Taylor McGregor (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: Okay. Taylor, first question—Taylor, as the reporter of the Cubs on Marquee Sports Network, what is the experience first of all for you, but more importantly for fans who walk into that ballpark for the first time? Or for lifelong Cubs fans who always wanted a chance to get there but never could—what is it like, in your estimation, watching fans experience Wrigley Field? How do you put that into words?

Taylor McGregor: I would say there’s an energizing feeling every day when you walk into Wrigley. As someone who covers a hundred-plus baseball games a year, sometimes it’s hard to walk into a ballpark and feel energized because of the nature of the sport. It’s every single day—you’re taking flights from the West Coast back to Chicago to cover a day game. You’re not getting in until 2:00 AM, and then you have a day game at 1:20 the next day. Showing up to any old ballpark, I think that would be exhausting, but I truly do get energized walking into Wrigley because it’s such a magical place.

On Fridays at 1:20, you can almost guarantee a packed, sold-out house, and there’s just something so special about that. Not only are fans coming to experience baseball, but they’re coming to experience baseball at Wrigley Field, which is the second-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. There’s so much history that comes along with that. I think the cool thing too, from my perspective, is when fans walk in, they appreciate how unique and special Wrigley Field is.

I travel all over the country, and when people hear I’m the reporter for the Cubs, the first thing they say to me is, “Wow, you get to call Wrigley Field your office. That’s the coolest thing ever. I would love to go to Wrigley Field.” Even non-baseball fans want to attend a game at Wrigley because it has this prestige—one of the premier sporting venues in the entire world. I feel so fortunate that I get to call it my office.

Robby Incmikoski: You kind of leaned into this a little bit, and I don’t know that there is a right or wrong answer to this question. I can only ask about your experiences with the Cubs. What makes Wrigley Field special? It’s 110 years old, and there are so many newer, more modern stadiums with fancy things, but you have the ivy, you have the basket outfield, you have old seats and old structure. Why is it so special? You know what I’m saying?

Taylor McGregor: I would say exactly what you just mentioned: all the things that have been traditional within the ballpark. If I can paint a broad brush over baseball, one of the coolest parts about covering this sport is that you go to every ballpark, and each one is different. Whether it’s the dimensions of the actual playing field—no other sport has venues where you might pull a ball to left field and in one ballpark, that’s a homer by 10 feet, but then you go to Fenway, and that’s off the Green Monster. That uniqueness is part of what makes the sport special.

What I appreciate so much about Wrigley is it has held on to so much of the tradition of what makes it “Wrigley,” while also modernizing in certain ways. I know some people were upset about the new video scoreboard, but it has helped modernize Wrigley. Yet you’ve kept the ivy. There’s something really special about the baskets and the beautiful brick all around the stadium—that’s so special.

I walk in every single day and pass this building that probably most people have no idea about. It used to be a home for people who took care of Wrigley. The fact that someone literally lived on site to take care of the field is so cool. There are so many reminders of the history of our game overall, and to think that this is the only active ballpark Jackie Robinson played in—there are just constant reminders of that tradition.

At the same time, it’s so clean. They do a great job taking care of Wrigley. And overall, I think the bleacher experience in the outfield is so unique—it’s baseball in its purest form. That’s what I would say about Wrigley.

Robby Incmikoski: One last thing, then I want to ask you about Coors Field. I was fortunate enough to spend 11 years as the main TV reporter for the Pirates, which was super cool. Then four years with the Twins, and now I’m spending one year with the Texas Rangers as their reporter part-time. It’s cool, and we’re honored and privileged to have a job like this. I realize how special it is.

But for you, to be one of the faces of the Chicago Cubs on television, how special is that? One day when you’re in your 70s, 80s, 90s, and not doing this anymore—maybe you still will be!—but when you look back on it, what do you think these days will mean for you? It’s a special position with a special organization.

Taylor McGregor: I would say the experiences—everything we get to experience, whether that is traveling all over the country (or maybe the world, going to Japan and London)—that’s awesome. Then I’d say the relationships we form. I feel like this job has taught me so much about humans. We’re given such an up-close and personal look at people our world deems important and valuable—the beautiful, the rich, and the supremely talented.

I’ve realized they’re just like the rest of us, and being able to form relationships with these types of people has really impacted my worldview and challenged me in a lot of ways personally. Our job is simply showing up to a ballpark that’s full of 40,000 fans. That’s where we get so fortunate. I always say we work in the toy department. This is fun. It’s entertainment. It’s exciting.

Specifically to the Cubs, it’s been really cool for me to see the scope of Cubs Nation. I travel all around the country to do college football. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been in remote towns—Tallahassee, Florida, Fargo, North Dakota—and people will come up to me and say, “I’m a die-hard Cubs fan. I watch you every day on the Cubs,” and I’m like, “What? This is crazy.” That just speaks to how broad and large Cubs Nation is.

A lot of that goes back to the tradition and history of the organization, being on WGN and playing day games so people could come home from school and watch the Cubs or watch them in the summertime growing up. It’s been really special to be a part of the Cubs.

Robby Incmikoski: I’m glad you described me—beautiful, rich, and super talented. Thank you.

Taylor McGregor: Yes, exactly.

Robby Incmikoski: I appreciate that. I want to talk to you a little bit about Coors Field now. I think I mentioned to Kyle: your dad was the president of the Colorado Rockies, so you grew up going to games as a kid. Transitioning—just a little bit about Coors Field here. What memories do you have of being a young Rockies fan at Coors Field? That’s another special ballpark. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place. What makes that place special? And think of yourself as a fan, not Taylor the TV reporter, but Taylor who found a passion and love for the game of baseball through your father and your family. What is that place like?

Taylor McGregor: As someone who grew up in Colorado as a third-generation Coloradan, I would hear stories about Denver in the ’80s and how it was a rough place. Coors Field revitalized downtown Denver and made it what it is today—one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. People realize how amazing Denver is now, and I would credit Coors Field for really starting the boom of downtown. It got people downtown.

I would say it was one of the first ballparks to have this idea: “Let’s build up our ballpark, and then let’s build all this stuff around it.” People come for the entertainment around it and maybe stay for the game, or vice versa. Now that’s what every franchise wants to do.

What’s cool about Coors Field for me is I learned baseball through osmosis—that’s where we spent every Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, every holiday in the summer. That’s where we were. I didn’t really have a choice—that was just what we did. Then as I got older, I became curious, and I really started to like the sport. That’s how I ended up working in baseball.

Another part of what makes Coors Field special, as a proud Coloradan, is that it encapsulates the entire state. It’s in downtown metro Denver, and you have the mountains off in the background, so you get a glimpse into that part of the state. Then you look the other way, and you see the plains, which are also part of Colorado. They did such a good job building that ballpark to give that experience. Now with the Rooftop, you really do get full views of everything.

A lot of what Coors Field is about is the tourist destination. There are die-hard Rockies fans, for sure, but a lot of people who go to Coors Field are visiting Colorado in the summer, and they want to take in a baseball game. It’s a perfect place to do it.

I have memories of the first and only World Series held there in 2007 and seeing that place packed. I’ll never forget a sign—maybe it’s a sign everybody uses, but I remember it for us—it said, “Is this heaven? No, it’s Colorado.” October baseball there was so special. I know it’s special everywhere, but for me, as a kid growing up there, it was so cool to see so many people rally around the game of baseball. Denver is a football town—Broncos are number one—but in that moment, in that month, it was a baseball town.

Let’s not forget, when the Rockies first launched as an expansion franchise in the early ’90s, I think they still hold the record for most attendance in a single season because they played at Mile High Stadium. There’s a deep love for baseball among the people who live there as well. That’s my feel on it.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s awesome. One of the things—her father’s name was Keli McGregor. He played for the Broncos, didn’t he?

Taylor McGregor: Yeah.

Robby Incmikoski: So her dad passed in 2010. Does that sound right?

Taylor McGregor: Yeah, good memory.

Robby Incmikoski: So 2010. I remember at the time… So outside of Coors Field, Kyle, is McGregor Square—named after her father. How cool is that? What does it mean to your family to see the name “McGregor Square” outside that ballpark, with people sharing the experience there?

Taylor McGregor: Personally, it’s really cool—being able to take my kids there one day will be very special, to show them their grandfather and everything he meant to the organization. It’s also very cool to see the evolution of downtown because my dad, born and raised in Colorado, was so passionate about helping revitalize downtown Denver and making the Rockies a focal point of downtown and of the Rocky Mountain region.

I think what McGregor Square has started to do is bring people together—together to watch the game outside of the ballpark, together to enjoy beverages before they go into the game. My dad would be so proud of helping people come together in downtown Denver and then enjoy the baseball aspect of it, because he took so much pride in the state of Colorado and the city of Denver. It’s an awesome place for so many people, and for us personally, to have our name attached to it is pretty special.

Robby Incmikoski: One last thing, then I’m going to let you go. Your dad was not the president when they first started, correct? He was not the first president of the team.

Taylor McGregor: No, no.

Robby Incmikoski: I didn’t think so.

Taylor McGregor: I don’t know his exact title, but basically he was brought in because he had worked at the University of Arkansas, and they built Bud Walton Arena. He was brought in to be the liaison between the team and the builders of Coors Field—helping build a massive sporting venue. He was in charge of making sure everything went smoothly.

Robby Incmikoski: Which leads exactly to what I wanted to ask you: how proud would your dad be if he were to step into McGregor Square right now and Coors Field? What do you think his reaction would be?

Taylor McGregor: It’s funny—you know what I think he’d be the most proud of? How well-kept Coors Field and McGregor Square are. He wanted to make sure that when you came to a game at Coors Field, the cleanliness was there, the people were kind, and that you enjoyed your overall experience. I’ve always felt that at both Coors Field and McGregor Square.

The first thing that comes to mind is he would be so proud of the overall experience of both places. It’s crazy: Coors Field is the third-oldest ballpark in the National League behind Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. Isn’t that insane? It doesn’t feel like it at all.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s amazing. I totally didn’t realize it’s the third-oldest. That’s wild to think about.

Taylor McGregor: Right? It’s so well-kept, you would never guess. We were just in Miami, and that place feels dirty, and I’m like, “The fact that Coors Field is older…” I would have guessed the Miami park was older just from how it looks.

Robby Incmikoski: I was there at the end of June, and I’m like, “There’s nothing special about this place.”

Taylor McGregor: Exactly. So yeah, Coors Field is stunning. They’ve done an amazing job keeping it up, and I really think that’s something he would be so proud of.

Robby Incmikoski: That is amazing.

Kyle Fager: Anything else, Cubs fan like myself? Any fun story you’ll remember forever—preferably at Wrigley, if possible?

Taylor McGregor: Yeah, I’ll tell you the one thing I will remember forever: 2021 trade deadline. That was the craziest day in my career because you’re like, “What is happening?”

Anthony Rizzo was traded while we were at home, and we got on the bus to go to the airport to fly to Washington. He didn’t get on the bus—he was traded to the Yankees. His dad had come to me during the game and said, “I just want to say bye. It’s been really nice getting to know you,” and this was before he was officially traded. Everybody knew it was going to happen, but it was still one of those “whoa” moments.

I wasn’t even there during the 2016 run, so those players were special. I understood, but I didn’t live how special they were. Those players were life-changing for so many Cubs fans, so that day was something I’ll never forget. It was so odd and so insane. I remember thinking, “I’m literally living in history right now. We’ll be talking about this trade deadline forever.” We’ll always talk about Anthony Rizzo; he’ll forever be a huge part of Cubs history.

Another memory is 2020, when Wrigley was the only stadium with fans because people were allowed to be on the rooftops. The ballpark was empty, but you could hear fans cheering across the way. Milwaukee was the opening series that year, and Ryan Braun, who Cubs fans hate, stepped in, and you could hear the boos from across the street. It was really funny.

2020 overall gave me so many weird memories—walking around an empty Wrigley Field while a game was going on was just odd.

Any opening day at Wrigley is really special. They bring back all the legends. I always think it’s so cool—even though he’s there a lot—to see Ryne Sandberg on the field, or Sean Dunston, Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins. Anytime you see them on the field at Wrigley, it’s cool because the story of the organization isn’t the same without them.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s awesome. You’re fantastic. Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you the next couple days; maybe I won’t. If you want to pop up after him, I got Alex and his buddy coming in at three-something.

Taylor McGregor: Okay, I’ll let you know. I just have a lot going on this week. It’s our first football game, so I’m like…

Robby Incmikoski: Where are you at this week?

Taylor McGregor: Alabama. Roll Tide.

The reason I messed it up is I had a call set up with guys at the SEC league office to talk about these new comms devices and in-game video the players now have access to. I don’t know if this ever happened to you, but the first year of PitchCom—actually, it was the end of that year, but it was still a big moment—we were in New York, and the Mets forgot to charge their PitchCom devices. We were in the middle of the game, and they stopped working. Then the umpires wouldn’t allow the Cubs to use their PitchCom devices either, and nobody knew. It was all so new.

I want to be prepared for moments like that in-game as a reporter. Another big story in college football right now is sign-stealing, like it was in baseball. Now teams will bring in their own video coordinator. I was like, “Okay, that’s a little weird. How are you ever going to hold these guys accountable if they have their own folks who can zoom in on someone?” But apparently every second of video gets sent to a central place, so they’re monitored, which I didn’t know. It’s good info. Thanks for letting me push this back. I needed to get all that info ahead of Week One.

Robby Incmikoski: Of course. No brainer.

Taylor McGregor: Awesome.

Robby Incmikoski: I appreciate you, Taylor. Thank you.