Detroit Tigers 1, Sooners 0
Published: 6/27/2007 11:56 PM
Last Modified: 6/27/2007 11:56 PM
Last Feb. 7, National Signing Day, Vian football star Londell Taylor put on a crimson ballcap in his high school gym and said, "It's been a dream of mine to play for the Oklahoma Sooners."
It took four months and a reported $100,000 signing bonus from the Detroit Tigers to make that dream go "Poof!" Now, instead of enduring his first round of summer conditioning at OU and taking his first steps toward a future shot at the strong safety position, Taylor is playing Gulf Coast League rookie baseball in Lakeland, Fla.
They say baseball isn't the hip sport to play anymore, but don't tell that to the Sooners. Taylor isn't the first defensive stud to choose the minor leagues over Owen Field. Remember Mike Wilson, the heat-seeking linebacker from Booker T. Washington? He was headed to Norman, until the Seattle Mariners made him their second-round draft choice in 2001.
A potential lesson for young Mr. Taylor: Wilson has yet to see a major league pitch. He's currently an outfielder for something called the West Tenn Diamond Jax, the Mariners' double-a affiliate in Jackson, Tenn.
"The Show" remains such an elusive dream, even for those as supremely-talented as Wilson. Sooner fans who realize that keep the porch light on for Taylor. His four years of college eligibility aren't going anywhere, even if he has vanished for the time being. Maybe he winds up at safety some time around 2011.
Or maybe not.
"That door is pretty much closed," Taylor told the Muskogee Phoenix before leaving for rookie ball. "Baseball has always been my favorite sport and it's now my total focus."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
