Jack Wilson's letter to fans

by air holmes on Aug 23, 2009 4:59 PM EDT

This is a letter from Jack Wilson to the fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates throught the Post-Gazette. True pro. I wonder what will happen to the Bowling with the Bucs now. I really like Wilson. He toughed through 0 losing seasons, but yet still only focused on the good times Good luck Jack!

Here's the link:

I like the picture, too. Great smile. Hey, Jack and Julie had three kids named Jacob, Jaidyn, and Jersi.

Good Ole' Jack!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.

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It’s a nice letter but “Jersi”?

Plenty of J names to choose from before you have to much something up.

I made most of my life decisions at a Foghat concert... I stand by them.

by Chester J Lampwick on Aug 23, 2009 5:36 PM EDT reply actions

Jack Wilson's letter

A class Act

Lino Donoso

by Lino Donoso on Aug 23, 2009 5:41 PM EDT reply actions

I was happy to see him go at the deadline because I thought that his attitude had gone south as the front office went in a different direction but he was always one of my favorite Pirates and I wish him absolutely nothing but the best.

by MrPedriqueIfYoureNasty on Aug 23, 2009 6:10 PM EDT reply actions

Jack is definitately a class act.

And I wish him nothing but the best. But, I would not feel sorry for him because he had the opportunity to stay in Pittsburgh at a fair salary. Instead, he chose to demand that Sanchez also stay and because of that he would out of line. Had Jack chosen to concentrate on his own career he would still be in Pittsburgh.

by Illinois Pirate Fan on Aug 23, 2009 7:55 PM EDT reply actions

Regardless of how his departure happened..

It was awesome of him to write that letter. It just showed what kind of person he truely is. I don’t see any other former players going to that extent to tell the fans just how much they meant to him.

"So you think 25 percent of the country is retarded?! Yea. Atleast 25 percent. Well lets so a sample. There are 4 of us an you're retarded. Thats 25 percent." Southpark; Mystery of the Urinal Deuce

by gorillakilla34 on Aug 24, 2009 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Did Jack keep a house in Pittsburgh? He could probably make a good chunk of money after he retires by opening a restaurant or something (maybe even something in the park, like Manny’s place). He’s the guy most people would associate with the Pirates since 2001 and the opening of PNC.

by CptnAwesome on Aug 24, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

Yes. Well the outlying area anyway. He has a house in Sewickley.

"So you think 25 percent of the country is retarded?! Yea. Atleast 25 percent. Well lets so a sample. There are 4 of us an you're retarded. Thats 25 percent." Southpark; Mystery of the Urinal Deuce

by gorillakilla34 on Aug 24, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

A classy gesture from a classy guy.

I said a lot of harsh things about his skills from 2001-2003 (most down the memory hole now, thankfully), and I’ve never been so happy to end up wrong about a player. He worked hard and made the most of his abilities, and while there’s been a lot of losing baseball since he came to the Pirates, I had a lot of fun watching him.

by Vlad on Aug 24, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions

A class act from start to finish

We may never see another player that gave everything he had every day he played, despite being on a perennial losing team. Players that are role models both on and off the field, that devote their time to being a true professional and make countless contributions are few and far between.

I will always admire Jack as a player and a person, as well as his undying loyalty to the team and the fans here in Pittsburgh. But a player with a winning attitude and a winning spirit deserves to play for a winner. I wish him all the best.

"Straight ball I hit very much, but curveball, bats are afraid." - Pedro Cerrano

by silencerdu on Aug 24, 2009 1:33 PM EDT reply actions

Let's not go overboard.....

and say we may never see another player give it there all every day on a losing team. Cutch, Jones, Doumit, Young, etc…..those guys are out there giving it there all. Because a guy like Cutch is so talented he often makes is look easy, where that wasn’t the case always with Wilson.

I think there is a mistaken belief that players don’t try hard. Virtually every player gives it their best virtually all the time. The fact that a few superstars coast occasionally gives a bad perception for others.

And players with winning attitudes and winning spirits don’t “deserve” anything. I liked Jack too, but part of the reason the Pirates have been so bad during his tenure is they had a lot of players like Jack Wilson who just weren’t that good. You field 8 guys with his talent level and you are going to have a bad team. Doesn’t mean I think any less of him as a person, it’s just the truth.

by David Todd on Aug 24, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

+1

by matskralc on Aug 24, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Vlad nailed it.

he did do his best and albert pujols’ best couldn’t help the pirates from that time period of bucs team. another good point, NO player is going to write a letter to his former team fans after they traded him and tell how great it was in pittsburgh. great guy.

When we hit you, you don't get up. When you hit us, we get up laughing.

by air holmes on Aug 24, 2009 7:05 PM EDT reply actions