Calgary Herald

Wilson hopes to go yard in debut

- GEORGE JOHNSON

Through four years of high school baseball, Greg Wilson’s spot in the batting order rarely varied.

“Lead-off hitter,” is the frank confession.

“Bunting for base hits, spraying the ball around, moving runners along, that was me.”

Odd, then, that now, years later, in the pros, he’s being inserted into the cleanup spot, swinging for the fences.

“You mean White Lightning?” asks quarterbac­k Bo Levi Mitchell. “It’s a little harder to get the ball to him deep than, say, Jeff (Fuller) or Eric (Rogers), because they can go over people with their size.

“But I don’t think they have the flat-out speed Greg does. “Man, he is fast. Fast as all hell. “A legitimate home-run threat, for sure.”

From Felipe Alou to Babe Ruth. That’s quite the power surge.

Sprinting off the practice roster, Wilson marks his CFL regular-season debut Saturday, flanked wide — to bookend Fuller — as the comme ci comme ça Calgary Stampeders go in search of redemption against the Montreal Alouettes.

Adjustment­s have, of course, become a monotonous, game-togame, sometimes drive-to-drive, nuisance for co-ordinator Dave Dickenson’s offence, what with the O-line’s perpetual mixing and matching, plugging and filling.

This week, yet more tinkering by necessity: Tory Harrison tries to fill big shoes (along the line of Shaq’s size 23s), inheriting Jon Cornish’s starting tailback spot. Wilson draws in to replace Joe West — another big-play outside receiver — nursing a leg strain.

“You know how it works around here,” says receivers coach Pete Costanza. “If you’re on the ( game) roster, the practice roster, wherever, we believe you can do the job. I’m sure he’ll execute his assignment­s and hopefully we’ll see those same flashes of explosiven­ess we saw in training camp and pre-season.

“Is this an important game for him? Certainly. But I never worry that the stage is too big for these guys. They’re profession­als. This is their job. He’s been playing against our defence every day, remember, and that’s a pretty good defence.

“He’s a very good athlete, waited his time, prepared every week and now he gets his chance. Greg has the tools to catch a ball and go the distance. Hopefully he’ll settle into the game quickly and get a feel for the speed.’’

Speed, in any form, shouldn’t be an issue with this particular gentleman.

As the always-amiable Mr. Costanza mentioned, Wilson got himself noticed during camp with an eye-catching athleticis­m and lickety-split. Around these parts, for a few weeks, anyway, he was the most talked-about “Willlllsss­sssssson!” since Tom Hanks found himself marooned on an island with only a volleyball for company.

But even such an attentiong­rabbing training camp wasn’t enough to crack the openingnig­ht lineup versus Hamilton, and ever since he’s been biding his time on the practice roster.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting,’’ says Wilson. “Sometimes it gets frustratin­g, sure, but a lot of work, a lot of faith, a lot of belief that this opportunit­y would come has helped me stay patient. Now it’s here.

“What do I have to do? Just play the way I know, fast and smart. I think that’ll work for me.

“I had my opportunit­y in Denver, in the pre-season here. Sure this is a regular-season game with a new team but at the end of the day it’s another game. I really feel that in camp and the pre-season I played as well as I could, which is all you can do.’’

After those teasing peeks, those encouragin­g glimpses, the chance has finally arrived for Wilson to carve a niche, stake out territory.

“He’s very deserving,” lauds Mitchell. “Greg’s one of those guys, when he gets an opportunit­y he might not give it back.

“I mean, great hands, intelligen­ce for the game — something I love. Always asking questions. And if he makes a mistake, he’s not making that mistake again. That’s a huge deal for me and everybody else on this group.

“I’m sure he’s pumped up about the opportunit­y. And that’s what everybody, all of us, needs, at one time or another — an opportunit­y.

“You get a chance, don’t mess around. Don’t make excuses for yourself afterwards, ‘Oh, it was only my first game.’ Stuff like that. Do what comes naturally. “Just go get it. “I’m sure he’s excited to be playing. I know I’m excited to see him play. I think everyone is.’’

Given the wide Canadian field, those end zones the size of Wyoming, the wait to finally, it’d only be human nature to strain in making a good first impression.

But the task ahead couldn’t be in sharper focus:

Don’t overthink it. Don’t over-emotion it. Don’t over-try it.

“I definitely have the speed to stretch the field,’’ acknowledg­es the four-year leadoff man in his high-school baseball batting order. “I’m not going to try to overdo it in this game, though. That can lead to trouble.

“But if the opportunit­y presents itself …”

If the horsehide’s out over the plate …

He’s going yard. That’s what home-run hitters do.

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 ?? LEAH HENNEL/ CALGARY HERALD ?? Calgary Stampeders’ Greg Wilson has been waiting in the wings, but the opportunit­y has finally arrived for Wilson to stake out territory and make a good impression.
LEAH HENNEL/ CALGARY HERALD Calgary Stampeders’ Greg Wilson has been waiting in the wings, but the opportunit­y has finally arrived for Wilson to stake out territory and make a good impression.

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