One wonders if Giants closer Brian Wilson, who’s reportedly started taking hacks at The New York Times crossword puzzle when he was 12 years old, picked up a copy of today’s issue while down in Los Angeles for opening day.

If the bearded legend did, he surely would’ve found it “sweet.”

“I’d like to be a crossword clue one day,” he told The New York Times last October, just days before striking out Texas slugger Nelson Cruz in game five for the World Series win. “I want my clue to be down, not across. The down ones are usually harder.”

Say no more, B-weezy. You are now number 30 down.

An entire lifetime of hopes and dreams were probably fulfilled today as Wilson made his Times crossword puzzle debut in the March 31, 2011 edition of The Times.

What appeared exactly on Times crossword editor Will Shortz’ No. 30 down clue was “Giants hurler (2010 champs)/Beach Boys vocalist on “Help Me, Rhonda” (#1 in 1965).”

For anyone in San Francisco however, the first portion of the clue would’ve been more than enough to give the answer away.

“And when I’m the clue,” Wilson went on to say, “I’ll fill it in — just that one — and frame it."

“How sweet would that be?”

Very sweet indeed.

aterrazas@sfexaminer.com