Every once in a while there is a story in MLB that makes you a fan of the game, not just your team. Jameson Taillon provided one of those stories last night. Just roughly five weeks after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, he made his return to the Pirates and pitched five shutout innings on his way to a win. It is amazing he conquered a terrible disease that quick, let alone being able to perform as a professional athlete.
It is difficult to root for another team/player that plays in the same division as the Cardinals. I cannot imagine any situation where I will ever root for the Cubs. The hatred is not as much toward the Reds and Brewers, but still not a fan. If I had to pick a second favorite team in the NL Central, it would be the Pirates. Up until this spring, it was rare to hear about any of their players in a bad spotlight. Their games against the Cardinals have not involved much controversy either. No stealing signs, signing the other team's free agents, or accusing the other of breaking baseball's unwritten rules.
Early last season, I was able to get this card signed by Taillon at an Indianapolis Indians game.
This picture from the Indians website shows my son and I getting the auto. My back side is my best best side when taking pictures. Taillon was very friendly and joked with us about being Cardinals fans. If there is a Pirate fan or anyone that would like to have this card, drop me an email and it is yours.
I was happy to see him back so quick. He has had to deal with a lot early in his career. I actually wrote about him last night too.
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