by Ed Eagle PittsburghPirates.com
Jack Wilson: Kurt Stillwell was my favorite player. He was a switch-hitting shortstop who came up with the Reds. He went to my high school and he lived down the street from where I grew up. When he came home in the off-season I saw him all the time. He was a great guy and that's who I looked up to. He actually sent me a telegram at my first big league game in Cincinnati and then he came up to see me when I was in San Diego. He's a great guy and he's the example of the type of player that I wanted to be.
MLB.com: What is the worst thing about being a rookie?
JW: You have certain chores you have to do. Sometimes you have to get some things for the veterans and carry stuff on the plane. Just having the label "rookie" is something you want to fight through the year to get rid of. I am very much looking forward to next year and losing that "R" next to my name.
MLB.com: What are your favorite movies?
JW: I love "The Matrix." I have a favorite movie for each category. For comedy I love Adam Sandler movies. For drama I like "Shawshank Redemption." I was a huge "Star Wars" fan.
MLB.com: If you could change places with any other person in history for one day, who would it be?
JW: Jackie Robinson in his first game in the big leagues. I'd like to see what he went through. I know it was tough. I would go through one day of what he had to go through. It was pretty interesting and pretty amazing how he did that.
MLB.com: Off the field, what has been the most surprising thing about being a big leaguer?
JW: Definitely being recognized when we go to the mall or somewhere shopping. That's been the most amazing thing, having them come up and say, "Hey, good job yesterday" or "Nice play." It's really an unbelievable feeling because, being up for the first time and having people know who you are, it's really flattering.
MLB.com: What has been your most embarrassing moment.
JW: My most embarrassing moment that happened to me in baseball was this year when I made three errors in two innings against the Giants. That's pretty embarrassing when you are trying to be known as a defensive player. Thankfully we were in Pittsburgh. They gave me a little razz for it but they could done a lot worse. I thank the fans very much because they didn't boo me or do anything too harsh. They gave me a standing "O" when I caught a popup later, though (laughs).
MLB.com: Do you have any hidden talents?
JW: In the off-season, the way I work out and get my training is to play a lot of soccer. I was a soccer player all the way up until high school. It was actually more important to me than baseball. I put a lot of time and effort into it even more than I did with baseball in high school. I think if it weren't for soccer, I wouldn't be a big league shortstop because of the footwork that I needed. I can juggle a baseball on my feet for a while. That's a hidden talent for me.
MLB.com: What is the coolest thing you've bought since coming to the big leagues?
JW: My Mustang. That's the coolest thing. I've got a lot of little things. I had a lot of wish-list toys that said if I ever made the big leagues I'd get -- a Playstation 2, a Mustang, some electronics stuff. I bought my wife a new car when I first got up here because she went through the minor leagues with me and I think she deserved it. I went with the used car, a used Mustang and I love it.
MLB.com: What's the most interesting piece of fan mail you have received?
JW: A kid this year actually made a baseball card because he was so upset that I didn't have a baseball card out and he couldn't find one. So what he did is he made one with a frame made out of Popsicle sticks. He took a bunch of different pictures from newspapers and media guides and put them together and drew a picture of me. He actually sent me two so I could sign one for him and keep one for myself. That was really impressive and I still have it. I love it.
Q: They play the song "Jumping Jack Flash" on the public address system when you come up to bat ...
A: Yeah.
Q: ... Are you aware that the song is about an English gardener who was on speed?
A: No. I think one of the commentators started calling me "Jumping Jack Flash" because I jumped on a tarp or
something during the Cleveland series. So I think that's kind of why they play it, I guess. It doesn't bother me too much.
Q: What is the worst pick-up line you have ever used to try to get a date?
A: To try to get a date? ... I don't think I've ever really used one.
Q: What is the worst one you have ever heard used?
A: The "stars down from the sky and put them in your eyes" orsomething. Wait. You know the one I'm taking about: The guy says, "You must be an angel because God took the stars down from the sky and put them in you eyes." Or some crap like that.
Q: What was your reaction the first time you had a Primanti Brothers sandwich?
A: A what?
Q: Do you know what one is?
A: I haven't a clue.
Q: It's a sandwich where you ... well, you have your normal looking sandwich, but you put the french fries and coleslaw and hot sauce on top.
A: Huh? I'm going to have to try that. That doesn't sound too bad.
Q: What three items would somebody be most surprised to find in your apartment?
A: Most surprised to find ... sheesh! Give me some time on this. Press pause. ...OK.One item is actually a bunch of them. I have a lot of shoes. A lot of shoes. Tennis shoes, dress shoes. People would be really surprised to know about the shoes. I have shoes to match every one of my T-shirts.And then, just a lot of different types of clothes and shirts. I have some Hawaiian shirts. Just a lot of California stuff that you don't see out here.And, uh, probably the 'N Sync stuff.
Q: 'N Sync?
A: Yeah. I like 'N Sync, I like their music. So I got their CDs and stuff.
Q: You were on the road when they played Heinz Field. Didn't get to see the concert then?
A: No. Actually, my wife went. I got her tickets to go the concert. She said it was good and that they put on a good show.I never get to see them because they always tour during the summertime.But I like them. They're cool.