Love Letters From Pronk is an ongoing series where Pronk shares his love for somebody connected to the Cubs. Sometimes funny, sometimes weird, sometimes touching, Pronk likes to make 100% sure people know that they are loved, and best expresses that through gushing letters. Today's recipient: Cubs TV personality Taylor McGregor
Taylor McGregor joined the Cubs family as a TV personality for Marquee Sports Network. After joining the team and being introduced at the 2020 convention, she made her presence known as a voice of the Cubs, as an on field reporter. She was great her first year with the team, and I'm hoping for many more.
She came from the Colorado Rockies organization, where her dad was the Team President until his death in 2010. Taylor was in high school at the time, and it was obviously a tough blow. As a soccer player, she opted to play in a game the day following his passing. She went from wearing #8 to taping an extra 8 on her jersey to honor her father, who wore #88 while he was a college football player at Colorado state. She scored the game's first goal, and dedicated it to her father.
Taylor has a long history with the Rockies organization, and I'm impressed that she could leave the mountains of Colorado for the cornfields of Illinois. In addition to her two seasons as an on field reporter for the Rockies, she also does some sideline reporting for ESPN. It's been quite the rise for her, as she just graduated college in 2015. I wouldn't have guessed that until I saw it, because she conducts herself with the knowledge and poise of a 20 year veteran. Today, we share the love for Taylor!
Dear Taylor,
I loved having you as a part of the Cubs broadcast team this year. While the 2020 season was anything but typical, I was really impressed with some of the creative things you did during a season where there were no fans in the stands, where you had to distance yourself from field, and where you had to generate excitement for away games while you were broadcasting from Wrigley Field. Even though there was a fan-less aura that surrounded each game, your excitement and energy made it a lot less noticeable. Through all the challenges and uncertainty, you were a stable TV presence that gave us fans some much needed consistency.
One of my favorite memories was when you joined the grounds crew. When you climbed up on that big mower, I held my breath. Part of me was expecting a "Bridget Jones sliding down the fireman's pole into the camera" situation. It's nothing against you, my mind just works in such a way where I notice certain Murphy's Law type situations and see potential disaster coming. But I was totally wrong. You handled that mower like a pro. You rode it like you had done it before many times.
The same goes for your on air broadcasting. When you came to the team, I didn't hear your backstory. Based off the way you spoke and the knowledge you presented, I assumed you had 10 years minimum of on air/on field experience. I have a hard time believing you have only been doing it basically since mid 2017. That's just a drop in the bucket in terms of experience. It means that there are great things to come!
You've been great to watch all season long. The Marquee experience was fantastic in it's first year, and I hope you stay as a part of that team for a long time. Congratulations on a successful first year in Chicago. You rolled with the punches of 2020, and the Cubs fanbase noticed.
XOXO,
Pronk