@bennyjohnson Maybe he’ll actually follow through with deep cuts instead of turning into a little bitch whenever spending cuts impact his friends. That’d be good for New Yorkers, just like a real approach to DOGE would have been.
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.
Not enough people talk about Bob Horner
• .277/.340/.499 (.839 OPS), 127 OPS+
• Drafted 1st overall in '78 from ASU
• Won ROY that same year, age 20
• (Skipped the minors altogether)
• Had 218 HR, 685 RBI, 21.9 WAR
• Never struck out more than 75x
• Hit 20+ homers 7x in 9 seasons
• Got MVP votes 3x, 1982 All-Star
• Averaged 35 HR, 109 RBI per 162
• Top B-R Similarity Score: Al Rosen
• Unfortunately, couldn't stay healthy
• Hit 6 bombs off Fernando Valenzuela
• Hit 4 homers in a game his team LOST
• Possible HOF'er w/ better conditioning
• Got 0 votes on his only HOF ballot in '94
• Spent 1987 in Japan and really went nuts:
• .327 BA, 31 HR, 73 RBI, 1.106 OPS in 93 GP
• Never had a 3-HR game, only a 4-HR game
• Gave up #5 to Rick Cerone, for some reason
• College Baseball HOF inaugural class of 2006
• During the years of his career (1978-1988), Bob Horner had by far the most home runs of any player with fewer than 4000 AB
I’m a formerly elected official (county commissioner), and I see no further point in bothering to vote for any candidate at any level. Maybe I’ll feel differently by November. I doubt it.
Only thing I know for sure is I hope the GOP gets their asses handed to them in the midterm over this whole effort to run out the one guy in Washington who has actually read the Constitution.
Was it @ThomasEWoods who said something like no matter who you vote for, you get John McCain? Hard to be any more right than that.
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
@amitylee13@TerenBlackthorn Same. And these people arguing that Trump is not part of the uniparty are clearly either not paying attention or are maybe just a few fries short of a Happy Meal.
@aldsv24@OleTimeHardball Stealing signs on the field is as old as the game itself. What the Astros did is different and should carry significant consequences.