The end of an era

Baseball

So we got the news this morning: Dan Wilson is out for the season.

Given that he's 36 years old and a catcher, this may mean he's out of the lineup for good.

Now that Edgar has retired, Dan Wilson holds the title of "ancient Mariner." He's been with the team since being traded from the Reds in 1993 and is the last link to the Cinderella team of 1995. I have no idea how many games he's caught, how many runners he's thrown out, how many close plays at the plate he's made.

I do remember him snuffing a couple of rallies.

I also remember him hitting an inside-the-park grand slam against the Tigers.

But what's more, I remember him just being a stand-up guy. The kind who donates to his community. The kind who helps kids who need help. The kind who lives Christian values instead of just talking about them.

Geez, I sound like the guy is dead. He's just on the 60 disabled list. I won't be surprised if he works hard and tries to come back next year, although if he does, given that's he's blown an ACL at age 36 it might be a kindness to put him in at first base instead of catcher. Still, we may have seen the last of him in a Mariner uniform . . .

Or, maybe we haven't. I agree with Dave Hansen on one thing: Dan Wilson would make a heck of a manager. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see the guy with the number 6 on his back coming out of the first base dugout five or ten years from now to discuss a call with the home plate umpire.