Dee Gordon is pretty fast, but when the Miami Marlins visited the Atlanta Braves’ new home in SunTrust Park, Gordon was introduced to another speedster.
He wore an aqua-blue body suit, over-sized ski googles and in the blink-of-an-eye, ran along the warning track from the left foul pole to the right one. In Atlanta, this man is known as ‘The Freeze’.
“He’s slow,” Gordon said per Richards.
'The Freeze' has garnered national attention by racing a fan before the beginning of the third inning during Braves' games. He gives his opponent a five-second head start, giving the hopeful fan a chance. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, 'The Freeze' appears leaving the fan in the dirt and finishing first.
Sometimes the fan is literally left in the dirt.
The man under the massive ski googles is Nigel Talton, a 26-year old member of the Braves' grounds crew. According to the AJC's JuliaKate Culpepper, "Talton's speed was first noticed by the Braves when he sprinted on the grass at Turner Field performing his grounds-crew duties."
Culpepper also notes that Talton’s future goals include graduating from Kennesaw State University in December, and qualifying for the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Unfortunately, Gordon, who has been clocked at running 21.1 mph, probably won’t be racing ‘The Freeze’ anytime soon.
Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly said per Richards that he “doesn’t want [Gordon] to pull a hamstring,” running from foul pole to foul pole. Mattingly admitted though with the five-second head start Gordon would probably smoke ‘The Freeze.’
But what if Gordon and Talton started at the same time? That would make for one heck-of-a race.
About the Author
