By JEFF SANDERS
Antelope Valley Press

August 30, 2003

LANCASTER - Andy Wilson knows he's been hired just to fill in over the weekend.
But the independent ball player, who signed with the Diamondbacks on Friday, hopes this is his opportunity to get back into affiliated baseball.
"That's why I went to independent ball - to work hard, try to put up some numbers and get a chance to get back into organized ball," said Wilson, the brother of the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson. "Everyone's dream is to make it back to organized ball and maybe the major leagues and now I have my foot in the door.
"If I put a good showing here the next couple of days hopefully they'll invite me to camp."
Wilson should get plenty of opportunity to play, too.
"I'm going to use him if somebody needs a breather," manager Mike Aldrete said. "I'm not going to have him sit for three days and watch baseball."
With outfielder Marland Williams and catcher Joe Wilkins serving their suspensions and Dan Firlit (hamstring) placed on the disabled list, the JetHawks would not have had a body off the bench the entire weekend.
So the organization looked locally and dug up Wilson, who had just returned to his home in Palmdale after his 2003 campaign with San Angelo of the independent Central League.
"We were in the same situation as the JetHawks," Wilson said of his season with the Colts. "We had a couple of games to go and we were in the playoff hunt.
"But we lost the big ones and found ourselves out of it."
The 5-foot-6 utility man hit .294 with two homers, 23 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases in 56 games with the Colts and is a career .293 hitter in five professional seasons.
Wilson, a product of Cal State Northridge, last played affiliated baseball with Rancho Cucamonga in 1999, when he hit .293 in 105 games for the Storm.
That year he met his wife on a road trip to The Hangar. They married and have made Palmdale their home the last three years.
His return to The Hangar is a rare opportunity to have his wife see him play as well as a chance to catch on with the Diamondbacks.
"I'd love to - I really hope so," said Wilson, 28. "But when this season's over they'll get together at the winter meetings and see what they need as far as Double A and Triple A."