Racing mascots Johnny, George and Reba join the Nashville Sounds
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The Nashville Sounds recently introduced a new ballpark tradition: The Country Legends Race.
This First Tennessee Park spectacle is the Music City equivalent of pepperoni rolls in West Virginia, mayors in Tri-Cities or spiedies in Binghamton. That is to say, a regionally specific triumvirate of costumed characters that engage in heated between-inning battles on a nightly basis. Some Sounds fans put their Cash on Johnny, others have a Jones for George and still others root for Reba the McEntire way. But regardless of one's specific preference, the Nashville sound is now well-represented by the Nashville Sounds.
Frank Ward, the Sounds' owner and acting general manager, said that the Country Legends Race was something he had always wanted to do.
"The challenge was getting the stars to agree, whether they were living or if we were dealing with their estate," said Ward. "Reba McEntire was the first to give us permission. She's a fan. She said she'd love it. And once we got that first star, we went to the estates of Johnny Cash and George Jones and they were in favor of it.
We're hoping that as it picks up momentum we can have a cadre of stars alternating in different races."