Off Topic: Paralized Georgia baseball player drafted

[papachaz]

well, with all the NFL lockout crap, and my disgust that's grown for professional baseball the last couple of decades, this story is worth reading. maybe not every pro organization is just a bunch of greedy bastards. this was a great thing to do, way to go Texas Rangers.

LINK

"The Texas Rangers drafted University of Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor on Wednesday in the 33rd round of baseball's amateur draft.

Doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary until you know this: Taylor, a junior from Acworth, Ga., was partially paralyzed this spring when he suffered a broken neck in an outfield collision with teammate Zach Cone.

The Rangers had selected Cone in the second round of the draft.

Cone and Taylor are friends, but their collision March 6 in a game against Florida State left Taylor paralyzed. According to The Dallas Morning News, he is unlikely to walk again and is considered a tetraplegic, because the paralysis affected all his extremities.

He is being treated at Atlanta's Shepherd Center, the newspaper reported.

Meantime, Rangers director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg told ESPNDallas.com that his team was trying to do something nice, though had Taylor not been injured he likely had the talent to play professionally: "He's a great kid, and he's going through a terrible time in his life and we thought this would be something to uplift him. I've seen the kid play since high school, he was a great player at Georgia."
University of Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor was partially paralyzed this spring when he suffered a broken neck in an outfield collision. (AP Photo)

Taylor's college coach, David Perno, echoed what Fagg said, according to ESPN.com: "J.T. is definitely a player worthy of getting drafted. He's been a big part of our program, and we are all very excited for him. When I talked to him after he got the call, he was in the middle of his rehabilitation work, laughing and having a good time and was thrilled to be drafted."

He prefaced that comment to the website by saying, "This was truly a classy move and a great gesture on the part of the Texas Rangers organization."

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/20...z1Ol7bAfdf"

[phocis850]

Very nice. +1

[pauliwood]

It is a truly classy move, however , if the Braves had done it, I might be a little upset about an obvious wasted draft pick. Still though, VERY classy.

[phalcon phil]

(06-09-2011 02:52 PM)pauliwood Wrote:  It is a truly classy move, however , if the Braves had done it, I might be a little upset about an obvious wasted draft pick. Still though, VERY classy.

in the 33rd round?

[illmusic]

damn that sucks

[pauliwood]

(06-09-2011 03:21 PM)phalcon phil Wrote:  in the 33rd round?

oh wow I miss read i thought it was 33rd pick. ok never mind