Comments on: Rangers draft paralyzed outfielder Johnathan Taylor

By: damncat

damncat — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:53:06 +0000

Wasted pick? Hardly. It’s a good and charitable thing to do. It also has the added benefit that a club can’t buy this sort of publicy & good will with money.

Well done Rangers!

By: mattycombs

mattycombs — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:52:56 +0000

There’s black, gallows humor, and then there’s the shit you posted. You’d best pray that you or a loved one never have to experience the soul crushing hell that this kid has been through.

By: theawkwardyears

theawkwardyears — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:13:43 +0000

I had no Idea Al Davis owned the Rangers…

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:20:05 +0000

About $10K. Maybe a little less. It’s hard to find bonus amounts below the 10th round.

By: natstowngreg

natstowngreg — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:08:26 +0000

Tommy Lasorda once wanted to do a friend a favor, so he got the Dodgers to pick the friend’s kid in the 62nd round (back when they had that many rounds).

At least that’s how I always heard the story of how Mike Piazza became a Dodger.

Much credit — and much well-deserved goodwill — to the Rangers. I wonder how many other organizations would have done the same thing.

By: ryansaidit

ryansaidit — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:02:41 +0000

I never argued the intent of the gesture…. It was a very nice thing to do, and I’ll anxiously await what happens next to the guy. I’m not at all heartless, but I also want to know if this is genuine or a publicity stunt

By: natstowngreg

natstowngreg — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:55:15 +0000

Thus, the extra-large thumb counts. Nice job of labeling the sarcasm; so hard to tell on a message board.

By: tominma

tominma — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:51:38 +0000

“Waste” my left fanny cheek! Baseball often uses these last picks as honorary picks. It’s jsut that this one is particularly heart tugging!

By: tominma

tominma — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:47:25 +0000

A VERY classy move! Now since he’s the Ranger’s “property” , maybe they can make him an honorary Ranger!! This has the new ownership and Nolan Ryan’s fingerprints all over it!! Hats off!

By: trevorb06

trevorb06 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:34:30 +0000

Watch out! This is a humor free zone because it was posted on MSNBC.com!!!

This means the non-baseball people are also reading it. I’d call them liberal hippies, but then again I’d be bashing myself too.

#sarcasm

By: trevorb06

trevorb06 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:32:37 +0000

Yeah. Wow this isn’t even an evil joke. Tough night.

By: jjschiller

jjschiller — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:14:23 +0000

Dude, he’s paralyzed.

By: skipp

skipp — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:13:09 +0000

At this round in the draft you pick whomever you want with no risk. It’s great to see an organization do something like this. Great PR move as well. Now if only they could use a day 3 pick on a late twenties softball star who’s baseball career led to an office job and a fantasy baseball website (fanchize.com). A guy can dream.

Hat’s off to Texas brass.

By: amunoz78

amunoz78 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:47:17 +0000

Right, you get up to 50, but you can stop whenever you’re done.

By: Phillies Homer

Phillies Homer — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:46:34 +0000

How many people in their lifetimes can say they were drafted by a Major League team? It’s gotta be a great feeling.

Plus, now that he was drafted… I doubt the Rangers are just going to kick him to the curb. I’m sure they will offer him some kind of job or I’m sure an “honorary ranger” day is in the works.

By: seattlej

seattlej — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:43:34 +0000

Did the Rangers even take a 34th rounder? From my understanding a lot of teams don’t even take their full allotment of picks. So, a 33rd rounder isn’t much of a concern – you’re basically getting guys at the same talent level as those that they can pick up in open tryouts.

By: professor59

professor59 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:42:13 +0000

I was going to argue the “wasted pick” but then I looked it up. 500 players were drafted after this guy, so maybe his pick should have been a 50th round gesture instead.

By: Phillies Homer

Phillies Homer — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:34:58 +0000

I chuckled when I read this… even though 149 people apparently did not!

By: ryansaidit

ryansaidit — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:08:22 +0000

It’s a nice gesture and all, but a waste of a pick. I realize a 33rd pick isn’t a big time prospect, but maybe it would have been cool to make him an “honorary texas ranger” or something along those lines, maybe even try to find a spot for him somewhere in the organization so that he might actually be able to make some money. I agree with the intent of the gesture, but it’s a waste of a pick, and if they really want to help they’ll do more than throw him a mercy pick

By: razedeyebrow

razedeyebrow — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:02:38 +0000

33rd round? I’d be a lot more impressed if Texas had expended a first-round draft pick on him.

What do you get for being drafted in the 33rd round – a sandwich and a road map?

By: Brian Murphy

Brian Murphy — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:40:38 +0000

It’s so stupid that people could actually “thumbs down” something like this.

By: trevorb06

trevorb06 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:28:58 +0000

Wasn’t there an episode of Family Guy where Joe was playing baseball and was the best guy on the field?

By: bringpudgebacktotx

bringpudgebacktotx — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:26:16 +0000

Welcome to the Rangers family, Jonathan. Proud to have you!

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:24:44 +0000

Agree. That’s pretty cool of them. I knew there was a reason I liked Nolan Ryan; no matter what he has a say in this.

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:20:58 +0000

How Cool is that. Hats Off to whomever in the organization had the insight.

By: Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward

Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:11:44 +0000

Good stuff. Real good stuff.

By: trevorb06

trevorb06 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:09:03 +0000

What if their scouting department just happened to miss this? They could have just checked his stats. It was the Rangers who traded the criminal to the Mariners, right?

By: fthrvic

fthrvic — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:01:26 +0000

Classy move Texas.

By: sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo

sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:00:02 +0000

Hey, he’d likely be a defensive upgrade in Minnesota’s OF corners…just sayin’

By: clydeserra

clydeserra — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:42:16 +0000

Good move