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Artist combines love of baseball and art to create comic book-style prints displayed in Hall of Fame
As a kid, artist Daniel Jacob Horine loved two things: art and baseball.
Horine spent most of his childhood chasing autographs and collecting baseball cards of his favorite player — 1980s Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy. He even got to hang out with the two-time NL MVP as part of the Dale Murphy Experience.
He never dreamed that one day he would get to work directly with his hero through a pandemic hobby he has turned into a small business. Through his Pop Fly Pop Shop, Horine specializes in creating nostalgic, baseball-themed collectable art.
It is only fitting that one of his comic book-style covers features Murphy.
Horine collaborates with MLB legends to create hand-drawn art prints spotlighting some of the greatest athletes in baseball history, including Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly and Nolan Ryan.
His unique artwork is being featured in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pop Fly Pop Shop has eight enlarged prints displayed within the Hall’s “Whole New Ballgame” exhibit in the museum at Cooperstown, while nine original prints are being preserved in the museum's library archives.
Horine was contacted by the Hall of Fame and Museum in 2021, expressing interest in adding several of his pieces to its collection. He knew immediately that he wanted Pop Fly Pop Shop to be a part of baseball history and donated the prints to be displayed.
The series includes: The Cobra (Dave Parker); Codebreaker: Dark Arts (Houston Astros); The Wizard (Ozzie Smith); The Green Monster (Fenway Park); The Big Red Machine (Cincinnati Reds); The Hawk (Andre Dawson); The Curse of the Bambino (Babe Ruth); World Series 75: Waving it Fair (Carlton Fisk); and Rubberband Man (Kent Tekulve).
“As a longtime baseball fan and artist, it’s a dream come true to have my artwork surrounded by sports history within the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” Horine said. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to combine my love for baseball and passion for art into nostalgic works that people can enjoy, and to have that resonate with such a large, loyal community is an incredibly humbling experience.”
Horine, who began his life homeless and grew up in foster care, wanted to channel his lifelong love for baseball and art to recapture his youth. He started Pop Fly Pop Shop as a hobby during the pandemic when a friend proposed he create a piece on former MLB All-Star Will Clark in comic book style. The project quickly grew in popularity.
Each week, Pop Fly Pop Shop drops a collectable sports-themed print on PopFlyPopShop.com, available for pre-sale for one week only. After the pre-sale period, the item is retired. The total number of items purchased that week determines the size of the print run. Select pieces are created in collaboration with the players featured in the artwork, with autographed options available for release.
Pop Fly Pop Shop is also branching into other sports, including football, and recently launched a series featuring legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.
To learn more about Pop Fly Pop Shop and view the latest drop of the week, please visit popflypopshop.com or follow @popflypopshop on Facebook and Instagram.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
