Hawk Taylor -- Still A Super Man

(This article was originally produced approximately a year ago after I returned from Murray, Ky. where Bob "Hawk" Taylor lived with his wife, Marie. Hawk Taylor enjoyed baseball his teammates and his retirement.  Signing the richest contract in history at the time right out of high school, Hawk Taylor made the best of his career despite the fact it had more misfortunes than opportunities at the major league level. I was sad to hear of his passing.)

Metropolis, Illinois is the hometown of Superman, the fictitious DC Comics character who leaps tall buildings in a single bound. Back in 1957, Robert Dale "Hawk" Taylor was the genuine article when it came to baseball.

Unlike mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, who left his office, entered a phone booth and came out as the Man of Steel, "Hawk" Taylor stepped off the local baseball field, into his high school graduation gown, then shed the gown and received a "basket of gold," as Philadelphia Daily News columnist Sandy Grady put it on June 15, 1957.

At 4:30 a.m. Saturday, May 30, 1957, Taylor signed a contract with the Milwaukee Braves for a $6,000 annual salary and a $119,000 bonus, the richest deal for a rookie in history. Paul Pettit (Pirates), Billy Joe Davidson (Indians) ands Ted Kazanski (Phillies) had all signed for $100,000 and, like Taylor, had to be on the major league roster for two years because they were paid more than $4,000. The signing concluded hours of talks with five major league clubs -- the Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Chicago Cubs.

Just hours before, 18-year-old Bob Taylor, the oldest of five children born to Vance and Velma Taylor, 307 E. Eleventh St., had graduated from Metropolis Community HS in commencement ceremonies held at the George F. Sullivan Auditorium. "Hawk" started playing baseball when he was eight years old in the age-based Khoury League. By age 13, scouts were already noticing his ability to run, throw, and to hit a baseball a long way. As a senior, Taylor batted .650 with 10 home runs in a 14-game baseball season for the Metropolis Trojans. Taylor had slugged 21 home runs in four years, including one that cleared the roof of the local ballpark. He had also won a total of 14 varsity letters in baseball, football and basketball, and eight medals in two years of track and field competition that included a conference championship in the 100-yard dash with a time of 10.5 seconds.

The Braves won the bidding contest for Taylor because they offered more money than the Dodgers, who phoned in a $98,000 pledge. The Dodgers and Phillies had met with Taylor, his father Vance "Flop" Taylor, and Massac County Judge Carl Smith, an advisor and friend of the family, at Paducah. Braves scout Wid Matthews, a former major league player and a Metropolis native, got his last shot after midnight May 30 and topped the Dodger bid by $1,000, also giving the elder Taylor $20,000. "Hawk" had expected to sign with the Phillies but said, "It was a tossup between the Dodgers and the Braves," he told local sportswriters. "I chose the Braves." In all, every major league team but Washington scouted Taylor. The Cardinals made an $80,000 offer but had insisted that Taylor try out at Busch Stadium.

"Hawk" Taylor became an instant celebrity because of his instant riches. The Metropolis News carried banner headlines, lengthy articles, and congratulations from well-wishing merchants and organizations. The News wrote of predictions of an annual "Hawk" Taylor Day, a "Hawk" Taylor Street, "Hawk" Taylor sodas, etc., etc. "He's had six marriage proposals and a guy from New York wants to sell him a $125,000 hunting and fishing lodge." Dad also told the Milwaukee Journal that spreading the bonus over five years saved $18,000 in taxes.

Through it all, "Hawk" was thrilled but humble. "When you're in baseball, there's only one place to be and that's the majors," he told local writers. Upon his arrival with the Braves on June 4, "Hawk" confessed that he had much to learn and that his money would go into the bank as he earned it. Manager Fred Haney had said "Hawk" would get an opportunity to play when the skipper thought the bonus kid was ready.

As it turned out, "Hawk" played little with Milwaukee in its world champiuonship season or in several seasons thereafter. He caught an inning against the Dodgers and appeared as a pinch runner a few days later. For the season, the Metropolis wunderkind had one hit in seven at-bats and scored two runs. But the World Series was the ultimate of Taylor's half-season of thrills. "Right out of high school, I was rubbing elbows with a team that had four Hall of Famers," Taylor says today. "Guys that I had posted on my bedroom wall. It was just a dream come true." And the Series victory? "It was an overwhelming sensation," "Hawk" reflects. "I thought, 'This is the way it's supposed to be. I took it for granted that this was big league life."

For "Hawk" Taylor, big-league life became minor league life very quickly. In 1958, he played most of the season at Cedar Rapids, slamming 22 home runs in Class B ball. In 1959, he played 99 games for the AA Atlanta Crackers. In 1960, "Hawk" had his most satisfying professional season, playing for the Junior World Series champion Louisville Colonels. He batted cleanup, hitting 17 home runs with 80 RBI and a .270 average. The Louisville fans voted "Hawk" the most popular player on the Colonels, who beat the favored International League Toronto Maple Leafs in a six-game series. Two of the Toronto players were Chuck Tanner and "Sparky" Anderson.

Ready for another shot at the majors, "Hawk" got the call to serve in the Army because of the Berlin Crisis in 1961. His best chance to start for the Braves came in 1963. "Hawk" felt he had the left field job won in spring training ("I was hittin' the dickens out of the ball") when a fluke injury sidelined him for most of the season. Replacing Eddie Mathews at third base in a March 17 game against the Minnesota Twins, "Hawk" got in front of a sharp ground ball off the bat of John Goryl. The top-spinning sphere took a high hop and struck Taylor, breaking his collarbone. In December 1963, the Braves sold Taylor to the Mets, calling their can't-miss prospect "a $119,000 dud (Sporting News, December 14, 1963)."

"Hawk"saw more action with the perennial cellar-dwelling Mets, playing in the first Opening Day at Shea Stadium, but Casey Stengel's platooning system made Taylor a part-time player. By 1967, "Hawk" was with the California Angels and joined the brand new Kansas City Royals in 1969, making more pinch-hit appearances (49) than anyone in the major leagues. The leagues had begun experimenting with the designated hitter and Royals manager Joe Gordon said, if the rule was adopted to allow a player to bat for the pitcher, "Hawk" would be the perfect man for the job. After another season as a pinch-hitting expert and a brief minor league stint at Louisville in 1971, Robert Dale "Hawk" Taylor hung up his playing spikes, earned a master's degree (3.82 GPA on a 4.00 scale), taught and coached baseball at recently-closed Lambuth (Tenn.) College for three years, taught and coached at the high school and junior college level, worked in the insurance business for a time, and then retired to Murray, Kentucky with no regrets. "I took my retirement seriously," "Hawk " says today, "and when you look out that window there, it's not hard to do."

Retirement over the past two years or so has been filled with medical concerns -- an irregular heartbreat, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, and gall bladder surgery. Trips to the Mayo Clinic provided some treatment options and "Hawk" is apparently on the mend, though he needs his rest every day. When I visited with him and his wife, Marie, at their home on April 19, 2011, "Hawk" was in good spirits and articulately recalled memorable moments in his baseball career.

"My hitting and versatility helped my longevity," "Hawk" says of a professional career that spanned 15 seasons. "I didn't make the good money." That's right. After the bonus year, his highest annual salary in baseball was $25,000.

On the game's future, "Hawk" says, "Baseball is as healthy as it's ever been. It's done something right."

So has Robert "Hawk" Taylor. He took advantage of opportunities, responded to adversity, and has put his life in perspective. Even with the Kryptonite of baseball injuries and a string of illnesses later in life, "Hawk" Taylor may not be the Man of Steel but he is a super man.