Braves 7 Toronto 3

Wednesday: Anna brought baby Miller over this morning. We kept her while A had a hair appointment. Then Matthew came over. We drove up to the Trader Joes in the Pine Straw Plaza for some groceries. 

Left the house at 3 pm. Stopped by McDonalds for a BOGO McChicken and a free Wendys frosty. Picked up M at 3:45 and we checked out the Goodwill on Cobb Parkway. From there we walked to the ballpark. 

Couldn't believe the long lines so early in the afternoon. School is out and it was Drake Baldwin hockey jersey night. Long lines at 4:15 pm - a full hour and 15 minutes before the gates opened.

Lots of people watching. Got into the park and grabbed our free designated driver Cokes, and found our seats. Nice to sit in the shade and get ready for the game. 

A good game. Grant Holmes pitched long enough to get the win. Seems like he's pitching ever time I go. Three run homers from Ozzie and the utility player. Even shortstop Kim knocked in a run. Austin Riley stole a base.

The good looking hockey jerseys were in high demand. I went because Matthew wanted one, but they were selling for high prices. Tried to sell mine at the game, but wasn't able to secure a buyer until this morning. Paid for our tickets. 

Braves up their record to 42-20, the best record in baseball. 

Thinking we were going to SC tomorrow (we aren't), I got out early to play golf this morning. Arrived at Candler park by 6:35 and there was already a single ready to play. He said he was a beginner but he was a lot better than me. Hie first time playing at Candler park, so I tried to share a few secrets along the way. Teed off at 6:40 am. Pretty much played my one Bridgestone ball the entire round. I usually play from the front tees, but today we both played the back tees. 

1. Sliced my first drive, but hit a mulligan straight but low. Flub, then an okay 4 iron short of the hole. My chip rolled up the hill and onto the green, but it wasn't pretty. Two putt. Double. 

2. Tee shot straight but short. Took me two shots to get on the green, then two putts. Double.

3. Got my tee shot up in the air, though it was short of the green - but not down a hill into trouble. Bad chip, better chip. Good lag putt. Double.

4. A great 6 iron off the tee, to the front fringe. Shot of the day. Poor putt, then two more putts. Bogey.

5. A decent 4 iron straight down the fairway. Chipped to the back of the green. Great long lag putt. Today I was not taking any gimme's, instead putting out every one footer I had. I didn't miss any short putts. Bogey.

6. A decent drive, to the right of the big oak. After a flub, I hit a great 3 iron under the tree branches, to the front left fringe. Shot of the day. A poor putt, then a good long lag putt. Double.

7. A passable drive to the right side of the fairway. Not much distance, leaving a shot under the tree branches. Hit another 3 iron. made good contact but it clipped the branches. Still got a decent roll. Poked a 7 iron to the front fringe. With the fringes circling the greens recently resodded, its hard to putt from off the greens. I flubbed a putt, then hit another nice long lag putt. Double.

8. Hit a decent drive to the middle of the fairway, then pitched my second shot to the middle of the green. My long lag putt didn't roll as close as I would've liked. Took two more putts. Double. 

9. Hit my hybrid too low off the tee, but it got a good roll. Decent pitch, though still short of the green. Then a good chip, and a finishing two putt on the sloped green. Double. Not a bad round, for playing one ball.  

Finished at 8:03 am and drove home. More furniture is supposed to deliver this afternoon, and C has a doctor's appointment.

    

Haley Hurt went to Tuesday night's game. Braves won 4-3.

Tuesday night was our first men's Bible Study for the summer. Thirteen in attendance, around Reid's fire pit. A nice cool evening. Dennis, Tom, Lee, Tommy, Dan, David, Greg, Jim, Robert, and Brian and his brother. Lots of cookies and other treats. 

World Cup < Super Bowl < Olympics

How big a deal will the World Cup be in Atlanta? It will be a big bad eight games over 31 days. No back to back games. There will be various ancillary events around town. How does this compare to the Olympics and a Super Bowl?
 
A Super Bowl is one sold out stadium event that culminates after seven straight days of lead up events, press conferences, fan experiences, concerts, etc. Dang the Falcons or Dawgs will draw two or three sellout crowds over the course of a month. The Braves will have ten sellouts in a month - or more.
 
The Olympics was 16+ consecutive days, with multiple sold out events being held at the same time all around downtown, all throughout each day. At the Olympic Stadium, Atlanta Stadium, Georgia Dome, Omni, Herndon Stadium, two aquatic venues at Georgia Tech, the Civic Center, Alexander Memorial Coliseum,  and the World Congress Center. Plus the Olympic Village at GT and Centennial Olympic Park. And outlying venues at Stone Mountain, Conyers, Atlanta Beach, Athens, Savannah, Lake Lanier, and North Georgia. Cycling in the velodrome in East Point. 

The Paris Olympics had 329 medal events across 32 sports and 48 disciplines. The 2026 World Cup will have 104 total matches spread out in 16 cities in the US, Mexico, and Canada. 

People are saying 500,000 people are coming to Atlanta for the World Cup. But Atlanta is only hosting 8 games spread out over 30 days. Doing the math, that's 62500 fans at each game are from out of town. Sure the World Cup may be a big deal all around the world, but in the US it will be so spread out that the impact on any one city will be considerably diluted, unlike the Olympics all taking place in one city. The Braves have averaged 500,000 fans per month - for six straight months - without the help of MARTA. 

There will be a World Cup FanFest in June and July in Centennial Olympic Park. I signed up for tickets. Interesting hours: from 2 pm - midnight. There will be concerts and food trucks and other vendors.

Which had the greatest impact on MARTA, the city streets, and highways? On the restaurants and hotels and airport? To me it’s a no brainer.

Perhaps FIFA followers are more fanatical than NFL fans or followers of the Olympics, but when it boils down to the impact it has on one city, I still say the World Cup ranks behind the Super Bowl and certainly the Olympics - and maybe even the Braves.

With so much constantly going on in and around Atlanta, the World Cup will just be another blip on the radar screen. No big deal. Traffic will be bad - but Atlanta traffic is bad every day.  

Another World Cup black eye: the way FIFA is manhandling the ticket sales and distribution is abismal - driving up prices and switching out the best seats bought by commoners for less desirable locations. Hard to get in the door for a match in Atlanta for less than $1,000.00. No thanks.

RUBE WADDELL  [SABR Bio] was the first American League pitcher to strike out more than 300 batters in a season, with 302 in 1903 for PHA. His total the next year still stands as the record for American League strikeout record by a lefty. He struck out 349 in 1904; Sam McDowell is second with 325 in 1965. Waddell threw the first recorded Immaculate Inning, on 01-Jul-1902, Waddell struck out 3 batters, throwing exactly 9 pitches.

Melina's Third Birthday

Drove down to W&MC's yesterday afternoon to celebrate Millie's birthday. I asked C to the directions through traffic since we were supposed to be there in an hour. Her directions said we'd arrive at 5:55, but we didn't arrive until after six. Took me on a route with more red lights, through more crowded streets than necessary, through more dangerous neighborhoods. 

Will made quesadillas on his outdoor grill, to go with rice and beans. Matthew made a corn dip, and brought specially seasoned saltine crackers. Cake and ice cream. 

After supper the girls rode their bikes behind the house on the Atlanta Beltline. Millie was wearing her new pink cowboys boots. They allowed her to go faster on her bike, which didn't have pedals - but she got stuck in the mud next to the paved beltline.

Sunset from the Beltline.

The new pastor at SPdL wears a robe for the services. You'd think people would be getting away from the robes these days. I am hearing that there is a surge in interest in the Catholic Church from young people. 

Tech was like the number 2 team in the country, with the top offense in the nation. They failed to advance from the first round of the tournament, losing two straight to Oklahoma. Many question GT's head coach, who removed his starting pitcher after 8 innings - and replaced him with a pitcher who'd thrown 104 pitches two days before. This pitcher got through the 9th inning, but gave up a 454 foot walk off home run in the 10th.

Many wondered why Tech, the host of the regional, wasn't the home team in either of the last two games against the Sooners. But those wondering didn't take the time to look up the rules on Google. 

Sunday: I was still so exhausted that I stayed home from church. Slept late, until Winnie wouldn't let me sleep any more. Tried to relax. Straightened up the house, did some laundry. In the afternoon I drove over to the gym for the sauna and cooldown on the treadmill. After the Braves loss i went outside to mow the lawn. So it will be another 10,000 step day. 

Watched an old movie: The Internship, with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. I'd thought that parts of the movie had been filmed in Atlanta. Did not realize they made up parts of the GT campus to pose as Google's San Francisco headquarters.  

I slept in on Monday morning. Didn't make it to the gym until 11 am. Then I ran down to Lenox Square for a birthday present for Millie. Got home to find that C had brought back another carload of stuff from SC. Not sure where she's going to put it. 

Lifted weights at the gym this morning, then sauna and treadmill cooldown. Packaged two more items that sold on Poshmark - a vintage Chicago Bears helmet, and a pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers.

June Bobbleheads & Other SGAs

Here's my humble list of bobblehead SGAs and special ticket deals for the month of June, along with other interesting giveaways. Mostly minor league, so let me know what MLB giveaways I've missed. 

A busy June 1st week in Braves Country, with at least ten different special events on the calendar. I'm scheduled to make appearances at a couple of them.

Lehigh Valley may be on to the next big craze in stadium giveaways: lint rollers. Finally a game that my wife WANTS me to go to. June 7th.

Not a bobblehead, but on the 9th in Hartford the Yard Goats are serving up the "Anti-Hero Sandwich": a two foot long hot dog surrounded by eleven powdered sugar donuts, on an Italian loaf bun. I would trade you a bobblehead for one, but it probably won't ship well.

For traffic and planning purposes, I've included the World Cup games being played in Atlanta. There's a World Cup fanfest in Centennial Park starting June 12, but you have to preregister for a free ticket. The CDC is warning that this may be a super spreader event, so be sure to stick to baseball games.

6.01 TUE Green Bay dog bowls 

6.02 TUE ATL Dave Justice bobble 15000 

6.03 WED JAX I got that Dawg in me tshirt 500

6.03 WED Gwinnett 12 noon game

6.03 WED Rome 12 noon game beach towel giveaway

6.03 WED Lehigh Valley Aidan Miller bobble 3000

6.03 WED ATL Drake Baldwin hockey jersey 15000

6.04 THU Lehigh Valley ice cream cap 3000

6.04 THU Peoria stadium seats

6.05 FRI Peoria metal signs 

6.05 FRI Rome straw hats

6.06 SAT Hickory cowboy hats 1000

6.06 SAT Augusta Harry Potter House shirt special ticket

6.06 SAT Gwinnett Drake Baldwin ROY bobble 2000 

6.06 SAT Fayetteville Margaritaville jersey

6.06 SAT Fredericksburg Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles jerseys

6.06 SAT Asheville home jersey giveaway

6.06 SAT JAX Jacob Berry bobblehead 2000

6.06 SAT Lake Country Garth Brooks ticket raffle

6.06 SAT Chesapeake mascot bobblehead 750

6.06 SAT Cleburne Hawaiian Night giveaway

6.06 SAT Memphis soccer jerseys 

6.06 SAT ATL Braves Country 5K t-shirt

6.07 SUN ATL soccer jersey 3000 kids 

6.07 SUN Gwinnett Disney Princess brunch & kids t-shirt special ticket

6.07 SUN W Mich Luchador bobble 

6.07 SUN COL Dinger mascot bobble 15000

6.07 SUN Lehigh Valley lint rollers 3000 18U

6.07 SUN Lakeshore kids Crocs charms 500 12U

6.07 SUN Richmond tie die terry cloth bucket hats

6.07 SUN Cubs Wrigley Field replicas 

6.07 SUN Worcester mascot Clara the Heart bobble

6.07 SUN Fayetteville soccer jersey special ticket

6.08 MON Angels Yusei Kikuchi bobble

6.09 TUE Hartford 2 ft long hotdogs served w/ 11 donuts

6.09 TUE Richmond inaugural season bobble logos

6.09 TUE Vancouver Addison Barger bobble

6.10 WED JAX Marc in the park tshirt 500

6.10 WED Reading George Costanza puffy jacket bobble  

6.10 WED Nashville brewmaster shirts 1000

6.11 THU Nashville throwback caps 1000

6.11 THU Springfield free 12 oz Budweiser 21U

6.11 THU Scranton WB plush slippers 1000

6.11 THU Columbus scarf 1000

6.11 THU Mont soccer jerseys

6.11 THU Bham Juneteenth t-shirts 1000

6.11 THU Brooklyn Carson Benge 25 champs jersey 1000

6.12 FRI Lansing Snoopy bobblehead 1000

6.12 FRI San Antonio used car night

6.12 FRI Hudson Valley George Costanza bobblecard

6.12 FRI Springfield Marty Prather Sign Man bobble 2000

6.13 SAT Springfield JJ Wetherholt MVP bobble 2000

6.13 SAT CIN Abbott bobblehead 

6.13 SAT Toledo mascot Muddy WWE bobble special ticket

6.13 SAT Brooklyn 2025 replica championship rings 2000

6.13 SAT Columbus "Hawaiian" shirt giveaway 1000

6.13 SAT Washington Wild Things Jimmy Buffet Hawaiian shirts 1000

6.13 SAT Lake Country garden gnomes

6.13 SAT Madison mascot Maynard bobble $19 special ticket

6.13 SAT Nashville Sulphur Dell replica warehouse 1000

6.13 SAT Myrtle Beach Brian Snitker appearance & giveaway 1000

6.13 SAT Lake County Tyler Naquin bobble

6.14 SUN Lake County America 250 jersey

6.14 SUN Mont soccer balls 500

6.14 SUN NYM color your own Mrs Met bobble

6.14 SUN Lake Elsinore bowling shirts

6.14 SUN Brooklyn soccer jerseys 1000

6.14 SUN Toledo Pablo Sanchez bobble & meet & greet

6.15 MON ATL World Cup Spain vs Cabo Verde

6.16 TUE Cubs soccer jerseys

6.16 TUE ATL Acuna new City Connect HR tracker bobble 15000

6.16 TUE ATL SpongeBob jersey shirts special ticket

6.17 WED ATL soccer jerseys 15000

6.17 WED BOS - 3 different John Williams musical bobbles

6.17 WED Portland Payton Tolle bobblehead

6.18 THU Lehigh Valley duffle bags 3000

6.18 THU ATL World Cup TBD vs South Africa

6.18 THU Rochester Plates jerseys 500

6.19 FRI Everett caps

6.19 FRI Stockton Denzel Clarke bobble 

6.19 FRI Kane County Scooby Doo bobble

6.19 FRI Madison techno chicken bobble special ticket? 

6.19 FRI Augusta bowling shirts 1000

6.19 FRI Cubs 1930s replica jerseys

6.19 FRI MLB East West Juneteenth Classic @ Rickwood Field Bham 

6.19 FRI Lexington Hooties jersey auction

6.19 FRI Rochester Tom Alston bobble 1000

6.20 SAT Hickory bucket hats 1000

6.20 SAT Peoria belt buckles

6.20 SAT Hagerstown Hawaiian shirts

6.20 SAT Everett retro bobble

6.20 SAT Asheville alt jade jersey giveaway

6.20 SAT Gwinnett Black Crackers caps 1750

6.20 SAT Rome Nacho Alvarez bobblehead 

6.20 SAT Wilmington Daylen Lile bobble

6.20 SAT West Virginia gold & blue sock giveaway

6.20 SAT Quad City Bobby Abreu bobblehead

6.20 SAT Frederick Keyote mascot bobble 1000

6.20 SAT Fayetteville black ops jersey

6.21 SUN Fayetteville Father's Day bucket hat special ticket

6.21 SUN Father's Day 

6.21 SUN ATL Braves LED light 3000 kids

6.21 SUN ATL World Cup Spain vs Saudi Arabia

6.21 SUN Rays Pablo Sanchez bobble

6.21 SUN Hickory t-shirts 500 

6.21 SUN Augusta driver covers 500 fathers

6.21 SUN Lehigh Valley neckties 1500 men 18U

6.21 SUN Reading golf shirts 3000 men 18U

6.21 SUN Winnipeg bucket hats 500

6.21 SUN Cubs father's day t-shirts

6.21 SUN SEA Andres Munoz & cat Matilda bobble special ticket 

6.22 MON ???

6.23 TUE Brooklyn bark in the park cap special ticket

6.23 TUE Bham USA tshirts 1000

6.23 TUE Tri City Claire Hutton bobble

6.23 TUE ARK mascot Otey bobble

6.24 WED Nashville Brice Turang bobble 2000

6.24 WED Eugene $1 car giveaway

6.24 WED ATL World Cup Morocco vs Haiti

6.25 THU Lehigh Valley Margaritaville caps 3000

6.25 THU Lehigh Valley Margaritaville jersey special ticket

6.25 THU Mont Hawaiian shirts 1000 gates open 530

6.25 THU Brooklyn 2001 replica championship rings 1000

6.26 FRI Brooklyn Hawaiian shirts 2000

6.26 FRI Mont wrestling belts 1000

6.26 FRI Tri-City Valley Cats Grateful Dead tshirts $50 special ticket

6.26 FRI Norfolk Dylan Beavers bobble card 2500

6.26 FRI Williamsport Tom Cillo bobble

6.27 FRI Brooklyn friendship bracelets 2000

6.27 FRI Kenosha K-Town Bobbers Tshirt $18 special ticket 

6.27 FRI Fayetteville Hispanic Country jersey

6.27 SAT Hickory sugar skull replica jerseys 1000

6.27 SAT Rays Chandler Simpson bobblelegs

6.27 SAT Columbus giveaway 1000

6.27 SAT Bham trucker hats 

6.27 SAT Nashville Hawaiian shirts 2000

6.27 SAT Columbus cowboy hats 1000

6.27 SAT ATL World Cup TBD vs Uzbekistan

6.27 SAT Springfield Stan Musial bobble 2000

6.27 SAT Lake County Jose Ramirez bobble

6.28 SUN Lake County CC Sabathia bobblehead

6.28 SUN Columbus peach shirsey 1000

6.28 SUN Brooklyn TMNT jerseys 2000

6.28 SUN South Bend mascot Stu D Baker bobble 

6.28 SUN Fredericksburg replica jerseys

6.28 SUN Mystics Kiki Iriafen bobble 1500

6.29 MON SEA Cal Raleigh Funko Pop 10000 

6.30 TUE SEA Cal Raleigh Funko POP 10000

6.30 TUE Augusta patriotic jerseys 1000 kids

6.30 TUE W Mich Pacheco bobble

Hunting My Lime Green Whale

Friday I made a rare visit to Marshall’s, since it was next door to Dollar Tree. Browsed their sneakers and clearance rack. Hadn’t been there in a few years. When I shop, there are a few things I always look for, that I keep in the back of my mind. Like a lime green pair of the early 1970’s Atlanta Hawks basketball shorts, like Maravich used to wear. Mitchell & Ness sells them for like $90 - far too expensive for an item that an old guy like me would look ridiculous in. So I usually look for things like that at thrift stores. A few years ago I found a similar size XXL pair, except in yellow. I passed.

When I walked over to the clearance rack there was one lime green pair, brand new, sitting there on the rack. My size. On sake for $20. I grabbed them. A no brainer. Still not sure where I’ll wear them. To grandparents day at the girl's school. I do have a matching lime green Hawks t-shirt, plus a pair of matching Stance socks. A full uniform!

Interestingly, I just stumbled across a rare photo I'd never seen before, of Julius Erving playing for the Hawks in these same uniforms. Probably the blue set.

Founds several nice pairs of sneakers for Ceil, including these fuzzy beauties. Nothing good in my size. 

Drove down the road to the 6 pm event at Beaver Mazda. By attending I secured extra entries to their SUV giveaway. Figured I’d go since C was out of town. They had a fancy spread of food: beef Wellington bites, grilled Hawaiian chicken, hamburger sliders with pimento cheese, and new potatoes topped with sour cream. A dessert table with various bite size treats. Free alcohol, but I opted for a Diet Coke. I didn’t win the car. Looked like there were 343 people in the giveaway, not sure. 

Friday night the Reds wore head to toe black uniforms. Tonight they’re wearing head to toe red. Actually it does look a little old timey, a look you’d expect from the Reds. 

Friday I was going here there and everywhere. I missed the gym but stayed on the go. Only 8000 steps and 4 miles, but when I got home at 7:45, I was bushed. I think I realized why: the thin socks I was wearing caused my feet to move around in my shoes. 

By the time I went to bed I was in pain. No matter how I laid, there was pain. I almost never take over the counter meds, so the one Advil capsule I took really did the trick. Nevertheless, I didn’t much sleep. 

Got up at 630 and walked both Winnie and Goose. Made it to Kennesaw Mountain by 740, and we were off on our hike by 8:15. Went a little further this time. From the top of the mountain we continued on down the other side another quarter mile, a rough rocky steep descent - and then we turned around and climbed right back up to the top, then on down to the parking lot.

Finished at 9:47 am. 2.56 miles with 800 feet of elevation, in 92% humidity. Hiked with Brian, Dan, Jim, and Robert. Used my new trekking poles, which supposedly takes 30 pounds of pressure off my legs. 

Drove home, walked the dogs again, and drove up to the gym. Sauna and treadmill cooldown. After lunch I took a nap. More furniture was delivered, so I went upstairs and finished configuring the furniture in the guest bedroom. Carpet, put together the bed, moved in the side tables, then did the same in the master bedroom. Did some laundry. Turned into a 14000+ step 6.7 mile day. 

First Bite: Brandi's World Famous Hot Dogs

Friday I had to go pick up Goose from Anna’s house. When I got close to their house I realized it was a good time to try out Brandi’s Hot Dogs, a humble but popular shack near Kennestone Hospital.

Lots of local flavor. Interesting clientele. The red hot dogs are spicy, with chili, an American cheese square, onions, and slaw that slightly cooled off the heat.

I found a seat at the counter, between two regulars. Ordered a loaded dog, onion rings, fried apple pie, and soft drink. They placed an order of fries by mistake, but told me to keep it.

The fries were crispy but tasted just so so. The rings were also crispy. The hot dog also just okay. They did have the real good shaved ice for my Coke Zero. My fried apple pie was super hot, similar to what you get at McDonalds - but better because of the way it was cooked. Several people topped their pie with ice cream, but I’d eaten enough. 

Some of the people around me were really eating a lot. One 80 year old regular ordered three hot dogs. Cash only.

In the back of the kitchen there was an old Sports Illustrated cover on the wall, featuring Marietta native Jim Nash, when he pitched for the Kansas City Athletics.

A Sprayberry High graduate, Nash pitched for the Braves from 1970-1973.

I spent an hour at Anna’s, holding baby Miller while A&C packed their pickup. Then I drove Goose home. Then I had more errands to run:

To Office Depot for a box and print a label to ship the vintage Broncos football helmet I’d sold on eBay. 

Then to Dicks Sporting Goods for some hiking sticks for Saturday’s Kennesaw Mountain hike. Wasn’t crazy about the cork handles, but they were on sale - and looked cooler than the dorky looking more expensive pair with rubber handles.

Earlier, Ceil’s plans changed again on Friday morning. At 7:50 am she said she was driving to SC herself, as soon as she got ready. Took her almost 2 hours to get ready. She even fixed herself breakfast and sat down and ate it.

That left me alone to move the bed and rug from one bedroom to another. While C was getting ready I straightened up the house, walked Winnie, and woofed down some leftovers for breakfast.

Five minutes after C had left, there was a knock on the door. The deliveryman was there with our new bed. I hadn’t moved the old one yet. He helped me, not initially realizing it wouldn’t take long. Then he and his coworker screwed together the new bed. Nice to be going from a double bed back to a queen. Winnie approved.

At the same time the water department was outside fixing the hole they’d left in my yard a few weeks ago. All the trucks just about blocked the street.

R.I.P. Bob Horner

Former Braves third baseman Bob Horner passed away this week. He was 68. 

The Braves drafted Horner out of Arizona State, and he immediately played for Braves, hitting a home run in his first game. He never played a day in the minor leagues, though Ted Turner once tried to send him down during a slump.

Horner is the most recent Brave to hit four home runs in a game. For years he played third base, but eventually moved to first base after suffering a series of injuries. In an effort to change his luck, Horner changed his number from 5 to 11.

Some thought Horner to be overweight, but it never affected his mobility.

One of the reasons I'm posting these photos: Horner wore some classic Braves uniforms - starting with the red pinstripes and the red BP jerseys from the late 70's, the 1980's home unis trimmed in red, white, and blue, and the powder blue road uniforms. 

Horner and Dale Murphy were rookies the same year. From then on the two were often mentioned together: Murphy and Horner, Horner and Murphy. 

Another thing about Horner - in his career he wore several different brands of cleats: Brooks, Puma, and others.

Gary Matthews, Horner, 1B Chris Chambliss, and Murphy.

Horner famously jumped to the Japanese league, and the fans there loved him. His nickname was The Red Devil. He slugged 31 homers in 93 games, threatening records set by Japan's home run king - causing quite the stir.

Horner finished his career with the Cardinals, but manager Whitey Herzog didn't get a long with him.

BOB HORNER [Wiki Bio] was the only player to hit four home runs in a game in the 1980s. On 06-Jul-1986, at home in Atlanta against the Expos, Horner went deep 4 times, three off Andy McGaffigan and once off Jeff Reardon. The most recent four-home-run game before his was Mike Schmidt’s in 1976.  The next one following Horner’s belonged to Mark Whiten in 1993. Horner was chosen #1 in the first round of the 1978 MLB June Amateur Draft. After a stellar college career, he bypassed the minor leagues entirely. His first professional game was in the majors. Horner was the first winner of the Golden Spikes Award. He debuted in the majors with the Braves on 16-Jun-1978, a mere 8 days since his final game at Arizona State University in the NCAA College World Series. In the 6th inning of his first game, Horner hit the first of his 218 career home runs off Bert Blyleven. Horner was voted the 1978 National League Rookie of the Year, edging out Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith. Horner was an All Star in 1982, and received MVP votes in 1979, 1980 & 1983. In 1982 Horner was an important part of getting the Braves into the postseason, winning their first NL West division championship since 1969.