Reusse: Former Gophers standout Dan Wilson is steady in steering Mariners to ALCS

The Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers have never had that Packers-Vikings or Badgers-Gophers rivalry thing going, one reason being the nature of the sports.

The other reason is straightforward: The teams have been in the same division only six seasons in the Brewers’ 56 years of existence, including the 1994 strike year.

Point being, the majority of Minnesotans choosing to pay attention to the baseball playoffs — small as that number might be — should have no problem rooting for the relentless, low-budget Brewers against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team with one strength beyond all others:

Outrageous payroll.

Throw in the luxury tax and the Dodgers’ payroll is $509 million, and that’s with the spineless leadership of Commissioner Rob Manfred allowing them to not count $25 million annually of the “deferred” money for Shohei Ohtani.

As MLB’s winningest team at 97-65, the Brewers’ end-of-season payroll was estimated at $121.6 million.

Let’s go, Brewers.

Toronto’s a grand city, and the Blue Jays are an amazing story and have Louie Varland, a well-loved North St. Paul lad and forgiven by us for giving up those two quick home runs to the New York Yankees last week.

But Seattle, which earned a 3-1 victory at Toronto in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday night, has a big advantage for Minnesota favoritism.

The Mariners are being managed in a first full season by Dan Wilson, an all-time great Gophers catcher (1988-90) and better than that in his treatment of other humans.

Wilson was the main prize landed by coach John Anderson and his assistant, Rob Fornasiere, after they developed a relationship with Kirby Smith, a coaching legend at Barrington High School in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

“Barrington was out there by O’Hare [Airport], and Dan was the first of a handful of players we were able to get there,” Fornasiere said this weekend. “Kirby coached the high school team and also the Legion team that played a big schedule in the summer.

Wilson had been a standout on a Barrington team that made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Beyond baseball, he would be a starting quarterback in football and a standout goaltender in hockey.

And: “He also could have been a big-league pitcher,” Fornasiere said. “He threw hard. He’d catch five innings, take the gear off and finish the game on the mound.”

And: “Dan Wilson was the greatest kid I ever met,” Fornasiere said. “Stan and Lily were his parents, also the greatest. For years, I would stay at their house when recruiting in the Chicago area.

“He was drafted by the Mets out of high school in the later rounds. The Mets came to the house, and Lily said, ‘You’re not signing; you’re going to college.’ ”

Fornasiere said Wilson’s No. 1 school was Stanford, with its academics and a baseball program producing players such as pitchers Jack McDowell and Mike Mussina.

Raabe was one year ahead, and they became roommates.

When Ryan Lefebvre was recruited a couple of years later, he had a pedigree — son of big leaguer Jim — but not quite the profile for a grinder of the game.

“I was a Southern California kid with an earring, floppy hair and came with a skateboard,” Lefebvre said. “Most of the players were two to a room in the dorm, but John put me in with Wilson and Raabe. Basically, he wanted them to keep an eye on me.

“Dan and Brian were a huge influence for me. Off the field but as a player, too. Dan never threw a bat or a helmet. I’ve always remembered this moment: It’s a freezing cold game, John’s upset with a couple calls, Dan tries to frame a pitch, it’s called a ball, and John hollers, ‘Where was that pitch!’ at the ump.

“Dan glanced over and said, ‘It was outside.’ ”

“I ran into Charlie one day, and he told me: ‘Dan got all the 50-50 calls from me after that. He had stood up for the umpires,’” Lefebvre said.

This was Saturday morning and longtime Royals broadcaster Lefebvre was hustling three sons between hockey games on both sides of the border in the Kansas City area. The Lefebvres also have a daughter, in dance, which can lead to a long day when there’s a recital.

Hockey and dance for four ... you go, Lefebvres.

Wilson and his wife, Annie, also have raised four children.

They were dating in Barrington, and she started college in California but transferred to Minnesota as a sophomore.

“They adopted a child from Bulgaria and then, right away, Annie was pregnant,” Lefebvre said with a small laugh. “Those two are close together. And, of course, Eli was a catcher for the Gophers and he’s now in pro ball.”

Father Dan was drafted No. 7 overall by Cincinnati after his junior season in 1990. He played 14 seasons in the big leagues — two with the Reds, then was traded for Bret Boone to Seattle before the 1994 season.

Twelve seasons. Local legend. Did some broadcasting, did some minor league development work.

Then, late last season, the Mariners fired Scott Servais and Wilson went from a catching coordinator to manager.

“I didn’t know he was ready to take that plunge,” said Raabe, now the longtime coach at Bethel. “I did know that Dan’s not the kind of person to step in for a few weeks and be done. You give him a job, he wants to finish it.

Wilson seems unusually calm in the dugout, even as his team is missing several late scoring chances during a 15-inning classic that sends his team, the Mariners, to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.

“Dan did get ejected twice this year,” Fornasiere said. “One was against Tampa, in Florida, when Lou Piniella was there. Lou was waving his arms at him, smiling, from up in the stadium.

“Two guys that couldn’t be more different, Wilson and Piniella, but they loved each other as catcher and manager.