November 30, 2014, Portland, OR - This article was originally posted on www.bestcoastbaseball.com and written by Jacob F. Garcia, Senior Staff Writer, Special Assignment.

With baseball on the West Coast alive and well, it only seems fitting for more new blood to give it a shot out here. 

However, Ken Wilson has something on those wishing to establish baseball out here: he's done it before. And he's proven how well he can do it.

Now before we go into further detail, it might time for a bit of a history lesson. Specifically, the history of one Ken Wilson. I know, I know - groan all you want, but when you're talking about this league in the years to follow, you'll thank me.

Right, it's time for that history lesson. Born in Detroit, Wilson graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in journalism. He then went on to attend the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Following his graduation from UH and covering numerous sporting events, he found himself sharing the mic with the legendary announcer for the Mariners, Dave Niehaus, in 1977 (the M's inaugural season). He would spend a total of 24 years as a baseball voice and 22 years as a play-by-play man in the NHL, with the majority (20) of those years calling the St. Louis Blues.

Alright, back to the article.

"It is what it is," Wilson, a long time MLB and NHL broadcaster and current President of the league said, "A stepping stone for players, [...] but the reward is 'gee whiz, it's baseball'. I love baseball. It's community, I love the towns. I love seeing people have a good time."

The Great West League (or simply, GWL) isn't something that just materialized out of thin air.

Wilson carefully explained the nuances of starting a league, including "We're taking three years to go from 'here's something that looks like something that should be done and can be done'. You need that kind of time to build an infrastructure. You need that kind of time to get organized. You do need that kind of time." But there is one moment that sticks out to the baseball veteran, "the key moment was when we got to the point we knew we could announce the league, so that was a pretty monumental moment. Because you build towards [sic] that and keep evaluating where you are, 'are we certain of this, are we certain of that' and once you get enough certains, you announce your league... at least you do that if you're logical and reasonable [laughter]."

Not only would it be true to say he's keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes team locations, it would be an understatement. Nonetheless, it wasn't hard to pick up on his (Wilson's) will to continually grow the GWL. He spoke to the idea and I came away with the feeling that his will is only matched by his savvy of which markets best fit a Summer college wood bat league.

When asked about possible markets, he responded with a few pre-requisites that all cities must meet and all but eliminated coastal cities, citing poor weather conditions and lack of facilities amongst other external factors. He mused on the possibility of locating a team in Coos Bay (the former home of the North Bend-Coos Bay A's, who played from 1970-1973) but ended up at the conclusion of the city lining up with the three main automatic exclusion facets. 

Where does Mr. Wilson's knowledge of what's best for a Summer league come from? He also happens to have been the first WCL President, way back in 2005. So it's safe to say those five years he served doesn't exactly leave him as a stranger to running a successful league, "I have a lot of respect for the West Coast League, and selfishly, I think it was pretty well run while I was there," Wilson said. But it wouldn't be selfish at all, while under the guidance of the former Mariners, Angels and Cardinals broadcaster.

The year was 2011 and the WCL posted two teams with 40k+ (one of which nearly reaching 50k) in attendance numbers (Walla Walla with 43,131 and Bend with 49,130). It's not hard to imagine why he's generally viewed as one of the more successful College Wood Bat League executives.

However, having just one all-time executive on a league roster isn't enough for the GWL. Not by a long shot. They've also brought in Hall of Famer Pat Gillick (co-founder), who will be helping run their newly established Chico, CA club. Gillick, 77, was born in Chico and (per the league's press release) noted "I really like the model of bringing in top college players from around the country and helping them become pro players, we'll be putting on a great show and giving folks affordable family entertainment."

Wilson also knows a thing or two about putting on great shows. Stating that one of the most effective ways to win over a crowd is to earn the crowd's respect and patronage. He spoke passionately and very firmly on the topic, emphasizing that his past experiences would not only guide him to a fan-friendly league, but to one that nurtures excellence in its front offices and down on the field.

The league will naturally raise questions. That's a given. But one question Ken will gladly answer, and rather swiftly if I might add - would be "do you see there being competition between the GWL and WCL?" To which he would answer with a resounding...

No.

"I don't see it as competition. I don't see it as being competition between the WCL and the Great West League. And I've never had anybody ask me that, and I've never actually thought about it. I see two leagues attempting to do the same thing in different places."

It's hard to argue that logic. But what about the competition over those elite D-1 players and promising high school kids? "To think that there's some unique competition between the Great West League and the West Coast League over players is ya know, really, I think it's reasonable to say it's not there." So all in all, it'll probably be best to wait and see how this actually plays out - but Wilson's logic is beyond valid. None of this is to say he doesn't respect the WCL, however he does want to differentiate between his current league and his former league. "I expect to do many of the same things with the GWL that I did with the WCL [...]," Wilson stated. " I think what we're going to do with the Great West League is be continually looking to grow. Not only looking to improve but continually looking to grow, I believe if you're not looking at growth - you'll get stagnate and you don't want to be in that position."

Which is in stark contrast to the WCL, which in past experiences has stated that there is no intent to expand or relocate - despite subtle signs of it becoming a necessity in the future.

At the end of the day, Wilson - a broadcaster turned league official multiple times over, is almost certainly bound to face difficult times in his tenure, but after spending a modest amount of time speaking with him, I can unhesitatingly say he will bring in far more substantial success to a league that's undoubtedly going to produce talent on top of talent.

June 2016 might not seem too far away for most of us but for Ken Wilson, it's most likely feeling like an entirety. Particularly because of his hunger to put on an exciting spectacle of talented ballplayers and fun for those in the stands. So sure, it may seem like an eternity until '16, but there's still much to be done for a feisty Wilson, Gillick and co.