There’s a profile on Brian Wilson in today’s New York Times. It’s a bit more nuanced than your typical “that Brian Wilson is CRAZY!” article we’ve been seeing much of recently. I don’t think he’s crazy. Just a bit off center. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all calculated, but ultimately it’s harmless. It’s also probably the sort of thing that won’t sit will with his employers once he stops saving 40+ games a year. “Ball Four” wasn’t written that long ago. The notion that eccentricity in baseball is only acceptable if you’re an elite player likely still holds. As it does in almost every walk of life in our society, sadly enough.
OK, that got a tad pessimistic. This was the part I liked the best. Wilson’s ultimate aim:“I’d like to be a crossword clue one day,” he said. “I want to be in The New York Times’s Sunday edition. Right now, the clue ‘Giants great’ is always Mel Ott. I want my clue to be down, not across. The down ones are usually harder. And when I’m the clue, I’ll fill it in — just that one — and frame it.
“How sweet would that be?”Careful what you wish for, Brian. “Bearded Giants closer; blew Game 7" is just as valid a clue as any other.
