to catch the 100 mile-per-hour throws of Seattle left-hander Randy Johnson. Or the person who allowed a Cleveland runner to take score from second base on a pitch that got away from him during the 1995 American League Championship Series.
Nor is he just another player on an offensive powerhouse that features Alex Rodriquez, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey, Jr., though he enjoys watching the daily exploits of his famous teammates.
The emergence of Wilson allowed the M's to entertain offers for catcher Chris Widget, who backed up Wilson for part of the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Widger was rumored to be headed to Baltimore prior to the August trading deadline last season, but it never happened. Seattle also has former Georgia Tech catcher and No. I draft choice Jason Varitek in its farm system, but for now the M's appear set with Wilson behind the plate-
When Widger or someone else did give Wilson the day off, opposing pitchers had to pay. The day after taking off, Wilson hit .439 with eight homers and 13 RBI in just 41 at-bats in the first half of 1996.
But one day off was more special for Wilson early last season. The club gave him permission to miss an early-season contest so he could fly to New York with his wife, Anne. There they picked up their adopted daughter, who had been born in Bulgaria 18 months earlier.
But there's no competition in this home. Dan Wilson saves that for the diamond, where he has battled to make himself one of the more respected catchers in baseball.
PAGE 2