The Definition of Class

[love_that_reefer]

Rangers draft paralyzed outfielder Johnathan Taylor | HardballTalk

The Rangers used their 33rd-round pick Wednesday to draft University of Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor, who was paralyzed after an outfield collision in March and is considered unlikely to walk again.

Taylor fractured two vertebrae in his spine in a collision with teammate Zach Cone three months ago. Cone was the Rangers’ second-round pick, and it looks like the team decided it’d be a nice gesture to select Taylor afterwards.

The paralysis has affected all of Taylor’s extremities, so he is considered a tetraplegic. He has some use of his arms, but no feeling in his legs or fingers. Still, he is able to use his hands again and even play video games. Since his spinal cord wasn’t severed, the hope is that his condition will continue improve with time.

Taylor hit .335 with a team-best .442 OBP for the Bulldogs in 2010. He was playing in Georgia’s 11th game of this season when he was injured.

Fantastic story!!!

[Molina00]

I saw that they drafted Cone but I didn't see this. A very classy move by the Rangers. Makes me proud to be a Ranger fan.

[realmofotalk]

Let's be frank. This classy gesture by the Rangers would have been ridiculed if an embattled team, say, the Dodgers, happened to make the same move. I can imagine the headline, "Financially Crippled Dodgers Draft Paralyzed Player"

[love_that_reefer]

Good goddamn man. Not everything is about the fucking Dodgers

[Kingdom]

Great story Reefer. My friend texted me this earlier today. I think it's amazing.

[realmofotalk]

Good goddamn man. Not everything is about the fucking Dodgers

Oh my god, reef, I'm so sorry. How can I wipe your ass instead with a roll of super bland, non-subjective bantering toilet paper?

[love_that_reefer]

You should be sorry interjecting your Dodger bullshit into something that had nothing and I mean NOTHING to do with the subject at hand!! I'm fucking surprised Broxton wasn't somehow brought up. You're a mess, dude!!

[realmofotalk]

If I can't control half-wits from going into my team's section and interjecting hollow, snarky one-liners like "The McCourts put the luster in clusterfuck", why should I conform to anybody else's standards on posting?

[Trendy Bastard]

At least they are going to the dodgers area to make snarky comments about the dodgers. You go around and turn every subject into a dodgers matter.

[love_that_reefer]

Exactly

[Tobywan]

I wouldn't be surprised if this gets turned into one of those tear jerking movies...see KOZ there is GOOD in the game and the world, you just have to scrape off the rest of the bull shit.

[realmofotalk]

At least they are going to the dodgers area to make snarky comments about the dodgers. You go around and turn every subject into a dodgers matter.

You're wrong that I hijack every thread, because I seldom post about baseball outside the Dodgers forum. The two occasions you can say I went overboard with it is in this thread and the thread about beer lines.

And I don't bitch when you go into a thread about Pujols, Prince Fielder, or Adam Dunn and hijack it with your pipedream of how THE CUBS SHOULD GET THIS GUY!!

[General]

Well that was nice, but if you guys wanna continue arguing like a married couple, please do so through PMs.

About this story...it'd be great to see Taylor recover, not just so that he can play, but so that he can at least walk. Sad story, and a nice gesture by the Rangers.

[Kingdom]

My hero.

[Tobywan]

I think one of the other teams did something similar as well.