Milwaukee Braves Bonus Baby Hawk Taylor Passes @ 73

[ironmanfan]

Outfielder, Robert "Hawk" Taylor who played with four clubs over an eleven year MLB career (most notably the Braves & Mets) passed away on Saturday..

RIP Hawk

[Birdbats]

I was fortunate to know Hawk. He was a terrific guy. Hawk was a collector who favored Ted Williams items and once had a basement full of stuff. He didn't care if it was a fishing reel, a shotgun shell or a condom box -- if it had the Splinter's name on it, Hawk had to have it. I actually had my latest Hunt catalog in an envelope, ready to send to him; I know he would have enjoyed flipping through the pages to see all the Williams items.

Hawk played a few positions (LF, CF, RF, 1B), but mostly, he was a catcher. In addition to being a bonus baby with the Braves, he played with the early Mets teams, the Angels and was an original KC Royal. He told me his biggest thrill was taking Koufax deep in July '64. He is credited with hitting the first pinch-hit grand slam in Mets history in 1966 (he batted for Kranepool and went yard on Veale). I once held the bat he used, which was part of his collection until he consigned it to auction (with several other items) a few years ago.

I understand a memorial service is scheduled for Saturday. I hope to be able to attend and pay my respects to Hawk's wife, Marie, and his family.