I had my first extended conversation today with fairly new Wingnut Vic Davilla, who the team signed earlier this month when Dustan Mohr went on the shelf. Where has this guy been all season?
Davilla is a guy I would have loved to interview all season and get to know a little bit, but unfortunately there are only six more home games and I won’t get to talk to him much more. He’s a great quote — funny, insightful, informed. Just good to talk to. And that makes sense — he’s 35 and has obviously been around the game — especially on the independent level — for a while.
My favorite thing about him, just from one five-minute conversation, is that he just gets it. He’s near the end of his career and he’s not bitter about never getting to the major leagues or about any perceived slight he’s gotten during his playing days that prevented him from moving up. Not that there are a lot of bitter, slighted guys that I’ve come across this year, but Davilla’s outlook was particularly refreshing.
By the way, apparently it’s pronounced Da-VILL-a. Like Villain. He’s of Latin descent, so I asked if I could call him Da-VEE-yuh, but he said, “Just call me Vic.” So it’s just Vic, I guess. Vic has been a pretty solid addition for the ‘Nuts, already with two homers in the cleanup spot. He’s a dead-pull hitter and you can get him on an outside pitch, but he’s good at making adjustments and is a good veteran presence.