Atlanta Braves Leaving Fulton County: Dale Murphy
By Dan Horton
Atlanta Braves Leaving Fulton County, The Man Behind the Moments
There are two people not in the Hall of Fame that I think should be: Shoeless Joe Jackson and Dale Murphy.
You can’t pick out any one moment that involves Dale Murphy and single it out. They’re all memorable, they’re all great, and they’re all-time!
I went through my days playing baseball in high school wearing #3 because of him. I would get asked time and time again why I wore #3. The assumption was always Babe Ruth. The answer was always Dale Murphy.
Dale Murphy gave Atlanta, and its fans, memories and moments that will last for generations. During a time when wins were far and few between in Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, the saving grace was Dale Murphy.
As a small boy, in a northern Alabama town, I liked the Braves (which I grew to love), but I loved Dale Murphy. He was my hero, my idol, my example.
The cool, calm bat wiggle just before getting set in the box. A swing so powerful, it looked effortless. A defender so agile and quick in the outfield, it made up for his shortcomings behind the plate as a catcher and at first base.
The man every pitcher feared, every player wanted as a teammate, and every young boy in the south wanted to emulate.
Murphy was a great baseball player; he is a better man. The accolades for Murphy go far beyond the field of play.
Former Dodger pitcher, Hall of Famer, and current Braves broadcaster Don Sutton, has been quoted as saying that, “Dale may be the only guy I know who could call 24 guys in one locker room a good friend”.
That’s the man he continues to be.
Murphy has taken his love for the game, his passion for teaching the youth, and his work with the Braves year after year in Spring Training to the next level. He is instilling values and morals in an effort to teach young kids, that it’s not all about home runs.
During the rise and pinnacle of the steroid era, Murphy launched the I Won’t Cheat Foundation. The I Won’t Cheat Foundation seeks to educate youth on not only the game, but how to play the game right, with your God given ability and without the aid of PEDs.
Murphy also just announced, not too long ago, his first ever youth baseball camp. You can learn about it here by visiting DaleMurphyBaseball.com, but Murphy continues to give back to the game, community, and the youth.
However, when I thought, though, that I could not have anymore respect for the man, I learned about the trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies and broke the hearts of Braves Country everywhere.
It wasn’t until I was an adult and found Murphy’s blog on his website, DaleMurphy.com. In a blog post from July 27th, 2011 titled Getting Traded to the Philles — The Rest of the Story, Murphy chronicles the reasons behind the trade that he asked for.
Yeah, it surprised me too. It’s a fantastic read!
Every kid has his favorite team and favorite ball player. Mine was Dale Murphy. I don’t know Murphy personally, but he made me strive to be a better player, and an even a better person. I’m sure his example did that for a lot of kids.
So, thank you Dale, for everything you did and what you continue to do. You’re Hall of Fame in my book. #3 on the field, #1 in our hearts!