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MONDAY
JUNE 30, 2003

A

www.michigandaily.com
sportsdesk@umich.edu

FORTUNATE SON
Drew Taylor wants to move out
of his famous father's shadow
By Josh Holman Daily Sports Editor

4

At first glance, things just don't
seem like they've fallen into place for
Drew Taylor.
Three weeks after calling Michi-
gan's baseball team "the best team
in the Big Ten," Taylor watched the
Wolverines make an early exit from
the conference tournament. A shot
at the College World Series would
have to wait another year for the
gangly, 6'4" sophomore pitcher,
even though he was there last year
with perennial power Georgia Tech
- a school that gave itself that very
chance again this year before bow-
ing out in the regionals.
It was just another reminder of
what could be someday for a kid
already living in the shadow of his
father, Ron Taylor, who has made it
to the big time, and has a World
Series ring to prove it. Heck, he's
almost a national hero.
Oh yeah, and Taylor is from Canada.
It's true - fate seems to have
been cruel to Michigan's young
pitching star.
But don't tell him that. Everything is
going just fine for Taylor. According to
him, he's right where he wants to be.
And right now, that place is Michi-
gan. Not Georgia Tech.
"I left the warm weather and the
screaming fans," Taylor said. "But I do
not regret the move. In fact, I'm very
excited that I made it."
Taylor pitched just 9.1 innings his
freshman year for the Yellow Jackets
and posted a less than enviable 7.71
ERA. With most of the Georgia Tech

pitching staff returning for his sopho-
more campaign, Taylor figured it was
time for a change of venue.
Conveniently, Michigan was
experiencing a change of its own.
The program was in the middle of a
coaching change, with Rich Mal-
oney and his staff poised to return a
storied program back to the glory
that most had forgotten.
Maloney already had a reputation
for producing outstanding pitchers at
Ball State - specifically Ryan
Bullington, the first pick in the 2002
Major League Draft. The calling card
seemed too good to pass up for Taylor.
"When I heard that these coaches
were moving over to Michigan - a
great academic school - it just
seemed to all fit," Taylor said.
Taylor wouldn't necessarily walk
right into the role of the ace, though.
Along with the current state of the pro-
gram, the pitching staff was left with-
out much direction. Junior Jim Brauer
was the only established returning
starter, and he lost his season to injury
in his first start. Early on, it seemed
the team would depend on the likes of
Taylor and sophomore Michael Penn
- a Ball State transfer who followed
his former coach - to carry much of
the load for the young staff.
"Guys aren't going to have a lot
of confidence in you unless you go
out there and prove yourself," Taylor
said. "(The staff) is a great bunch of
guys and they made the transition
real easy for me."
By the time the conference schedule

4

Drew Taylor, who halls from Toronto, has not only had to hear about his father's celebrity status through his car(
to indure Canadian jokes and putdowns from his teammates, as well as earning the nickname "SARS."

4

began, he had emerged as a solidified
starter, if not the No. 1 ace.
"I think we gave him some confi-
dence," Maloney said. "With a new
environment and players, there's
always a learning curve. To his credit,
he kept working and studying and it
finally clicked for him."
He finished the season with a 9-1
record, the first Wolverine with that
many victories since 1997. He also
led the team with five complete
games, a vital stat considering the
shakiness of the Michigan bullpen
all season. The team awarded him
with the Geoff Zahn Award as
Michigan's most valuable pitcher.
"There's no way we could have
finished third (in the Big Ten) with-
out the production, effort and
gamesmanship that he displayed,"
Maloney said. "He really took own-

ership of the pitching staff."
It may not have been so outlandish
to figure Taylor was anchoring "the
best team in the Big Ten" after the
Wolverines took an important series
from Ohio State in the first week of
May. Michigan handed the Buckeyes
their first home-series loss since 1996,
and was quickly climbing up the con-
ference standings.
"I strongly believe that still," Taylor
said. "The tournament was rough for
us and it's a wakeup call for us to come
back next year refocused."
Taylor had found an identity on a
team that had just found its own identi-
ty, but it certainly came with a price
among his teammates. It's hard to for-
get that this skinny pitcher with the
defined sideburns is a native of Toron-
to, Ontario.
"The guys call me SARS," Taylor



L 111 1.111V 4.1V

said. "Whenever we're in the locker-
room and a Canadian comes on the TV,
I'll shout out he's from Canada and I'll
get things thrown at me.
Being Canadian in an American
world is more than likely bound to
bring about a little ribbing, but
there's a certain amount of pride
when it comes to representing your
country abroad.
Canada may be hockey country, but
it has its share of baseball heroes. Just
take a look through one of the two
books entitled "Great Moments in
Canadian Baseball," or "Canada's
Baseball Legends," and you're likely to
run across the name of Ron Taylor,
Drew's father.
Ron Taylor pitched 1 seasons in the
major leagues for the Cleveland Indi-
ans, St. Louis Cardinals, New York
Mets and Houston Astros between
1962-72. He was an ace closer out of
the bullpen years before the role was
utilized like it is today. He won World
Series rings with the 1964 Cardinals
and the 1969 Mets. Ron is about as
See TAYLOR, Page11
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