SPRINGDALE - Willie Wilson was nearly crippled by carpal tunnel syndrome before his first appearance in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
When the former Kansas City Royals outfielder arrived in Montreal for the 1982 MLB All-Star Game, he was surprised to find dozens of baseballs stacked on a few tables.
Like all of the other All-Stars that year, Wilson made his way down the line, autographing each ball. He was given two to keep as souvenirs, though he got something else instead.
“What I do remember is the excitement that I had and not really knowing if I was going to do good or do bad,” Wilson said, standing just outside the Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ clubhouse at Arvest Ballpark.
“But just the excitement of seeing so many guys that had so many great careers and being part of it was really nice.”
Wilson was named an All-Star for a second time in 1983. Thirty years later, he participated in another All-Star Week, though this time it was as a 19-year veteran asked to impart some words of advice on a new crop of prospects.
Wilson strolled around Arvest Ballpark on Tuesday evening, passing Minor League Baseball players who were kids when the 1982 American League batting champion retired following the 1994 season.
And none of the players who took part in the Texas League All-Star Game were born when the Royals selected the speedy Wilson with the 18th pick in the 1974 draft.
As Wilson watched, the Texas League All-Stars took batting practice and tried to make a name for themselves in the one-day showcase in Springdale.
They smacked pitches over the left-field wall and helped jog Wilson’s memory of his days in the early 1970s when he played Double-A ball.
“First of all, we didn’t have all of this in 1975, right?” Wilson said, cracking a smile. “What it does is it brings back the bus rides. It brings back Double-A, which was in Jacksonville, Fla.
“It brings back a lot of memories, but mostly memories of a lot of travel, no meal money but great friendships with the guys that eventually made it to the Big Leagues.”
Of course, the paychecks are much larger nowadays.
And Wilson joked that Arvest Ballpark is a far better stadium than anything he saw during his time in the Minors.
“Who wants to go to the Big Leagues when your ballpark looks like this, right?” said Wilson, who turns 58 on July 9.
Wilson broke into the Major Leagues as a 20-year-old rookie with the Royals in 1976. And with his combination of speed and switch-hitting, Wilson won a Golden Glove Award in 1980 and a World Series title with Kansas City in 1985.
A year after his epic autograph-signing in Montreal, Wilson headed to Comiskey Park in Chicago for the 1983 MLB All-Star Game. At the time, the American League looked for a sense of redemption after the National League dominated All-Star Games for more than a decade.
It got it.
Then California Angels catcher Fred Lynn smacked the only grand slam in All-Star history in the third inning, and Wilson added an RBI double to help lead the American League to a 13-3 win.
“That was great, and I happened to get a hit and drive a run in,” Wilson said.
“So, that was great to be part of that. All-Star Games bring back a lot of great memories.
“But when you lose them, it’s not just going out there and just having fun. You lost, and as a competitor, you don’t want to lose.”
But Wilson was just a spectator this time around.
His Minor League days were a long time ago.
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ALEX ABRAMS IS THE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.
Sports, Pages 9 on 06/26/2013