They might be the four saddest words in sports:
What could have been?
It’s a fair question to ask about Jameson Taillon, who was traded to the New York Yankees on Sunday for four prospects. He came to the Pirates’ organization in 2011 carrying extraordinary expectations and didn’t come close to living up to them because of injuries and illness.
It’s also a fair question to ask about James Conner, who almost certainly will leave the Steelers as a free agent. He joined the team in 2017 with fewer expectations — even though he was a star at Pitt — and exceeded them despite being robbed of so much more by his own injuries and illnesses.
Taillon was the No. 2 overall selection in baseball’s 2010 amateur draft, picked behind only Bryce Harper and ahead of such stars-to-be as Manny Machado, Chris Sale and Christian Yelich. He leaves the Pirates with a 29-24 record and 3.67 earned run average. By comparison, Machado is a four-time All-Star with 223 home runs, Sale is a seven-time All-Star with a 109-73 record and Yelich is a two-time National League batting champion and league MVP in 2018.
Conner was picked in the third round of the NFL’s 2017 draft. He made the Pro Bowl in 2018 when he rushed for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns. It looked as if he would be the Steelers’ primary ball-toter for many more years.
Taillon’s list of injuries and illness makes you want to cry. A groin injury in 2013. Tommy John surgery before the 2014 season. Sports-hernia surgery in 2015. Testicular cancer surgery in 2017. A second Tommy John surgery in 2019.
What could have been?
Conner’s worst health problems were at Pitt, where he beat out Florida State’s Jameis Winston to be the ACC Player of the Year in 2014. He tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the first game of the 2015 season and was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma — cancer of the lymph nodes — later that year. A variety of injuries slowed him with the Steelers. He was able to start just 22 of 33 games the past two seasons.
What could have been?
Taillon and Conner should be remembered more for what they did off the field than what they didn’t do on the field.
Pittsburgh will miss Taillon’s tireless work in the community. I remember the way he handled his cancer diagnosis, talking openly about it in the hope of helping other men avoid the same disease or deal with it better. Taillon’s presence will be missed in the Pirates’ clubhouse. Last season, new manager Derek Shelton named him first among his team leaders, a remarkable tribute to a guy who wasn’t playing because of his second Tommy John surgery.
Conner also was an incredible inspiration to so many cancer patients, telling them that he was going to beat the deadly disease and that they could, too. I will never forget his press conference announcing his illness in December 2015. It was a remarkable display of poise and courage in the face of unthinkable adversity by a kid who was just 20 at the time. “I choose not to fear cancer, I choose to fight it,” Conner said that day. “I will win. I have all the faith in the world I’ll be back playing.”
Conner did make it back. Now, he has a chance to continue his career and make up, at least in part, for lost time. No matter where he goes or what he does for his new team, he always will be a Pittsburgh favorite.
Taillon also should be regarded that same way. He’s landed in a terrific spot, with a Yankees organization that prioritizes winning over profits. His pal, Gerrit Cole, will help him fit in once he gets over the culture shock of being with a team that actually tries to win every year.
Here’s wishing Conner and Taillon well.
Can we agree?
They deserve to have a little good luck.
