Husband to @jessemckay21-Father of @TraceMcKay5 @Hannahmckay21-Retired Baseball Football basketball coach-Softball coach- Soccer Dad- #GBR#Huskers#Rockies
In celebration of our 140th anniversary, Sporting News invited 20 panelists to rank the 20 greatest college football teams in the last 140 years 🏈
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Super Sky Point to Bob Horner. He was the NL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star but if you were around back then you know he was more than that. Much more. He was a fixture in the homes of millions of us through the miracle of cable television during those epic childhood summers that seemed like they’d never end.
I was a fan for over 40 years but had never met Bob until I interviewed him last December about Dale Murphy’s Hall of Fame case. As you’d expect, Bob was a fierce advocate for his fellow Fulton County basher. How could he not be? They were Murph and Horner. Horner and Murph. The Hall and Oates of the Launching Pad.
You know, these sky points all suck to write but this one hurts more than most. The four-homer game, the bad perm, Chief Noc-A-Homa waiting by his teepee for another Horner long ball. I have tweeted a lot about Bob Horner through the years and it’s because he represents to me, and I suspect many of you too, something far bigger than baseball: WTBS coming out of the magic box on top of my 400-pound Zenith, cool air coming through my bedroom window after another afternoon of Wiffle Ball, and Rick Mahler (probably) toeing the rubber at about 7:05 while hoping to keep the Braves in it with smoke and mirrors long enough for Horner and Murph to do some damage. And me sprawled out on green and yellow shag carpet in Kentucky paying 100 times more attention to Skip Caray, Ernie Johnson, and Pete Van Wieren than any of my teachers.
Farewell, you sweet slugging bastard. Tell St. Peter you brought your glove for the hot corner and to write you into the cleanup spot. #RIP
We are saddened by the passing of former Braves third baseman Bob Horner.
The first overall pick in the 1978 MLB Draft, Horner made the jump straight to the Majors without playing a single day in the Minors.
Just ten days after being drafted, Horner made his MLB debut and homered off future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. Horner went on to blast 23 home runs in just 89 games and won NL Rookie of the Year honors.
He went on to top the 30-homer mark three times in the next four years and was a National League All-Star in 1982, when he helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a division title.
Horner spent 9 of his 10 Major League seasons with the Braves. He made history on July 6, 1986 when he slugged a record-tying 4 home runs in one game. It was the only four-homer game of the 1980s.
Horner completed his college career at Arizona State with the most home runs in NCAA history, a mark since broken. He was named MVP of the 1977 College World Series and was the very first winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award in 1978.
He was 68 years old.
Bob Horner and I were destined to be teammates somewhere. I signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Arizona State before I was drafted. Bob played at ASU and ended up in Atlanta my first full year in the major leagues—1978. One way or another, it was bound to happen.
From the minute Bob Horner joined the Braves, all us players could see he was good. I mean… really good. And that swing—short and quick, x or and could turn around anybody’s fast ball. And Bob knew the strike zone. He just did not swing at a bad pitch (like I had a tendency to do a little too often…) He was a unique talent and I was very lucky to be in the lineup with him most of my career. All of my numbers were better when he was hitting behind me. And that fact is not lost on me. I know my career was better because of him.
It’s been a hard few weeks for the Braves Family losing Ted and Bobby—and now Bob. These 3 men all had such a profound impact on my career. I am forever grateful.
Nancy and I will miss Bob and our hearts go out to Chris and Trent and Tyler, along with their entire family.
The older we get, the more we cherish wonderful memories and this past month has brought a flood of them back to us. The gratitude we feel for them all has been overwhelming.
Rest well, my friend and teammate.
41-year Nebraska announcer Kent Pavelka’s (@KentPavelka) call of the end of #4 Nebraska’s win over #5 Vanderbilt and advancement to their first Sweet 16