Four years ago (I can’t believe it’s really been that long – I don’t think I even had a blog then), Arkansas’s Brian Walker earned a spot in Internet lore with this remarkable Academy Award-nominated performance against Ole Miss (ten million bonus points to anyone who can adequately explain why exactly he was so angry):
If my math is correct, that incident occurred near the end of Walker’s sophomore season with the Razorbacks. Or maybe he was a junior. Regardless, he was drafted by the Angels in the 29th round the following year and split time between the Rookie and Low A levels. He reached Double-A in 2008 and spent parts of the next three seasons there, catching and occasionally DHing for his home-state team, the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League.
Why the Brian Walker Retrospective? Because Walker hung up his catcher’s gear for the final time last night, announcing his retirement after going 2-4 with a homerun and two RBIs in a 7-2 win over Tulsa. According to the press release, he plans on getting into coaching.
Fare thee well, Brian Walker. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.
