FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL es . I ran into a store one day , and he was in my car while it was raining . He did $ 4,700 worth of damage to the seats in my car in five minutes .”
But Taylor ’ s reinvention at Horseshoe Bend came to an end when he went to work one day after a night of drinking and got into an argument . He was fired and told that he needed to get cleaned up .
“ The first thing I asked was , ‘ What happens to Hound Dog ?’ They said they were hoping I would take him with me ,” said Taylor . “ I said , ‘ Cool .’”
A FRIEND IN NEED
There are popular animal adoption bumper stickers in the shape of a paw print that read “ Who Rescued Who ?” But in Taylor ’ s case , it truly was the dog that recued him .
“ Hound Dog played a huge role in my sobriety ,” said Taylor . “ I had something to take care of , and something to go home to . Hound Dog was there for me . He was someone to talk to .”
After living for a while with a family he knew , and working various odd jobs , Taylor decided to move back to Birmingham , Ala . He had $ 33 in his pocket , his car , and Hound Dog .
“ I got a job at a golf course paying next to nothing ,” said Taylor . “ I was sleeping in my car . We pulled in that first night , and I don ’ t think Hound Dog was too happy with his accommodations . But we dealt with it .”
Taylor later lent his car to a friend who needed to get to class . Unfortunately , the friend was involved in a collision , and the car was totaled . The insurance company gave Taylor $ 400 for the car .
“ Hound Dog and I ended up living under a bridge for 144 days ,” he said . “ I didn ’ t have a cell phone , so we would walk seven miles to the library just to use the Internet to look for a job .”
Using Facebook Messenger via the library computer , Taylor was able to get in touch with Daniel Ruggiero of the Birmingham Barons . Ruggiero invited Taylor in for an interview .
“ I went to the interview with the Birmingham Barons wearing black snow pants and a gray Under Armor zip-up hoodie , because that ’ s all I had ,” said Taylor . “ I had left Hound Dog tied up under the underpass , and all I could think about during the interview was him . I thought I was going to get arrested for leaving him tied up , or that I would get back and he would be gone , or that someone would have taken him . This is my guy . Nothing else in the world mattered to me but him .”
After the interview , Ruggiero got in touch with Taylor once again and invited him back for further discussion .
Said Taylor of that conversation with Ruggiero , “ He told me , ‘ If you be honest with me , I will be honest with you .’ He knew things didn ’ t add up . He said , ‘ You ’ ve been doing this for 20 years , and you are willing to take a job for $ 7.25 an hour .’ I told him I used to have
a drinking and drug problem , but that I didn ’ t anymore .”
Ruggiero gave Taylor a chance with the stipulation that if Taylor were caught at a bar or made any missteps he would be gone .
“ He asked me my goal , and I said I wanted to be a head groundskeeper within five years ,” said Taylor . “ He said , ‘ You ’ ve got a lot of work to do .’”
Ruggiero found out about Taylor ’ s living situation , and he let him sleep in the shop .
“ The only deal was that when he left , he had to set the alarm and I couldn ’ t go outside ,” said Taylor . “ But we had a bathroom and a shower there .”
Taylor started earning a paycheck and ended up renting a studio apart- sportsfieldmanagementonline . com March 2021 | SportsField Management
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