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Both of the following aricles are from the December 1998 ChopTalk and were written by Ray Glier. Be sure to voice your opinion on the articles by voting for or against Dale Murphy as a hall-of-famer! The ballot is on the main page.
The Candidate
Someone always handed Dale Murphy the itinerary. The bus leaves at 1. The plane leaves at 3. Check into this hotel. Get ready for the game by 5. When he played professional baseball, somebody else was behind the wheel driving for Murphy, a two-time MVP (1982-83) for the Braves. He just played the game.
These days, it's a different game for Murphy, one of only five players in franchise history to have his number (3) retired. His hands are on the wheel. He drives the car.
Murphy is serving as president of the Massachusetts Boston Mission for the Mormon church. He is in the second year of a three-year stint directing, counseling, and inspiring 230 missionaries in Massachusetts and Vermont.
Murphy and his wife, Nancy, packed up seven of their eight children and left a small town in Utah for the big city while their oldest son, Chad, stayed behind to finish high school. They traded mountains for mountains of buildings. They traded the serene lifestyle for the hustle and bustle of a major metropolitan area.
"It's an honor to be asked to do this," said Murphy whose children are enrolled in public school in Boston. "It's a real challenge, too. I have to be an administrator, which, if you knew me when I played, is quite a task. I had trouble keeping my locker organized. I had people always telling me where to be and what time to be there.
"I've never been in charge of anything like this or been responsible for this many people."
The typical age for a young man or woman in the Mormon church to go on a mission is 19. But Murphy was just beginning a fabulous career at that age, so he stayed with the game. Now 42, Murphy is fulfilling an obligation to the church. He doesn't get paid, though he and his family live in a home owned by the Mormons and they receive some money for groceries.
Murphy's job is to help and train the missionaries, the white shirt and tie-clad 19- and 20-year-old who spread a Christian message through streets, towns, and cities around the world. Murphy's job is also to look over the missionaries, particularly those who have to deal with violence in mean neighborhoods. One of Murphy's missionaries was shot in the arm with a pellet gun in November. Another had things thrown at him walking along a street.
"We go into some tough areas, and a lot of times, people are not interested," Murphy said. "I encourage them and talk to them and tell them, ‘You're going to help somebody today.' We all try and help each other.
"This connects the missionaries to real life. Many of them come from nice homes and universities and are pretty much insulated from this environment. They meet people with real challenges."
Murphy met one man with a real challenge. He's in a wheelchair, has been shot, been on drugs, left his wife and kids, and has a severe back problem.
"He wants to turn his life around," Murphy said. "I've been able to meet him and make a spiritual connection. You're not thinking about that night's game and, ‘Man, are we going to win?'. You're thinking about real life, a real challenge."
Murphy isn't sure what challenges await him after his missionary work is complete in a year and a half.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm focused on this," he said. "We'll go back to Utah and think about it."
Does he want to return to Atlanta?
"We'll never rule out coming back," Murphy said. "We liked Atlanta very much. We feel connection in Atlanta, but our children are very settled in Utah. They are looking forward to going back there."
Murphy said he'll never rule out returning to baseball either. The Braves, Phillies and Rockies, the three teams he played for, all left the door open for a possible job.
"I don't see myself pursuing anything soon," said Murphy, who worked as a spring training instructor for the Cardinals in 1994. "I miss it, but it's a rough schedule. I'm home a lot more now."
Murphy may be through with baseball, but baseball isn't through with him. Now that he's been retired for five years, he is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Results of the December vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America will be announced in early January.
"It's an honor to be considered, but I don't think it's going to happen right away," Murphy said. "I think I have some statistics, though, that warrant consideration. I'll sit and watch what happens."
The Great Debate
"Murphy is the closest thing there is to an all-American boy."
-Former Braves and current Yankees manager Joe Torre
This month, and perhaps in the next few Decembers, some Hall of Fame voters will find themselves "on the fence" when they're filling out their ballots. They'll have difficulty deciding whether or not to vote for former Braves outfielder Dale Murphy, perhaps the most-popular player in franchise history.
Murphy's numbers on the field are pretty good: 398 home runs, back-to-back National Leauge MVP awards in 1982 and ‘83. The only other back-to-back MVPs in National League history are Ernie Banks (‘58-59), Joe Morgan (‘75-76) and Mike Schmidt (‘80-81), who are in the Hall, and Barry Bonds (‘92-93), who most likely will join them.
Still, some voters are expected to have reservations.
Then, the off-the-field heroics come into view: The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1985, the Roberto Clemente Award in 1988. That's not to mention his current assignment that caused him to leave his home in Utah with his wife and children to work in a Mormon mission in Boston for three years.
Some voters most certainly will allow that to influence their decision and they'll put an "x" next to Murphy's name.
The question is: How many? And will the voters send Murphy to Cooperstown this year, his first on the ballot, or sometime in the future? The answers will start to materialize in early January when the results of this year's ballot are announced.
Only those who have been members of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 10 or more years may vote. To be elected, a player must have been retired for at least five years and receive at least 75 percent of the voted cast.
Is Dale Murphy a Hall of Famer? Let the debate begin.
"He's just a human being," said Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, a member of the BBWAA who votes for the Hall of Fame. "If he's on the fence, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt, don't you?
"He's got a shot, but he's not a shoo-in. If I had to guess, he will eventually go in. It might not be on the first ballot, but I think he'll get in."
One thing working against Murphy initially is that the competition is stiff: Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount and Carlton Fisk are also on the ballot for the first time this year. There haven't been more than three players voted into the Hall by the BBWAA in one year sice 1955.
Rich "Goose" Gossage and Jack Morris go on the ballot in 2000. Don Mattingly, Kirby Puckett, Dave Stewart and Dave Winfield come up in 2001. Gary Carter and Tony Perez are still out there for consideration, too.
Hagen said the difference between Murphy getting in now, later or not at all might be two home runs. The slugger finished his career with 398 homers– 400 is considered a benchmark.
Rod Beaton, a national baseball writer for USA TODAY, said although Murphy won back-to-back MVPs in ‘82 and ‘83, it's still questionable whether he'll make it through the doors at Cooperstown.
"I think it's a borderline call," Beaton said. "I haven't decided yet. He brought a lot of style and class to the position . The quality of the person should stand for something."
Stay tuned.
Email: javydaman@juno.com
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