Bob Murphy’s voice, in all its wonderful, bizarre, idiosyncratic glory, was the soundtrack to the first 35 years of my baseball life.  When I first listened to him, I just liked the way he sounded. Later in my life I later came to realize what an incredible talent the man had to help you visualize a game of baseball over the radio.  He announced a game with nuance and panache.   

 

Bob Murphy had phrases and sayings that were all his own.  Lines you haven’t heard from a broadcaster before or since.  Even lines that were not specific to  Bob sounded different coming from him. 

 

My friends and I have long enjoyed comparing our favorite Murphyism’s.  It usually involves lots of beer, and always involves the mandatory homage to his unique tone and delivery.  It seems you can’t say a  Murphyism without slipping into an imitation of him.

 

In 1997, mostly as a goof, but very much in his honor, my friend Bruce and I got the URL bobmurphy.com and made up a website to construct the consummate list of Bob Murphy sayings.  We encouraged people to submit their own favorites and let viewers vote on their favorite Murphyism.  The site has been down for a very long time but yesterday I got my friend to find and dust-off that database of sayings.  Here, online for the first time in almost 8 years are some of the keepers (thanks to all those that contributed):

 

 

 Pure Murpyhisms

·          Its a beautiful day for baseball, the sky is a brilliant shade of blue

·          The Mets yearbook is a beautiful addition to your baseball library.

·          Baseball is a game of redeeming features.

·          How many times has the player who made an outstanding defensive play to end the inning led off in the following frame.

·        It all started back in the third inning. Agee singled, Clendennon singled, and then Cleon Jones delivered a timely base hit and there was no looking back

·          That was an excuse-me base hit.

·          It was a “seeing-eye” base hit.

·          They call that a “tweener”, Ralph

·          He has all the daring of a riverboat gambler...

·          He could have hit that one out of silo.

·          Its a game of "What have you done for me lately”

·          Now, Bobby Jones is looking at Nine miles of bad road.

·          Ohhh That Willie McCovey hits them a mile high and a mile long

·          Matlack checks the runners, kicks and deals. 

·          Saturday afternoon will be New York Mets cap day. Each fan 13 years of age and under will receive a New York Mets cap with the Met facsimile logo right on the front. 

·          Those fine young Met arms

 ·         And with the helmet’s adjustable strap inside, one size fits all

·          He hit it hard...but he hit it foul.

·          We will be back in a moment with the happy recap.

·          ...and Ron Swoboda around in right

·          Del Unser has hit safely in 3 of his last 5, 7 of his 12, 19 of his 31 and 25 of his last 42  ball games.

·          There’s no better family entertainment value than a New York Mets baseball game. 

·          I prefer to call it a billy-goat strap - its fun to say!  (regarding Steve Yeager’s protective strap)

·          You never throw a slider to "The Glider." 

·          ….the Met team picture, suitable for framing.

·          And now the count goes to three and two.  Three and two, what will he do?

·          Frank Howard is a mountain of a man.  He could tame a bear with a buggy whip.

·          He turns around as though to bunt.

·          Fasten your seat belts, everybody.  We are headed to the ninth inning.

·          With the crack of the bat, you’re in front of the crowd in you stylish Members Only jacket.  

·          Swung on and a hiiiigh fly ball to deeeep right field.

·          Here to paint the word picture for you is Gary Cohen

·          He has world class speed.

·          The San Diego Padres will be in town September 26th, 27th and 28th.  Plenty of good seats are still available.

·          Were coming to you live from Jarry Park in Montreal

·          Wayne Garret has warning track power, Lindsay

·          Milner cowtails the bat around

·          We have a real pier-six brawl going on at home plate.

·          Hit it a ton

·          The weatherman is cooperating: just a few harmless cumulus clouds in the sky

·          Rusty Staub ran as fast as those chubby little legs could carry him.

·          Gary, we are just one out away from honeydew season, honey do this honey do that

·          And Willie Stargell steps to the plate to face Tom Seaver. You have a fastball pitcher against one of the premier homerun hitters in the game.  Its Power vs. Power!

·          New York Mets baseball is brought to you by  Nobody Beats the Wiz, who would like to remind  you that Nobody Beats the Wiz

·          Just some high cumulus clouds, not the kind of clouds that bring rain, just the kind that make for a great day of baseball

·          The pitch is on the way.  Strike three!  Ooooooh, John Franco has done the job so well this year time and time again.

·          Frank Viola has just struck out the side here in the fifth inning, and oooooh is the music sweet.

·          The first base umpire is 6 foot, 6 inch Lee Weyer and umpiring behind the plate is  big John McSherry from the Bronx  

·          The Expos will be without the services of JOHN BACABELLA tonight, and believe you me you really miss such a heady ball player

·          The carousel will be in motion.

·          Remember, banners will be judged on originality and neatness.  Also, only one and two man banners are eligible.

·         The windup and the pitch......looogout!!!!

 

Then there was the “You Know” Series – letting you know that an early trend was just a fluke:

·          You know Willie Montanez will be hitting .280 before the season is over.

·          You know that at the end of the year Whitey Herzog is going to have his Cardinals right  near the top of the division

·          Keith Hernandez is a perennial .300 hitter

                                                                                  

 

He had his own way with names, be it using a players full given name, working with a nickname, or just using his own unique pronunciation:

·          And Joseph Paul Torre walks slowly to the mound

·          David Arthur Kingman clubbed a monstrous home run his last time up.

·          Brooklyn-born Lee Mazzilli.

·          "Big Lee Smith"

·          “Little" Elio Chacon

·          Little Alvin Jackson from Waco

·          And Lenny Dykstra, the man they call Nails, comes to the plate. 

·          Batting eighth, Jose Lind: L-I-N-D.

·          Ooooh, Great pitching fro Rick Aggie-lara

·          "Wilver" Stargell

·          Darrell McKinley Harrelson

·          George Thomas Seaver

·          Gerald Wayne Grote

·          They call Dave Kingman "King Kong", but he likes to be known as "Sky King”

·          Now on to pitch for the Mets will be Ta-kash-hi Kash-hi-wader. 

·          Old Scrapiron, Phil Garner.

 

 

 

And bonus points for those who recall the holy grail of subtle Murpyhisms, Bowling for Dollars  on Channel 9.  Bob worked in front of a live audience of about 11.

·          Marcia will be bowling for her and her partner, David Ortega from Rego Park. If she gets a strike in this frame, they will both split the pot of $83

·          I’m sorry Marcia but you will not go home empty handed. You will receive $8 for knocking down all of those pins.

·          Ten Dollars for you, and ten dollars to your Pin Pal

·          That’s PIN PALs, PO BOX 969, Secaucus NJ 07049. That address again is PIN PALs  PO BOX 969, Secaucus NJ 07...04...9

 

 

 

Please add to the list if we’ve left a good one out.  Murph, you were the best.  You are gone but not forgotten, especially on Opening Day.