Jackson, TN - Hall of Fame and World Grand Champion Trainer Jimmy McConnell and reigning Four-Year-Old World Grand Champion and this year’s Germantown Champion Dark & Shady were proud to represent the Tennessee Walking horse at the 35th Southern League All-Star Baseball Game held June 21, 2011 at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tennessee. This stellar team had the honor of delivering the ball to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam so that he could throw out the first pitch. Prior to delivering the ball, Jimmy and Dark & Shady strutted their stuff for the gathering crowd of approximately 7,000, which included folks from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee. The teams of the Southern League, which was established in the late 19th century, are Double A representatives of ten Major League teams. The All-Star Game attracts media from throughout the southeast and is the culmination of two days worth of exhibitions, contests and celebrations. This exhibition of an outstanding representative of the the performance Tennessee Walking Horse was brought forth through the efforts of Steve and Reese Smith and the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association. Steve Smith, a former president of TWHBEA, learned of the opportunity and contacted Executive Director Ron Thomas, who made the arrangements with Jimmy McConnell and Dark & Shady’s owners, the Molly Walters family.