DAN WILSON ARTICLES PG. 40
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INSIDE THE PARK: A WEEKLY LOOK AT THE MARINERS AND THE MAJORS:
Wilson's live bat is right where M's like it

Dan Wilson can tell you about the pleasure and the pain that comes with hitting in the big leagues. There were the glory days of his All-Star season of 1996, when he established career-highs with 18 home runs and 83 RBIs. Or the past five seasons when he hasn't hit more than 10 home runs or driven in more than 50 runs in a year. Or his 0-for-42 postseason drought that didn't end until he singled in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in 2000. Quietly, Wilson is working his way back. Entering last night's game, the Seattle Mariners catcher was hitting .382 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 17 games. It's only tiny sliver of the 162-game marathon. But the unusual start is giving the Mariners production from the catcher's spot in the lineup that the team hasn't received in years. Count Wilson among the most surprised. ``I've never started like this before,'' Wilson said. ``But this is a long season, so you've got to keep working at it.''
Before yesterday's game, Wilson took an extra round of batting practice indoors before the team's regular pregame batting practice. That's normal for the 33-year-old veteran. But there isn't a new stance, pregame ritual or offseason regimen to credit for his start. Wilson can't think of anything he's doing at the plate this year that he wasn't doing last year. Except for the .382 batting average. "It's been the same (as last year) thing trying to hit," Wilson said. "I'm trying to stay inside of the ball. For whatever reason it's been more effective this year." Not known as a fast starter, Wilson hit only .217 last April and struggled to a .182 batting average by May 4. He has nearly as many hits this season (21) as he did in his first two months last season (27). The seeds for Wilson's turnaround may have been planted last season, however. That poor start blossomed into a torrid summer (.305 in June, .301 in August) that had him batting .265 by season's end. Some of the credit, then and now, belongs to Lee Elia.
Elia left full-time duty as a Mariners coach after the 1997 season. But he remains part of the organization as the Major League field and coaching consultant. He has a strong bond with Wilson "I wouldn't be where I am today without him," Wilson said of the 64-year-old Elia, who played under Leo Durocher and Eddie Stanky. "He's a steady influence. His approach, his way of thinking, his way of teaching hitting is something that's clicked with me. I'm sure glad he's been around." The bottom third of the Mariners lineup was one of the few weaknesses on last season's team. Between Wilson, Carlos Guillen and David Bell, no player hit better than .265. The resurgence of Wilson has helped turn the last three batters -- usually Guillen, Wilson and Mark McLemore -- into a vastly different, offensive-minded group. No matter how lofty his average, Wilson maintains a balanced perspective. It's the sort of thing that helped him face a mob of reporters during the 2000 ALCS, all asking the same question: why couldn't he hit during the playoffs. The hits are falling this time and the attention is more positive in the spring of 2002. And Wilson remains the same. "It's one of the those things. It's hard to explain," Wilson said. "It's baseball."

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