Taylor Davis: Baseball Could Use A Guy Like This

I think it’s safe to say that after this off-season, Major League Baseball could use some levity. Even before the cheating scandals, you had a sport filled with a bunch of arrogant, entitled robo-players who can practically go a whole season without cracking a smile or looking up in the stands. It is difficult to root for people like that. Or for people who admit to cheating, get immunity, and then don’t think they need to apologize. And baseball wonders why it has a PR problem. That’s why baseball needs guys like Taylor Davis. If you are looking for someone to root for, he’s your guy.

Taylor Davis is fun. He loves to play the game. He smiles. He laughs. He talks to fans. He’s an underdog. He was drafted out of high school in the 49th round. The 49th round! He has spent nine years in the minor leagues. He is all of 5’9 and 190lbs.  He has a lumberjack beard. He was told his whole life he wouldn’t make the show. He made the show!

Once, before he was a professional, Davis was approached by a St. Louis Cardinals scout. The scout told him to be ready, that the Cards were going to draft him in the 14th round of the upcoming amateur draft. Not only was he not drafted in the 14th round, he wasn’t drafted at all. He never heard from the Cardinals again. Eventually, he signed with the Cubs. Last season, Taylor Davis hit a grand slam off of the Cardinals Michael Wacha for his first Major League home run. Sweet revenge. Fun.

During a blow out against the Oakland A’s the Cubs asked him to pitch an inning, to save the bullpen some work. Taylor Davis is a catcher. His fastball topped out at around 55mph but he retired the side without a run. The crowd at Wrigley Field roared. Fun.

There is a video floating around YouTube of Davis staring down the TV camera. Many TV cameras. It is a montage of Taylor Davis vs the camera. It’s pretty funny. Most professional ball players never acknowledge the camera, much less the fans. He embraces both.

Davis spent most of his nine years as a professional baseball player with the Iowa Cubs, Chicago’s AAA affiliate. A few weeks ago, he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He was very popular in Des Moines. Some fans dubbed him the unofficial Mayor of Des Moines and he even had his own bobblehead night. After signing with the Orioles, Davis did an interview with the Des Moines Register thanking the fans for their kindness and support. How many Major Leaguers would have the class and thoughtfulness to do something like that?

So this season, when you see a player not run out a ground ball or ignore a kid in the stands, remember Taylor Davis and root for him. Sometimes the good guys win.

Casey Redmond
January 24, 2020

Rock N Roll Casey’s Website

Rick Waits: Yankee Killer

The Rick Waits File

—Rick Waits played twelve seasons in MLB with the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. He played nine seasons with Cleveland having his best year in 1979 going 16-13 with a 4.44 ERA.

—He is best known for beating the Yankees on the final day of the 1978 season thus forcing the infamous one game playoff between the Red Sox and the Yankees. Bucky Dent’s home run in that game still haunts Red Sox fans to this day. Without Waits’ performance, Bucky Dent would probably be remembered for...well,...probably nothing.

—He later was a player/manager in the Italian Baseball League with for the Rimini Pirates.

—Waits also played in the Senior League for the Fort Meyers Sun Sox, For those who don’t remember (or weren’t alive yet) the Senior League was made up of retired over the hill ex-MLB players who played a short season in cities around Florida. This is obviously pre Marlins and Rays. It only lasted a couple of seasons. Here is an interview with Waits during his time as a Sun Sox.

 —He coached in the Mets organization for many years and also coached in the majors with Seattle and for a year in Japan.

An accomplished vocalist, Waits sang the National Anthem before Indians games several times and showcased his vocal abilities on local and national TV including the Today show. I vividly remember watching him on the Today show but I can’t remember what he sang. I like to think it was “Feelings” but that is probably wishful thinking.

—Rick is also remembered for his boss Tom Selleckesque mustache and way cool seventies baseball hair.

—Written by Casey Redmond
     January 16, 2020

Rick Waits Baseball Reference Page

Rock N Roll Casey’s Website