Major League

Wilke was a sweet bear of a man, with a gentle and respectful demeanor that seemed almost quaint. He was also a helluva journalist. I know. As a “government official” during the Microsoft trial, I can say that getting a call from Wilke was like stepping into the batter’s box against an exceptional Major League pitcher.

He had a dazzling fastball – on display on the many occasions when he’d call with a great story in the bag and graciously offer us the opportunity to comment. Often, though, Wilke would fall back on an amazing repertoire of off-speed stuff. He had a great change-up – he would puzzle out loud like Colombo, and invite one to “explain” how things were (I might have fallen for that one more than once). He also had a brutal knuckleball – he’d call with a completely outrageous, wacky question, hoping his prey would pop his cork and give up some tidbit that he could knit into a story. (I might have bit on that one too.) And, there was an occasional high inside pitch – I can remember one that resulted in a bench-clearing brawl involving players from both teams. Wilke was always fair, but he was a fierce competitor.

He was formidable on the field. But when the day was over, Wilke was a grand, gracious, decent and compassionate guy to share a drink or three with – to share stories about “the game,” and about politics, life, sports and the family he so loved. He was a first-rate human being and friend, and I will miss him a great deal.

Jeff Blattner