On Board with Ty Taubenheim

"Must Love Dogs". Since Ty Taubenheim owns a golden retriever named "Layla" and a golden lab that answers to "Marley," you better love both dogs and music if your plans include hanging with the Syracuse Chiefs' starting right-handed pitcher.

The dogs, whose names were inspired by musical legends Eric Clapton and Bob Marley, are Taubenheim's life outside of baseball. That is, after his wife, Anna.

"If I'm not at the ballpark then I'm with her," Taubenheim said of Anna, not Layla, his seventh month-old retriever. "She's the most important thing in my life. When we're with the dogs we're always together. They're our dogs equally."

Outside of baseball and his home life activities, you won't find Taubenheim on the Homestead Farms Golf Resort in his hometown of Lynden, Wash. That's because music consumes a lot of his time.

A closet guitarist, Taubenheim has contemplated playing the national anthem at a Chiefs game, perhaps in an ode to another of his musical idols, Jimi Hendrix.

"It's an obsession of mine," Taubenheim admitted of his guitar fixation. "I'd need a few weeks of practice but I'd play the national anthem at a game."

The Chiefs righty also likes "The Dave Matthews Band" and says that their "Under the Table and Dreaming" CD is one of his favorites along with Hendrix' "Are You Experienced".

As a guy that doesn't adhere to any sort of fashion rules and a lover of classic rock, it shouldn't be a surprise at all to see Taubenheim head banging his way to the ballpark while driving down I-81.

When out for a meal as the baseball season goes on you might find the Taubenheims at one of their favorite area eateries such as the Ichiban Japanese Steak House. "Anna's a big sushi lover," Taubenheim said. "They have a lot of stuff I like as well."

Taubenheim grew up and attended high school in Lynden, Washington, which is just a hard fastball from the Canadian border. However, it was baseball and football, not hockey, that were big in his formative years.

"I wasn't a hockey fan at all," the 6'-5" hurler said. "I knew very few people that played hockey growing up. Our town was a big basketball town, but it was my third favorite sport."

"I loved baseball since I was a little kid," Taubenheim said. "It has always been my favorite sport growing up watching my dad play fast-pitch. We played what we liked and as many sports as we could. I think that helped in my development and established a real passion for baseball. If I would have been shoved down one particular path I might have resisted a little more. I went out on my own and chose what I wanted to do. It really allowed me to have a new respect and passion for the game that hasn't burned off since I started playing."

Baseball may have been his favorite sport, but until his senior year in high school Taubenheim was all about football.

"Baseball just snuck up on me," the prep star quarterback said. "I was planning on playing football. I felt I was good enough that I could have played Division I. The summer before my senior year I went to a baseball camp at the University of Washington. Before that I had no inclination to play baseball. I didn't know much about it. I didn't know how it really worked. I just fell into it."

From there Taubenheim attended Edmonds Community College in Washington. At Edmonds his team won back to back Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges' championships in 2002 and 2003. During the 2003 season he went 8-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 70.0 innings pitched and was an All-NWAACC First team selection as well as an All-Tournament team pick.

Taubenheim was drafted in the 19th round of the 2003 Amateur Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Brewers along with Lyle Overbay for David Bush, Zach Jackson and Gabe Gross on December 7, 2005.

"I took it as a new opportunity," Taubenheim, the player-to-be-named later in that trade, said. "It was a fresh start and so far it's been a good one."

The Jays gave up three talented young players in the deal to get Overbay and Taubenheim was thought by many to be a throw-in. However, the right-hander quickly impressed the Jays and when injuries arose to the parent club last season, Taubenheim earned a promotion to Toronto and started seven Major League games. He picked up his first Major League win last June over the Braves and former Chiefs manager Bobby Cox.

"It's only my second year as a starter," said Taubenheim, "I'm still getting the into whole process of what (starting) entails."

"I feel I'm at the same point of my progression as I was last year at this time," he continued. "At the beginning of the year I struggled a little bit mentally more than anything. I would think through things mechanically. I was trying to improve, but I was trying to improve at the wrong times. I would be on the mound and think of things that didn't pertain to the situation I was facing. It's a case where I should be doing those type of things on my side-session days instead of trying to work it out in game situations."

"He has arrived and looks like he did last year," Chiefs pitching coach Rick Langford said after a recent Taubenheim start. "He is getting all of his pitches over with good tilt to home plate. He's able to throw his breaking ball when he's behind in the count and uses his change-up effectively."

Langford isn't just talking for talking sake. Opposing managers have seen a revitalized pitcher as well.

"I think he's ready to pitch at the Major League level," Louisville Bats manager Rick Sweet said. "He can pitch to both sides of the plate and he mixes his pitches very well. He can use his breaking ball and change-up in situations where batters are looking fastball. He doesn't try and overpower anybody."

Taubenheim's ability to locate is his strong suit. "You don't see pitchers in the minor leagues that mix pitches and throw as many strikes." Sweet said. "That's the key to pitching in the big leagues. It's not overpowering stuff, there's very few of those that can do that. It's the ability to make pitches when you have to and throw all your pitches for strikes."

"All I can control is my own performance," Taubenheim said. "The last couple of outings I've been more aggressive and changed my attitude on the mound and I think it's shown. I've stopped wondering about where to place a pitch and the execution of that pitch but just to go out and be aggressive, stop thinking about anything else except that moment and that pitch."

Taubenheim's start against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees last Saturday seemed to send the pitcher back to the drawing board.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre outfielder Shelley Duncan hit two doubles, a sacrifice fly and drove in four runs all before the fourth inning was over sending Taubenheim for an early shower.

"It didn't seem like he had command of his fastball," Duncan said of Taubenheim's start. "He's going to have those days when he doesn't hit his spots and (Saturday) was one of those days. When he missed we hurt him."

"His rhythm was off," Chiefs manager Doug Davis said. "He just wasn't himself out there. Pitchers go through that."

"I can throw my slider on any count for a strike," Taubenheim said before the Yankees start. "The curveball is just a pitch, not a super quality pitch, but just enough to throw hitters off balance."

"He didn't repeat his delivery (Saturday)," Langford said. "He overthrew the ball. You know he's human. It was one of those games."

So for now Taubenheim remains a work in progress on the mound.

Off the field, he also continues to work on developing his relationship with the community in which he lives, whether it's in Syracuse or Toronto.

"I'm real personable and accessible to people," Taubenheim said. "I enjoy doing volunteer work. My wife and I are starting to really understand what goes on in the world and how that affects everyone else in the world. Anna understands that there are people far worse off than we are. She's in-tune with certain situations that could use our help. She's real conscious of doing the right thing and helping people out."

"You will see some sort of organization that we'll hook up with sooner then later because there's people out there that need help," Taubenheim said. "I have a hard time seeing people doing things for themselves when others could use a hand. It's not always much in time or money, but those people could use anything extra that you have. It would be eye opening and real satisfying if people help out someone else instead of worrying about themselves all the time."

Taubenheim especially looks forward to working with area youth.

"I'm planning on being really involved this year with different charity work that the Chiefs have going on including the different youth baseball clinics that are offered throughout the year," the tall and lanky pitcher said. "Being in professional sports you have access to a lot of things that the everyday person doesn't. I know that the kids are a sponge when it comes to learning and love to hear how it was for any player when they got started and how they made the most of their opportunities."

"It's real sad to see today's youth not taking advantage of a ball diamond," Taubenheim said. "There's no one getting together after school or weekends for a pick up game or whatever. It doesn't have to be baseball but something as long as they're staying out of trouble and being somewhat productive with their lives. You don't ever see kids being kids anymore. It's kind of weird. It seems kids are growing up younger and younger and not doing the things that kids used to do."

Clearly when it comes to helping those around him, Ty Taubenheim is no dog.