Memories Of Murph

This page is where other Murphy fans can share why they think Murphy was special, what he meant to them, and their feelings on the Hall of Fame issue. If you would like to submit a recollection of Dale, just fill out this form or e-mail me your name and message. Messages can be a few sentences or a few paragraphs.

I'm considering putting all of these messages in a file and sending it to the Hall of Fame or the BBWAA or whoever when Dale Murphy is eligible for election to the HOF. If you have any ideas of where to send this file or if you know the individual e-mail address of a baseball writer (who votes for the HOF), please e-mail me.

And if you're one of the privileged writers who vote for inductees to the Hall of Fame, take a look at some of the passages below. They're real eye-openers!

Before fantasy baseball became such a huge thing, I was the scourge of our local rotisserie league - mainly because I carried Dale Murphy on my team. He was awesome!!!

I believe Murph should be in the Hall of Fame based on his gentlemanly conduct on the field as much as the terrific statistics he posted.

This guy was Mr. Baseball for a good 10 years - at a time when Baseball was sorely in need of his example.

Like many, Murph was my childhood hero. I've read nearly all these recollections of him and tears have come to my eyes. Thanks for the input people! I attended both Dale Murphy Appreciation Night and when they retired his jersey, and tears came to my eyes then also. It takes a lot for me to cry, but Murph meant a lot to me as a child growing up. I really miss watching him play and looking at the paper every morning to see how many times he struck out or hit one out!

I have been a fan of Dale Murphy for about 15 years now, and plan to be a fan for as long as I live. There aren't many guys left in sports today that kids can look up to like you could with Dale. Dale was probably the only reason that I ever watched a Braves game during the 80's. He was a true gentleman and a true superstar. If the HOF passes on Dale they will be passing on a man that defines the true meaning of baseball. Unlike the Albert Belle's and Roberto Alomar's of today, Dale proved that a guy can respect the fans, coaches, and umpires and still be successful. His career .270 batting average, nearly 2200 games played, 398 HR, and nearly 1300 RBI prove this. And he did all of this while making a lot less money than Mr. Belle.

My all-time favorite memory of Dale is probably from a game that I was at in Atlanta. My dad and I made the 3 hour trip to Atlanta about 3 or 4 times a season while Dale was with the Braves. I don't even remember who the Braves were playing or who won, but I do remember Dale hitting a homer over the right field fence about 15 rows from where I was sitting. I know that that was just one out of 398, but it was the only one I ever saw Dale hit in person.

Thanks for the years of memories Dale, and thanks for giving me a reason to watch the Braves.

When I think of the Atlanta Braves I automatically think of Dale Murphy. I can not remember watching a game without him when I was younger. Every night my dad and I would gather in our den and watch him play. Even though I am a girl, my dad wanted to expose me to a great man on and off the field and I am so thankful that he did. I think Murphy should definitely be inducted into the Hall of Fame not only because of his more than noteworthy accomplishments on the field but also those off the diamond. He went beyond the duties of his career and has surpassed every other player. Dale Murphy is without a doubt my hero and should get what he so greatly deserves, induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame!!!

Dale Murphy was, is, and will always be bigger than life. I saw him when I was 8. I was with my family on the once-a-year "Braves trip". I was standing by the walkway that leads down under the stadium, hoping to see a player. I heard someone laughing, turned around, and there was Dale Murphy and Bruce Benedict, walking toward the walkway, in full uniform, joking about something. They walked past me and disappeared down the ramp. This was the first time I'd ever seen a "real, live, baseball player" :) outside of TV or a ballfield.

Although I couldn't tell you the score, or even who the Braves were playing, those few seconds of watching Murphy and Benedict have stuck with me ever since.

I'm actually a lifelong Phillies fan, but when the Phils acquired Murph, I was absolutely thrilled. Even though he wasn't the player he once was, he was still the same man he always was. He had always been my favorite non-Phillie. Anyway, one night in '91 my friend and I were going to go to the Vet to see the game, but for some inexplicable reason, I guess laziness, we decided not to go. I listened to the whole game on the radio that night and literally leaped out of bed when I heard Harry Kalas' voice in the bottom of the 11th inning: "Murphy just needs needs a fly ball to get the winning run home. Bases loaded one out. Here's a long drive! Watch this baby! Way, way outta here! A tremendous grand slam by Dale Murphy in the 11th inning and the Phillies have won the game 6-2." I could have kicked myself. My favorite player after Mike Schmidt retired before I ever got to see him hit a home run. Had I gone that night, it would have been the ultimate.

I believe Dale Murphy has to be the best player to ever play for the Braves, except for maybe Hank Aaron. He never had anything bad to say to anyone, & he did not run his mouth like he was a bigshot. He was always willing to sacrifice himself for whatever was best for the team! Besides being a good sport, he could hit, field, & run pretty good.

I do not believe there should be any question when it comes time to decide on whether or not Murphy should be admitted into the Hall Of Fame. He should make it with flying colors.

The very first MLB game I attended was @ Fulton County, 7/31/85. The Braves were playing the Padres. My dad got us there early to watch batting practice, and to no one's surprise, Murph sent several out of the park. The actual game was lackluster until the late innings when Murph hit a home run to send it into extra innings and the Braves went on to win.

It was a sad sight in 1988-90 to watch Murph struggle at the plate as the Braves consistently lost. It was clear that Murph had the weight of the entire organization on his back while Turner was rebuilding the team through its farm system. I can't blame Ted for looking to the future, but I do hold him responsible for the rapid deterioration of Murph's hitting skills in '88 and '89. He should have traded him then before it became to late. Then, maybe there would be no question about Murph's Hall of Fame status, because 400 HRs would have definitely been reached and possibly 500. Who knows, Murph might just now be talking about retirement.

For me personally, the only way baseball can begin to redeem itself from the '94 strike is to have Dale Murphy inducted into the Hall of Fame immediately upon eligibilty.

I miss Dale being with Atlanta. Those championships rightfully belong to him. He was Atlanta before they brought a team down here!

Not a lot of players in baseball, in my opinion, past or present, represent the "total man" qualities exhibited by Dale Murphy. How ironic it is that he has somehow fallen through the cracks of major league baseball "greatness" when he is in fact the very epitome of the ideal baseball legend. And in view of recent disillusionment with the game and its players, it is all the more ironic that we somehow place the wrong type of player on a pedestal - those who are the most self-serving and selfish. When Dale was down here he was a team player, even though he was a superstar on a team that was always in the basement. Luckily he did not go unnoticed by many, and your efforts are appreciated.

I have been a fan of yours every since I knew who the Braves were. I sent you a letter when I was little and you sent a picture of you and signed it. Ever since then I've played better baseball.

All that I can remember about baseball when I was a young boy was Dale Murphy and the Atlanta Braves. In fact, Dale Murphy was the Atlanta Braves!!!!!

I am not much of a statistic fan, but I do remember that Dale Murphy was one of the greatest players in his era. I also agree that he belongs in Cooperstown. He was much more than just a baseball player, he was a role model for many young boys as myself.

Thank you for letting me express my feelings about a person who is truly a great man.

I became a Braves fan when I was in Kindergarten. I was five years old and the year was 1981. He quickly became my favorite player because his great play and his cool temper impressed me. I am now a junior at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR. Dale has always been my favorite player and I am trying to get his address so I can send him a baseball card so he can autograph it. I would really like to meet Murph one of these days and I think that would be one of the happiest days of my life. Dale is up for the for the Hall of Fame in a couple years and I think he'll get in. Dale is my hero and will always be my hero.

I have no direct recollection of any certain Murphy event but he still is my hero. I am currently 14 years old and he has been my hero for as long as I can remember. I love the game of baseball and I started watching the Braves on TBS when I was about 3 years old. That is when he became my hero and even when all my freinds liked Ken Griffey, Jr. I still loved Dale Murphy. I like him for two reasons: his non-arrogance and his talent. I survived the 80's as an Atlanta fan and was happy to see them win the league and become world champions this year; it's just too bad Dale Bryan Murphy wasn't wearing number 3 in Atlanta when it happened.

I remember back in the not so great days of the Braves, 1987 to be exact, my family went to go see the Braves play two games in Atlanta. One was versus the San Francisco Giants and the other was versus the San Diego Padres and before the game Murph was signing some autographs and kids were lined up forever. Granted not every kid got an autograph due to the fact that there were so many, but had it been up to Murph he would have stayed until every kid has his Dale Murphy autograph. He had to be virtually dragged away by one of the assistant managers. A while later, we (my brother and I) sent Dale a card to be autographed and sent through the mail and it was forever until we got it back. We sent a card probably around late 1988 and we got it back in 1993. I thought that was incredibly awesome. He still took time to sign our autograph after all that time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dale at a Big Brothers Big Sisters luncheon in 1995 and it will be a memory that will last a lifetime for me. Sometimes one is dissapointed when they meet their sports heros but when I met Dale he was just as classy and gracious as I figured he would be. He took the time to talk to me and sign autographs. He ate lunch with a table full of children and he genuinly enjoyed being with them. If there were more Dale Murphys in the baseball world, then baseball wouldn't have the problems that it has now.

First I have to thank TBS for showing Braves games. I am from Boston and I know how to appreciate good ball players. Dale Murphy was a great player on the field and off the field as well. You can put him in the same category as Cal Ripken, Kirby Puckett, and Ted Williams. On the field he was the definition of what a great ballplayer should be. I can just thank God For letting me see this great ball player in action.

Everyday after school in the spring and summer I would come rushing home from school and flick on the Braves game. I loved the Braves, but even more I loved Dale Murphy. I used to get into fights with anyone who would dare to disrespect Murph. Usually they did it to get to me, because they felt the depth of my love for the guy and people didn't understand it. But to me, Dale Murphy was as classy and perfect as any man could be. People do not realize sometimes that baseball is a business that is played out on the screen for millions of kids to see everyday. I remember Murph smiling, laughing, carrying himself with pride. So many ballplayers today forget that they are role models. I know they are because Dale Murphy was mine. I'll never forget what he stood for and what he gave me everyday. His love of the game and the way that he played it should be a model for other ball players. My biggest dream was realized when I got to see the Murph play for the Phil's before he retired. When his number was retired in Atlanta I cried. He was so special to me, I don't think its possible to comprehend it. If he doesn't get into the Hall on his superior numbers alone, he ought to get in for being the type of man he was.

I have many memories of Dale from the years here in Atlanta. . . and I was thrilled to get to know Dale and Nancy personally and visit him at his house.

He is an amazingly wonderful person and continues to be so. He is a positive inspiration for everyone.

My best to Dale and to your good work here.

P.S. Of course, he belongs in the Hall of Fame !!

The memory I most vividly recall about Dale Murphy was when I received his autograph. I sent Wally Joyner's Idols card with Dale's picture on it to Mr. Murphy and about a month later it came back in the mail with his signature on it. I have liked Dale Murphy since I was a little boy and I can't wait to see him inducted into the HOF.

Growing up I remember watching the Braves on WTBS. Dale was always my favorite player. I collected as many of his baseball cards as I could find and watched every game I could. When I was 11 or 12 I got the best birthday present I ever recieved. A Dale Murphy baseball glove. Dale Murphy is a great human as well as one of the great players of all-time. It will be a great tragedy if he is overlooked by the Hall.

Dale was my first real exposure to baseball. I started following the Braves in 1982 when they started the season 13-0. Murph was the closest thing to "The Natural" that I ever knew. I finally met him in person at the Phillies spring training in 1993. The kids still loved him and I got my Braves hat autographed by the big guy. He'll always hold a special spot for any true Braves fan.

I went to St. Louis to watch the Braves play. Murphy went 4 for 4 or 5 for 5..can't remember. What was most important is after the game he signed autographs until the team secretary made him quit to catch the bus. He apologized to the kids and the parents that he did not get to sign for everyone. I was sitting behind the dugout with my wife and she could not get over the generosity either. I will never forget him doing that and baseball is less without him. I umpired minor league baseball for 4 years after this incident and i learned not to like the ballplayers because of their behavior. However, I will always be a Dale Murphy fan.

I grew up in Marietta, Ga., and went to Fulton Co. Stadium about ten times a summer to see the Braves. The teams weren't always great, but Murph was. I know he was a nice guy and all, but on top of that he just had a presence about him that commanded respect. Fans of other teams undoubtedly didn't like him, but rarely would you hear degrading comments made towards him-much like Cal Ripken today.

I fear that the fair-weather Braves fans today know little about the history of the franchise, and what men like Murphy meant. When he's eligible for the Hall in '99, 15 years will have passed since his prime. Let's hope the memories are still alive in the voters' minds, too.

I have been a Dale Murphy fan as long as I can remember.

He definitely should be in the Hall of Fame. He is a class act, a great person.

During Dale's last year with the Phillies, I got the opportunity to see him play in spring training. He was taking fielding practice before the game and a group of kids were screaming at him, asking for his autograph. He threw down his glove and ran over to the kids in the stands. He signed for every kid that wanted his autograph.

When I was four years old my father took me to a Los Angeles Dodger game. I remember that it was before the game started and I was down by the visitors dugout trying to get autographs.The only person to approach my father and I was Dale Murphy. He shook my hand, signed a baseball and chatted with me for a few minutes. This moment changed my life--from that moment on I have had a love for the game of baseball and the Atlanta Braves.

I collected over three hundred Dale Murphy cards and I have followed the Braves trying out for the UCLA Bruins as a pitcher. Mr. Murphy, I would just like to say that you are one of the kindest people around and a fabulous role model. You have given me a love for the game of baseball and the Braves that will never be extinguished. For your great career and dedication to your fans I hope with all of my heart you are inducted to the Hall of Fame. By the way, my lucky number is 3.

In 1988, I was headed to Wrigley Field to see Dale play for the first time. I had idolized him ever since I had started following baseball. I was about 14 years old. The day before the game, it poured in Chicago. That made me excited because the game was cancelled and rescheduled as a doubleheader the day we were going.

When I woke up at the hotel the day of the game, I looked out my window. It was still pouring. But we went down to the field anyway. When we tried to get in for early batting practice, we found out that it was cancelled. So there we were, wondering if we had come all the way from Iowa to see my hero for nothing. Just then, outside of the ballpark, a taxi pulled up, and none other than my idol stepped out and started walking towards us. Now mind you, it was pouring rain outside. We were getting all soaked, and all Dale had on was a polo shirt and khaki pants, so he was hustling to get in from out of the rain. Of course, Travis (my good friend who also happened to idolize Dale) and I couldn't speak or move, we were so much in awe. So my mom yelled, "Dale!". He turned around and my mom asked if he would stop and take a picture with us. At first he said, "I really need to get inside..." But then he said, "Sure." So Dale stood out in the pouring rain with Travis and I for a couple of pictures. He even took the time to sign a baseball card for each of us. My mom went on and on about how we have followed him since we were little. He smiled and thanked us. Once the game started, we only saw an inning and a half with around 6 hours of rain delays. We only say Dale bat once, in the top of the first. He struck out on 3 pitches. It was the only opportunity I had to see him play in person.

It's been almost 10 years since the encounter, but it still remains one of the greatest days of my life. He was, is, and always will be my hero. I only hope one day we can meet again, and I can tell him face to face what an impact he has made on my life and how much his standing in the rain for a couple of junior high kids means to me to this very day.

I believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Of course, I am prejudiced about that argument. However, whether or not he ever makes it to Cooperstown, he will always be a Hall of Fame person, without question.

Dale Murphy represents everything good about the game of baseball. The words "role model" meant something to Murphy. His stats and contributions to the game speak for themselves. If Murphy is not elected to the Hall Of Fame it would be a travesty. He will always be my idol and inspiration.

When I was about 10 years old I had the opportunity to go to an Atlanta Braves baseball game with my brother and my uncle. At the time "The Murph" was my favorite player but I wasn't sure why. That game, Murphy hit a home run and made some incredible plays from the outfield. I started to begin to understand why I liked him so much. And then I saw it...following the game Murphy signed autographs and took pictures for the huge crowd around him. Somehow my brother and I got a chance to take a picture with the best player ever to play the game. As I stood there, with Murphy's arm around my bro and I, I was in a state of awe...I knew I was in the presence of one of the "Best Ever!" But not only the best player, but one of the best people too.

Nine years later I stumble across this web page and realize that, "Nobody comes close to the Murph-ster...not now, not ever!" Murphy deserves to be inducted into the Hall...and he deserves all the complements that he has gotten...plus much more.

I share your sentiment and concern that the Hall of Fame will overlook him. His feats on the field, as well as off, qualify him to not only be in the Hall, but to be considered one of the greatest of all time.

I can remember saving up when I was 10 years old to by his rookie baseball card; then his second "rookie" card; then his third...you get the picture. When I played little league, I was lucky enough to get put on the Braves and wear the number three, even though I never hit a home run in the number. I have the same signature card in my collection that you have posted at the top of the home page. I can remember going to a Giants game many years ago when the Braves were in town, and I tried to get him to come over to the stands as he was running back to locker room. While he couldn't come over, he did look over and smile. That's what I remember from the first time I ever saw him play in person.

I just wanted to say that I appreciate the page you dedicated to Dale Murphy. He was a great player and person. Too bad he isn't playing today when he is needed the most. He would be a great example to the million dollar crybabies and poor sports that the game has in it today. I know when Dale was traded it was his time to go, but they should have brought him back, like they did Pendleton, to give him a shot at a World Series ring. He deserved the chance of playing for a winning Braves team. He just didn't have luck on his side on being on a post season team. The Braves, Phillies, and Rockies all made the playoffs after he left. I feel for the "gentle giant".

Growing up in Alabama, I started watching the Braves because that's what Daddy (grossly understated longtime Braves fan) had on the television. I kept coming back to watch Dale Murphy, and in retrospect, it created more time spent with Daddy.

I've been here in Atlanta, GA for 14 years. I have listened to the Braves games when you were playing. I still listen to Don, Pete, Skip and Joe. I will still be listening until the fat lady sings.

If I were to pick out a specific moment in Murphy's career it would probably be a night in 1986. The Mets were in town, and if I recall correctly, the Braves were getting hammered (as the Mets tended to do to everyone in those days). Murph was on the bench for the first time in my Braves lifetime. While leaping against the plexiglass in center field, he had caught his hand in between the seams of the wall, cutting his palm open, a wound which required 10 stitches (I think it was that many. Time and legend have probably jaded my complete memory of the moment.). The docs were saying that Murph was shelved for about a week to 10 days. In the late innings of that game with the Mets, the Braves were in need of some moral uplift. Who do they turn to? Who else? Dale Murphy comes in and swats a pinch-hit home run, stitches and all.

Then there's that rare scene from a game against the Reds in the 1983 season. Murph's on third and the batter (I forget who) pops a bunt to first base. The first baseman makes a diving leap for the ball and the umps rule it a catch, in spite of obvious video evidence that the ball was trapped. Murphy, thinking that the ball was trapped, sprints home and is doubled up. Braves fans saw the rarest of sights that night: Murphy arguing a call. It wasn't so much an argument as it was a plea. Murph's hunched over holding his hands out to the home plate ump as if to say, "That couldn't have been a catch, sir." Even in defeat and turmoil, nothing but class.

It's difficult to pick out specific moments of Dale's career. And I ask myself 'why is that?' Perhaps it's because I carry with me a treasure of moments comprised of head-first, game-saving, sliding catches in the outfield and long, towering, majestic home runs. There are so many memories. But I think it's difficult to pick out a specific moment because he didn't "try" to make us remember. Everything I've ever read about Dale Murphy talks about how humble he was. Seeing any interview with him would tell you that. And that humility and grace spilled over onto the field, and he played the game like an immortal, but maintained a charming, boyish, "Aw, shucks. It was nothin'" approach. Unlike today's mega-media stars, he didn't flaunt. He did what he did, and let his actions speak for themselves, and that to me is worth a heck of alot more than the sight of a hitter standing at home watching his home run leave the park, partly to pretentiously admire his work, mostly to taunt.

For his approach to the game and for his stellar performance on and off the field, Dale Murphy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. And besides, he had to wear those ghastly, baby-blue away uniforms. That alone should get him canonized.

As one of the countless little kids who owes just a little of the good graces he has as a young adult to having a hero named Dale Murphy, thank you for bringing back so many memories with your page.

I think it is almost sad that we must hold on to Dale the way we do. But it is that same fact that makes him so great. It is sad that this is an age of athletes who care more about fame and fortune than hustle and sportsmanship. But to see how Dale lived and how he played the game in this age makes his story all the more impressive.

Dale Murphy, the player, is a borderline Hall of Famer. My heart says yes, my head says maybe. The great thing about Cooperstown, the thing which separates it from Canton or Springfield, is the unfair, stingy membership policies of the club. That is why it is such an honor.

But I will say this: Even if Dale Murphy, the player, did not have enough stats to make the club, this is one case where the person should make it. If Pete Rose can be denied the Hall for reasons other than stats, how can it be that Murphy the person means nothing in the decision making process?

So please, keep this page up there long enough for me to have a son and for his son to have a son, that the spirit of Dale Murphy can survive to the Alex Rodriguez's of the world. As long as this is true, the reports of baseball's demise are greatly exaggerated.

And I will buy you lunch in Cooperstown at that little soda fountain store a block down main street from the Hall on the weekend he gets in.

I moved from MN to Atlanta in first grade and moved back in second grade. I only went to one game and I still remember it to this day. Dale hit one out and Bob Horner, I think his name is, hit two out. But from then on I was a Murphy fan for life. I'm in my senior year at Maple Grove Sr. High and uniforms are being handed out today. I have $25 ready in case someone grabs Murph's # before I get to it. I can't think of a better role model to have in any sport than Dale Murphy. If the Hall doesnt let him in it loses all the respect it had from me.

Dale, You are one of the greatest. We used to see you, playing.

We salute you, from Panama City, Panama, Central America.