will Murphy ever get into the HOF

by coachg3 on Jan 12, 2009 2:45 PM EST Comment 35 comments

I loved watching Murphy play, when the Braves were losing 90-100 games a year he came to play everyday! He won back to back MVP awards and, played in what 7 All-Star games, and was one of the best players of his era! Will he ever get into the HOF? God I hope so. Hell, at this point I think that I would be happy if he was able to get on 55% of the ballots.

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no.

by FYFs LOBs on Jan 12, 2009 2:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If Jim Rice can

Anyone can.

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill -

by justincredubil02 on Jan 12, 2009 3:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This certainly makes you wonder

If you would have asked me yesterday I would have said no to Murph in the Hall, but now that Jim Rice is in it certainly opens the door for others who are theoretically on the “bubble”.

"Debated ya right not one person agreed with me" by ATLsportsfrk on Dec 27, 2008 6:31 PM EST

by scstrato on Jan 12, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh no, your overlooking the “fear” Jim Rice struck into the hearts of opposing pitchers. That was sarcasm for anyone unsure. Murph’s numbers are really similar to Rice’s; lower BA, more HR’s, fewer hits. The two MVP awards are Murph’s greatest claim to superiority over Rice but evidently the BBRAA doesn’t see it that way. Blyleven and to a lesser extent Tommy John belong in the HOF before Rice in any case

"Fools rush in where fools have been before"

by jeg on Jan 12, 2009 5:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tommy John was a such a dick when I met him this summer. He did sign a few cards for me, but he was so rude about it, trying to show off for some old broad that probably blew him on a road trip back in the 60s.

by cbwilk on Jan 12, 2009 5:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

nice. being a dick should deduct from your HOF creditentials but i guess its wrong to implement it now when it was not previously. My great grandfather used to bird hunt with Ty Cobb and the only time I ever heard my great grandmother swear was the day I asked about Cobb. Which I am going to go ahead and boast the best baseball memorabilia I own, a 1924 16 gauge Browning A-5 that originally belonged to Cobb and is also signed. I’m done showing off now

"Fools rush in where fools have been before"

by jeg on Jan 12, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That’s nuts. And very cool memorabilia. I’m not into stuff for the money, but I’d be very curious what a gun signed by Cobb would go for.

by cbwilk on Jan 12, 2009 6:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I would never consider selling it but would be curious as to its value. I guess I don’t have any hard evidence to verify its authenticity but I do have a picture of my great grandfather with Cobb. Anyone else have a favorite piece of memorabilia they want to share? I’d like to hear about it

"Fools rush in where fools have been before"

by jeg on Jan 12, 2009 7:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve got about 30 thousand signed baseball cards that are all pretty special, but as far as specific memorabilia goes, it’s gotta be my signed Fausto Tejero bat. Fausto played for Richmond in 97 and 98 (made the IL All Star team in 98 and won the catcher’s competition, at the game in Norfolk where I live) and was one of the nicest guys ever.

I asked him at some point in the year if he would give me a bat and he told me he’d get me one before the end of the season. The very last game of the year up in Richmond, I was standing for the National Anthem and when it finished I looked down toward the dugout and Fausto is staring daggers and pointing at me. He curls his finger telling me to come to the dugout.

I’m going to the dugout trying to figure out how I pissed him off and he goes down in the dugout, only to pop out a second later with a bat he broke in Spring Training (an actual Fausto Tejero bat, not just a pro stock model) that he personalized to me and signed. He was just fucking with me before he gave it to me. I’ve only gotten like 4 bats in all the years I’ve been around the games, and that one is by far the most special.

Aside from that, I’ve got about 15 cards and a few sweet pictures signed by my buddy Mike Cather that are pretty special. Cat is the man and he’s been great to me for over a decade now.

by cbwilk on Jan 12, 2009 7:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

30,000????

best defensive shortstop in baseball hahahahahahahahahah (omar visquel)

by mvandonsel on Jan 12, 2009 8:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, it sounds like a lot, and don’t get me wrong, it is, but my buddy that I go to games with has something like 200 thousand.

by cbwilk on Jan 12, 2009 10:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

that is a ton of autographed cards. nice story about the Tejero bat. I like it

"Fools rush in where fools have been before"

by jeg on Jan 12, 2009 9:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Great story.

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Jan 13, 2009 12:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i met Frank Robinson when i was like 14 at a fantasy baseball camp (i think thats what its called when old dudes play baseball). He was in the dugout and i asked if he could sign a ball for me. he said no. and then he turned around, a couple of seconds later he turned around and said “I can’t”… so i kinda asked why and he said “becuase you’re behind a fence, what you gonna do bout that”, i replied that i would walk around into the dugout and he obliged. He signed the ball for me and then we talked for a couple seconds. He asked about my Griffey jersey, it was by far the best autograph experience I’ve had.

Although shaking hands with Hank Aaron at the groundbreaking of Miller Park in Milwaukee, was probably the greatest baseball experience of my life (at leas greatest baseball experience not involving me in a game… that would be my first HR, which was a walkoff….ahhh glory days)

"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."

by Swo12bv on Jan 12, 2009 10:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I could relate to the first part of the story, with Frank Robinson having been a dick to me on several occasions, but the second part was some magic on your end. Good job.

by cbwilk on Jan 12, 2009 10:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ya from what I’ve heard he can be a dick, but at the same time he is really nice and cares about fans… just kinda depends on the day i suppose

Gaylord Perry on the other hand…biggest douche in the history of the world. i barely wanted his autograph after i finally got it

"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."

by Swo12bv on Jan 12, 2009 11:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

when i was 9, i went to the HOF for mike schmidt’s induction, and won a spot in this kids autograph session with various HOFers…everyone was really nice. except for warren spahn, who was a complete asshole.

and enos slaughter was so drunk that he had to leave halfway through. fantastic.

BIG JOE SUCK ONE

by bigjoe on Jan 13, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

again, exact opposite experience with Spahn… he couldnt have been friendlier, albeit it was one of those table signing deals (where u walk along a table and have each player sign w/e u want. But he seeemed to be in a great mood to me. I have heard Spahn signs for more people than anyone, or at least he has no qualms about signing autographs.

"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."

by Swo12bv on Jan 13, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe it wasn’t spahn. it was someone on that panel, though. i was so afraid i only got him on my placemat thingy and not on a postcard too

BIG JOE SUCK ONE

by bigjoe on Jan 13, 2009 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Some of the best work FireJoeMorgan ever did was the pieces they wrote about Blyleven being snubbed, and the fact that Jim Rice would eventually get inducted.

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Jan 12, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

C'mon man.

you don’t have to start a new fanpost every time you have a thought.

And no, Murph’s not getting in.

FIRE FRANK WREN! GO RED SOX! I HATE THE BRAVES! SAY GOODBYE TO MY 9 GAME FLEX PLAN MONEY! YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN!

by 10-4 on Jan 12, 2009 3:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

how else can you start a topic? is'nt this what the site is for?

by coachg3 on Jan 12, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

so, this turned into a pretty good fanpost, i guess i owe you an apology.

by 10-4 on Jan 13, 2009 10:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

apology accepted

nice Murphy cards. I have my share as well

by coachg3 on Jan 13, 2009 10:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep, I’ve also stopped hoping he’ll get in, and not being surprised when he gets increasingly lower and lower vote totals.

by gondeee on Jan 12, 2009 3:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

he’s not getting in.

if his average was 30 points higher, he’d be a carbon copy of jim rice. but alas, its not.

BIG JOE SUCK ONE

by bigjoe on Jan 12, 2009 4:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The only hope Murphy has now is that the offensive situation in baseball is trending back towards what it was when Murphy was playing. People won’t be as inclined to compare his stats to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa over the next few years. That said I just don’t see it happening. I still think he is worthy because for 10 years he was one of the 2-3 best players in the entire league. He just didn’t have anything outside of those 10 years to offer.

by yondaime4 on Jan 12, 2009 5:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It’s a little shocking how badly he fell off after 1987. He had arguably his best season (it was his highest OPS), at age 31, then he was just garbage after that. If he’d aged more gracefully, he might already be in.

"…aren’t worthy enough to hold his (Pujols) ass cheeks apart while Playboy models wipe him with thousand dollar bills after he craps out the cure to whatever previously-incurable disease." by royhobbs 1/7/09

by buzzdeadwax on Jan 12, 2009 6:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed.

It is worth nothing 87 was also an offensive spike year. I believe Dawson had his best offensive season that year as well.

I also wonder how difficult it was for him to settle in year after year when he changed positions fairly often. He spent a decent amount of time at catcher, 1B, CF and RF. Ultimately i think he spent the most time as a CFer. The impressive thing in the end though is how many categories he was first or second in the 80s. Even with 2-3 bad seasons under his belt at the end.

Probably at this point his only real chance to get in will be the veterans committee.

by yondaime4 on Jan 12, 2009 7:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Joe Posnanski made the best case today:

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/01/12/the-murph/

I think Murph falls just shy — this is coming from a guy who was born in ’72 and grew up in Atlanta worshipping Murphy. If the Hall were based entire on class, character and good citizenship, though, Murphy would be a first ballot.

by mhsiegel14 on Jan 12, 2009 6:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Best Story I have About Murphy

As most of you know, Dale Murphy is an extremely devout Mormon, which means, no carbonated beverages. Well, when I was 4, he came to Rome to do a card signing show at the Forum there. Well, my dad has me on his shoulder and wants to get the Sports Illustrated with Murph on the cover for his back-to-back MVP awards signed.

So Murphy signs it, as nice as any human to ever walk the earth, and I am drinking a Coke. I look at him, and ask him if he wants some of it, obviously not knowing. Well, my dad is dumbfounded, but Murph declined nicely and didn’t make a deal about it.

True story.

by iLukeisamazing on Jan 13, 2009 9:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

My older brother got Dale Murphy to sign a ball at a game in the 80’s. When my brother moved to South Carolina, he left the ball. Feeling my brother had disrespected the Murph, i took it with me when i moved into my own place. Its now commonlaw that the ball belongs to me now. Although i also have these:

by 10-4 on Jan 13, 2009 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

i had some upper deck murphy 8×10 that was signed that i sold a year ago…yeah

BIG JOE SUCK ONE

by bigjoe on Jan 13, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cool. Check out my profile pic; it’s one of the two cards I got the Murphy to sign this past September in Richmond. He was the man. He was trying to get from one part of the park to another and trying to sign as much as he could on the way. At a certain point the cops that were his security decided he had to go; so the cop starts pushing me away after I’ve been walking with Murph, patiently holding my card for him to take. I wasn’t having any off duty cop bully me out of getting Dale Fucking Murphy’s autograph. I glared at the cop and told him “Please don’t touch me” and somehow that crap worked and Murph finally takes my card and signs it and it super cool.
Then later he signs more in a much more relaxed situation and I get him to sign another card.

by cbwilk on Jan 13, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If Bill Mazeroski can get in, anyone can, right?

Murphy has a better HoF case than Rice. Rice was a little better with the bat, but Rice was a poor defensive corner outfielder and DH’d later in his career. Murphy was a good defensive CF. It’s pretty clear that Murphy’s the better player. The same reason why players like Sizemore and Beltran are better than someone like Carlos Quentin.

by VictorW on Jan 13, 2009 12:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs