By J. Randolph Evans

For 365 days a year, Georgia is Braves country when it comes to
baseball.  Yes, there is occasional passing interest in collegiate
baseball, especially when either the Georgia Bulldogs or the Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets make it to the College World Series.
In some part, this devotion is the product of years, indeed decades, of
daily doses of Braves baseball.  Ted Turner started it all with nightly
televised broadcasts of America’s team on WTBS.  Bobby Cox (4th on the
all-time managerial wins list) kept it going with 2,149  wins in
Atlanta, 14 Divisional Championships, 64 playoff appearances, and a
World Series Championship.  Braves fans have been spoiled.
Meanwhile, the murmurings of Georgia fans about head football coach Mark
Richt and Georgia Tech fans about head football coach Paul Johnson
continue.  SEC and ACC championships without scandal are apparently not
good enough.
In the real world of modern day professional sports, there are some, in
fact many, that subscribed to the idea espoused by legendary Green Bay
Packers football coach Vince Lombardi (who was in fact repeating a quote
from UCLA Bruins football coach Russell Sanders):  “Winning isn’t
everything, it is the only thing.”  (Coach Lombardi later retreated from
his quote).
Certainly, the “winning is the only thing” concept would be the
impression sports fans would get listening to departing Ohio State
football coach Jim Tressel.  He resigned on May 30, 2011, amidst a sea
of scandals and NCAA investigations surrounding the Ohio State football
program.  Before his resignation, Ohio State had suspended him for two
games and fined him $250,000.
In Coach Tressel’s parting press conference, he unabashedly reminded
Ohio State fans that before he arrived, Ohio State had consistently lost
to its archrival, the University of Michigan, in the preceding decade.
After he arrived, Ohio State consistently beat Michigan and led Ohio
State to three BCS National Championship games and one BCS National
Championship.  Somehow, this was supposed to make everything okay.
That was the sorry state of sports affairs on June 8, 2011.  Sports fans
had to wonder about the future of sports as USC’s National Championship
was unceremoniously taken away based on its own transgressions.
Sometimes, it would be nice if a calm reassuring voice spoke out from a
mystical sports GPS device and said “recalculating route” – especially
when the ship of sports affairs has gotten so far off course.
Well, miracles still happen.  On June 8, 2011, against the backdrop of
seemingly endless bad sports news, there was this voice that said –
“recalculating route” – and it came from Texas.
On June 8, 2011, the Texas Rangers drafted UGA baseball player Jonathan
Taylor with its 33rd round draft pick in the Major League Baseball
First-Year eligibility draft.
This was no small thing.  Jonathan Taylor (“JT”) suffered a devastating
neck injury that left him paralyzed when he collided with UGA teammate
Zach Cone during a home game against Florida State University on March
6, 2011.
Before his injury, JT had a promising career.  He was an outfielder with
a promising batting average (.312 in 117 games) and an even more
promising professional career.  He was already on the Texas Rangers’
scouting radar.
According to the Rangers, “the club has always liked his passion and
ability as a player.”  Then, there was the collision with his own player
that forever changed his life and career.  He is currently paralyzed
from the waist down.
On March 7, JT had surgery to stabilize his spine.  On March 24, he left
the Shepherd Center’s in-patient rehabilitation care center to start the
4-6 week rehabilitation program in the Shepherd Center’s day program.
On June 8, 2011, thanks to the Texas Rangers, he was a draftee in the
Major League Baseball draft.  According to his coach, “he was thrilled.”
Now why would a professional sports team in today’s world do that?  Why
would a really good sports team, indeed a defending American League
Division Champion, do that?  (This has President George W. Bush’s
fingerprints all over it.  But, he would never say.  It does not matter.
The impact is the same.)
For one brief moment, a professional sports team stepped forward and did
something completely unexpected and so very special.  It did not go
unnoticed.
JT’s mother said, “when he got the call, his face lit up and we’re all
very excited.  We’re all very proud of him.”  He is not the only one.
When asked about the selection, the Rangers said “taking Jonathan in the
draft today, it was something we felt was right.”
It is great to be a Bulldog.  It is great to be a Braves fan.  And, for
every other day this year, this was and still is Braves country.  But,
for this week, this is Texas Rangers country.  Go Rangers!  Go JT.