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
Southern Supers: Jake Garcia wins the Rumble by the River 125 at Montgomery Motor Speedway in dominating fashion. Behind him, Spencer Davis picks up second and Matt Craig third.
Solid run for the No. 35 team this weekend in Pensacola, FL. Jake started 19th and drove his way up to a strong 4th place finish. The car had great speed all night and Jake did a great job working his way through the field.
What a way to kick off today’s FR8 Racing 208 at EchoPark Speedway, our FR8 Racing driver, @JakeGarcia35, captures the pole!
Catch the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series action live at 1:30 PM EST on FS1.
UP. THROUGH. THE. FIELD.
@JakeGarcia35 put on a show for FR8 Racing in the 58th Annual Snowball Derby, charging from 34th to 3rd in the 300-lap feature. One of the most impressive drives of the day and a well-earned podium for the No. 35 team!
Happy Birthday, Jody Ridley!! 🎂
Georgia short track legend Jody Ridley won over 500 feature races, including the 1985 Snowball Derby. He won six All Pro Series championships. He was the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, and he won a Winston Cup race at Dover in 1981.