Monday, October 27, 2008

A World Series connection

Well, fellow rabbits, it looks like the Tampa Bay Rays' dreams of winning the World Series are on hold tonight due to bad weather.

Their trials and tribulations up in Philadelphia this month brought to mind those of a fellow who found himself in a similar situation nearly 80 years ago.

To introduce you to his story, let's take a virtual journey a couple miles west of Orlando on the dandy toll road otherwise known as the 408 to the town of Gotha.

If you want to make a real world journey, make sure you take the Good Homes Road exit southbound til it dead ends. Then turn right, and make a quick left onto Woodlawn Cemetery Road.

This fashionable burial ground was established back in 1926, and is very well-maintained. There are quite a few notable permanent residents here, but we'll save their introductions for another day. Today belongs to a fellow by the name of James Wren "Zack" Taylor (1898-1974).


You wouldn't know it from his humble gravemarker, but Mr. Taylor was quite a successful Major League Baseball player.

In 1929, in fact, he was a catcher with the Chicago Cubs team that won the National League pennant.

Unfortunately, he and his teammates went down to defeat at the hands of the old Philadelphia Athletics. And, he didn't have a very successful time on the diamond after that. He ended up his professional career coaching, then evidently retired down here in Florida.

I wonder which team old Zack is rooting for . . .

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