As much as this really hurts, it’s time for me to report the death of the man they call Mr. Hoosier, Bobby ‘Slick’ Leonard. The first time I ever heard Bobby say “Boom Baby” I fell in love with him right away. There is only one Mr. Pacer. His name reminds me of a smooth Rolls Royce with a thick southern Indiana drawl. Mr. Leonard, Rest In Peace. I know what you are doing in Heaven. You are probably taking it to the hoop! My heart goes out to MJB, who worked with a name synonymous with basketball. When you think of Reggie Miller, you automatically hear two little words, boom baby, and you also think of Miller Time. The next question is will Reggie join in with the boiling over voice of the Pacers, Mark Boyle? He would be my automatic replacement for Leonard, who was 88 before he went to Pacer Heaven. Leonard also played basketball for your Indiana Hoosiers under the guidance of Branch Mc Craken. He made the winning shot in the 1953 national title tilt, and had ice in his veins. He is survived by his wife Nancy. He leaves behind a legendary career which includes 3 ABA titles as coach of the only team that matters, the Indiana Pacers. I don’t understand how a state is supposed to cope with losing a legend. My deepest condolences go to Nancy Leonard and Mark Boyle.
In October 2014, I had a chance to go one on one with an Indiana basketball icon when I was back home in Indiana where I will always feel home, because that is the soil where I was raised. I am truly blessed to have spent some time with Mr. Boom Baby. The first of the occasions happened in 2004, when we were able to sneak up on the Blue and Gold radio network when the Pacers played the Timber Puppies in a preseason tilt in Bismarck, and I got him to look right at me and utter his famous Boom Baby.
