Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Bob Murphy

It Gets By Buckner
May 4, 2002
Even through the dark years, when every Met pitcher was (in Murphy-speak) "a hard luck pitcher" and "looking down nine miles of bad road" every inning, it was always a pleasure to listen to The Murph. I heard him speak at a Met event in 1990 when he said M. Donald Grant once chewed him out for being too critical of the Mets!! If there was ever any doubt that Grant was out of his mind, that ends it. Murphy always accentuates the positive. Who can forget: "Three-two to Bass. Swing and a miss! Swing and a miss! Struck eem out! Struck eem out!" Or "It gets by Buckner!" or (one of my favorites) "They win the damn thing 10-9!" Lets hope Murph can call the Mets winning The Damn Thing this October. Vive Murphy!

Jim Snedeker
May 7, 2002
Sometimes Bob's unfailing optimism drives my dad nuts. Sure, Bob can be a pollyanna, but that's part of his charm. Who else but Bob could put a positive spin on a batting slump with "He's only batting .185 for the season, but for the past two weeks, he's been hitting at a solid .270 clip!"?

Dave from andover nj
May 14, 2002
There are so many wonderful memories of the Murph. I have spent many years since my voice changed, imitating Bob Murphy. I was at big Shea in late April Braves were in town, I went with a couple of buddies. Started broadcasting the game in Bob Murphy's voice. It was funny to see people turning around and laughing. the guy right next me to says to his friend, I hear Bob Murphy somewhere as he was looking around where the voice was coming from. I will always remember the famous call in which Mookie Wilson hits a ground trickling, and it's a fair ball! It gets by Buckner! Ray Knight around to score, The Mets will weeeiinn the ball Geeame .They weeiin! Or the ONLY time Murph ever swore on the air in a 10-9 victory in Phila. Leiine draeeeve caught by the shortstop. And the Mets have won the damned game!

Kenny M
May 29, 2002
Bob would always use the same wonderful phrases: Eddie Yost "is on the coaching lines at third"; when setting the "defensive alignment", would always say that Rusty Staub or any right fielder "is around in Right"; that a Brock, Moreno, or McBride "can fly"; referred to Cards 2nd Baseman Mike Tyson as handsome or good-looking; Kingman as David Arthur Kingman; the centerfold team picture in the yearbooks was "suitable for framing". There were so many others I lost them over time. The way he introed each player on Oldtimers Day was classic. He is the ultimate sound of the Mets.

Ed K
May 29, 2002
Bob was a bit of an acquired taste for me. In the early 1960's when I was a kid, I thought Kiner by far the best of the three announcers. Murph always seemed to be building up the opposition as an excuse for another Met loss. He'd make a nobody pitcher sound like a future hall of famer against the Mets. But ss I grew older and the Mets got better and I began to hear more alternative announcers, I learned to give Murph his due.

CJ
May 30, 2002
The finest baseball announcer that ever lived! I was so happy the day my brother called me and told me that Murph had been elected to Baseball's Hall Of Fame in 1994. I'll never forget Bowling For Dollars on WOR-TV Channel 9. I've had the pleasure of meeting Bob on several occasions. He's a great guy. And also I had a letter published about Bob in Sporting News.

Grover
June 7, 2002
Fun, exciting, and a living legend. The best of the best. The Mets are lucky to have him.

Dave
July 24, 2002
I just love Bob Murphy. I don't mean to be mean here by what I say, but if there is a man on the planet who looks exactly like Porky Pig it's Bob Murphy. It's what makes him so lovable. Also, he may lead the world in the word Beautiful during a broadcast with Marvelous coming in a close second.

Greg
July 24, 2002
In giving the Expos lineup last night, Murph referred to Andres Galarraga as "the big and gracious cat." My gosh, that is so beautiful. The man has never lost it. OK, he's lost the ability to follow the ball flawlessly and spit out every word he intends to or remember the name of every player in a particular play, but so what? He's Murph and always will be. Long may he happily recap.

ray
August 20, 2002
I remember watching a game from Wrigley around 1980. It was a very foggy spring afternoon in Chicago. The cameras panned the buildings in the distance shrouded in the fog and grayness. Ralph Kiner says to Murph, "That's exactly like my head feels." Murph didn't catch it and replied, "What do you mean? Gray matter?" Ralph replies, "No, no, the fog." I live in San Fran now and don't get home to New York a lot but when I do and I hear Murph on the radio again, all is right with the world. It is comforting to hear him. All the memories of Mets games past come back especially the 69 season. I can still hear those Duracell battery commercials in WJRZ. Keep it up, Murph. Met fans everywhere love you.

John Burgeson
August 29, 2002
I know I'm a lone voice here, but Mr. Murphy, as loveable as he is, has got to start thinking of retirement. His voice is nearly gone, he's painful to listen to at times, and he makes frequent mistakes. I know there are many who hang on to his every word, but I would like to see 2003 as his farewell season. He'd be great as a color man, but he lacks the edge for play-by-play. When Gary Cohen has the night off and Murphy's alone up there, he sounds as if he's hoping for someone, anyone, to come up to the broadcast booth to rescue him.

Frank Ciatto
August 29, 2002
Bob Murphy is Mets baseball. Let me share a few of my favorite Murphisms. (Please insert your own Murph impression here.) Keith Hernandez is sooooooooooooome kind of hooooooot. There is noooooooo more exciting play in baseball than watching Mookie Wilson go from first to third on a basehit. Baseball is a game of redeeming features. A few scattered, cumulus clouds in the sky, a perfect daaaaaaaay for Mets baseball. There is action in the Met bullpen in the person of Jesse Orosco. And, of course, from the 1986 World Series, heeeeeeeeeeeee stuck him out, he struck him out, the Mets win, they win. We'll be back with the happy recap in a moment. I love Murph.

Slink
September 25, 2002
I have an early memory of Bob Murphy doing a post-game recap on TV when all of the sudden a rubber ball came flying into the broadcast booth and hit him right in the side if his head.The look of shock on his face was priceless.For the rest of the recap his eyes kept shifting over in the direction where the ball had come from. I can't remember if it was later in that show or the next night but sure enough another ball went sailing by right about eye level.

Banger7
October 25, 2002
Actual Murphy quote:

"Although the Padres have the worst record in the league, they have a heck of a ballclub!"

Bob R.
January 9, 2003
Oh my God, the memories that come flooding back when I think of Murphy, Kiner and Nelson. I became a die-hard Mets fan in 1968 and stayed one until I left New York for good in '84 (although I sure rooted for them in the '86 Series.) For all those years until Nelson left in the late '70s, those three guys were baseball to me. A great announcing team. There was a certain comfort in knowing that every year when the spring came around, those guys would be back at Shea calling the games. Murph's optimism and upbeat style was refreshing. He wasn't someone to puff up a bad team regardless of the truth, though. How many nights did I listen to Bob calling a late game from the West Coast with the lights off and a transistor radio pressed against my ear? It's amazing that he's still there calling the games after all these years. Bless your heart, Bob, and thanks for the memories.

Stashnut3
March 2, 2003
My favorite Murph line will always be, "swiiiiiing and a miss. Heeeeee struck him out."

Paul Hoff
April 5, 2003
Bob Murphy is the greatest! I consider him the classiest annnouncer in baseball. It is a joy to hear him call a game! Without a doubt, a great guy and class act. Thanks for the memories Murph!

Larry
May 13, 2003
I cant believe how many memories one individual could actually bring to someone. I remember as a kid growing up in the 80's down in Florida, I would listen to the Mets games every night as they were broadcast all the way down to Miami on FAN radio. It was the highlight of my night, mom would make dinner and after we cleaned up I was off to my room with my radio in hand so I could hear Murphy's call of the game. It was nothing should of magical everynight, whether the Mets won or lost. Even the game was on tv, I would lower the volume on the tv so that I could hear murphy call his game. No other man could call a game better than him. --- "Here's the payoff pitch... he swings, he hits it deeeep to left field, waaayy back, and its gone! a home run!"

Jim Snedeker
May 29, 2003
Another favorite Murphy moment: A game in early 1983 against the Phils, Mets ahead, Phils in their final at- bat, one out, man on first. Batter hits a dribbler down the third-base line, ball goes foul just before the third baseman can get it. Murphy screams: "OOOHHHH, if he just could have gotten it before it went foul, the Mets would have had a double play and the game would have been over!!!"

mets
June 5, 2003
I'll always remember Murphy on WOR. It seemed in the bottom of the seventh inning of every home broadcast Murph was doing the game. As Jane Jarvis played the Mexican Hat Dance on the Shea organ, Murph would plug an upcoming Mets home game with a corresponding promotion. Murph would say "All the fun and excitement of Shea Stadium come on out and get a replica Mets batting helmet on Sunday against the Cubs." I had the pleasure of meeting him at Forbes Field one night. He was warm and personable. A fine gentleman who for all intents and purposes is Mets baseball.

Steve
June 27, 2003
In 1987, a friend and I went to Montreal for a three game series, and stayed at the same hotel as the Mets. Before leaving for the Sunday game, I was wearing a 1986 World Champs Mets shirt, waiting for our car, and some Mets people were milling about. Murph came up to me, shook my hand, said hello, and thanked me for coming up for the game. He then did the same thing to everyone else wearing a Mets shirt. Murph is the epitome of the Mets. I'll never forget him or that moment. What a great Met he'll always be.

Dave Norton
July 16, 2003
I've read all of the comments about Bob Murphy and am surprised that they are all Mets memories. I grew up in Maine as a Red Sox fan and have the fondest memories of Bob as a Red Sox announcer in the early 1950's. He partnered with Curt Gowdy and they were a great team. The famous Murphyisms were the same then as they are now: "There's a looong driiive to deeeeep left field....." I was shocked and pleased to discover, when I relocated to western Connecticut in 1983, that Bob was Mets broadcaster. I had no idea. What a pleasure it was to hear his voice again calling a game on the radio.

Chris D'Orso
July 17, 2003
My favorite Murph moment? Spring Training, must have been 2000 or 2001. Late in a game with the Dodgers, when all the regulars were done and there were a bunch of Jorge Toca-types in the lineup, the game was dragging. An awkward silence was followed by: "You know? I'd sure like a piece of chocolate pie." Gary Cohen was speechless, as was I. Classic.

Bob P
July 20, 2003
This was in Phil Mushnick's column in the NY Post today. Though I feel Murph's best days are many years behind him, I will still be sad to know he is offically gone:

July 18, 2003 -- THE WORD from in and around the Mets' broadcast booths is that Bob Murphy, a Mets original, 78 years old and only 41 years on this particular job, will likely pack it in after this season. "The thought has crossed my mind," Murphy told us this week.

A 1994 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Murphy has in recent seasons worked a reduced schedule, this year limited to 60 radiocasts.

"The club has told me that I could call my own shots," he said, "and [retirement] is something I have been considering. But I just know how much I'd miss it. We'll see."

Even with Murphy's diminished schedule, his occasionally diminished voice and eyes that at times betray him, it doesn't much matter when he calls it a wrap. Starting on the day he makes that call, he'll be missed.

(end of article)

Angela Mcgovern
July 20, 2003
Phil Mushnick of the NY Post has just written in his 7/18/03 column that Bob might retire after this season. That makes me sad since Bob Murphy is the voice of summer for me. If this is true I hope the Mets arrange some type of incredible send off and allow the fans to show their appreciation to Bob. He's one of the best and to me he is the ultimate Met! I will miss him and wish him well.

flushing flash
July 21, 2003
I suspected that the end was near this year for Murph. I feel that Ralph and Murph, who came in together, should go out together. Kiner-Murphy Day will be a sellout, with nary a dry eye in the house.

Albert
July 24, 2003
If you really listen to Murphy often, he always likes to talk about the weather a lot. Very enjoyable to hear on the radio. He and Gary Cohen make a great combo.

Big Vin
July 27, 2003
Don't anybody, anywhere ever say anything bad about Murph! His descrptive narrative of the game, from the weather ("it is a beautiful day for baseball") to the players crouching down, getting set as a crucial pitch is delivered, reminds all of us of the beauty of early radio. I recall how during spring training games he would do the promo for the "Welcome home Mets dinner" and talk about how he loved "those little roasted potatoes that they serve". One day Murph will retire and we will all lose a little joy in our lives when he does. God bless this man!

Annie
July 27, 2003
Well, today was the day. Murph announced his retirement. They told the fans at the stadium during the 6th inning, and you could hear the groans of disappointment. Then came the cheers. Lots of them. He got a huge standing ovation. The Mets themselves came out of the dugout and the bullpen to applaud the man who gave 42 years of his life to the team we all love. All the people around me were crying, and I could hardly see Murph waving to the crowd from the booth through my own tears.

Everyone has his or her "Murph moment," and I would bet that most of us over the age of 20 remember that Phillies'/Mets game in 1990 where he said "The Mets win! They win the damn thing!"

He and Gary Cohen make a great team, but there will never be another Bob Murphy. Farewell Bob, and thanks for the memories.

Joe M
July 27, 2003
I've been a Mets fan since their inception. Murphy- Mets same thing. I remember seeing him as a child in person at Shea and I was absolutely thrilled. If we could all be that age again ... Murphyism: Instead of saying he's hitting .324, for emphasis he says he's hitting three-hundred and twenty- four ... Great stuff ...

Mike Dolitsky
July 27, 2003
Today was Bob Murphy / Ralph Kiner bobblehead doll day at Shea. During the game, the announcement came over Diamond Vision that Murph will be calling it quits following the 2003 season. After an audible groan, Murph received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd, which he acknowledged by waving from the radio booth. For 42 years, Murph has done an amazing job of, as he likes to say, "painting the word picture", and he will be missed. For anyone who has followed the Mets throughout their history, Bob Murphy and Mets baseball will always be inseparable.

Beezer
July 30, 2003
I've had a blast reading all the Murphy memories and, as a lifetime Mets fan, share them all. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the other famous Murphy line (in addition to the Happy Recap). Whenever the Mets were losing and down to their final out, Bob would always say "the door is slightly ajar." I remember as a kid in the early 1970's having my neighbor explain what the word ajar meant. He will forever be the voice of the Mets. Enjoy your retirement, Bob.

LenDog
August 9, 2003
So many good Bob Murphy memories. Not so much particular incidents or memories, but just a soothing balm kind of voice that has literally been there my entire life.

I do have some particular Bob memories - here's a quick couple.

1) Meeting Bob in a San Francisco hotel bar after watching the Mets lose at the 'Stick, '91 or '92 season. So guy came in and asked my girlfriend it a barstool was taken. It was my seat. I was thinking, no - I don't feel like giving up my seat. Then I realized it was Murph. Called him Mr. Murphy and insisted he take my seat. I bought him two vodka something or others to thank him for all the memories. We talked Mets for an hour. When I said goodbye I was getting choked up. SO much history in that voice.

2) Sept. 24, 1969. Eight years old. I had my own TV, which was a rarity for kids at that time. Was supposed to be in bed by 8 p.m., but I stuck a towel under my door to hide the light so I could watch the Eastern Division clincher. Murph's call of that moment is still my favorite, more than any of the great '86 moments even...

"Gentry working hard...the crowd chanting 'we're #1, we're number...groundball to short...Harrelson to Weiss, there's one, first base, double play!!!" It's all over.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH the roar going up in this crowd!"

That call is available on a Mets highlight LP called The Amazing Mets. You see it on eBay from time to time. Spend the $7 if you are Mets fan. It is so good to listen to.

Jimmy
August 9, 2003
Bob Murphy has been the voice of summer for as long as I can remember. It is remarkable how a single voice over the staticky AM airwaves could so touch generations of New Yorkers. His extraordinarily listenable and friendly voice made viewers out of listeners. With all the "Happy Recaps" and the singularly hilarious exclamation "it's over! The Mets win the damn game" in Philadelphia we've been lucky to have this gentleman describing baseball to all of us fans. I know I'll miss Murph's great voice and professional calls and I know I'm not alone.

Jim Snedeker
October 3, 2003
I was lucky enough to get Bob's autograph one day while I was waiting in the parking lot outside of Shea, sometime in the late 70s/early 80s. I think he was driving a Ford Pinto.

One Murphyism not mentioned yet was when the game was down to the final out, and the batter hit an easy fly ball, Bob would immediately say "The game SHOULD be over..." I wonder if that ever backfired on him.

Well, well. Last night was Bob's last broadcast. Since moving to New England in 1989, I couldn't listen to or watch as many Mets games as I should have. In recent years I've been able to catch night games on WFAN. Even though I was surprised in the last two years to find that Bob was still going, now I know that it won't be the same without him. But rather than get sad and sentimental about it, I'd rather dwell on the fond memories mentioned here. And, after 42 years, we all will always have Bob's trademark voice permanently ingrained in our heads!

Darren Leeds
October 11, 2003
Hopefully Bob reads these and everyone else's comments. For me, as a Met fan for 35 years, he is the voice of summer. Hearing him announce a game brings back so many good memories, not only of the Mets but of my life. The greatest baseball announcer ever! Some Murphyisms I'll always remember.

Oh what a play by Keith Hernandez. He's a goooood loooking young ballplayer. The Mets win the damn thing! Swing and a miss! He struck him out. Well hit drive, deep left field. Backman, Oquendo, Hernandez. Double Play! (Just great hearing him say long names)

and my favorite though I just can't remember who he was talking about:

He must be so excited to be with the big ballclub. He probably came in his uniform. (I swear I remember him saying this one). Then there was silence in the booth for about 10 seconds.

Jonathan Stern
October 11, 2003
I heard Bob Murphy Appreciation Night on the radio because I did not attend it. I don't enjoy crying in front of thousands of people.

There are too many things in life that you don't appreciate enough until they are over. I knew for several years that this day was just around the corner. I accepted it long ago. And here I am, minutes after Murph signed off for the last time, and I am devastated. I can't stand it. I did not expect to be this sad.

The broadcast booth is in excellent hands with Gary Cohen, but Murph, you are irreplaceable. For forty-two years, you epitomized everything that was and is good about the New York Mets. When things got horrid, at least we had you to tell us about it. And, of course, there were those happy recaps. God bless you, Murph.

Nishna
October 11, 2003
Did The Murph ever have an unkind word to say about ANYONE? Met, rival, you name it, he had a good word to say about anyone and everyone. Made it a real pleasant listen that he could be that passionate about the game without being a home town shill. Had the pleasure of meeting him in person once, and he was the same person outside the booth that he was behind the mike. You could tell the man just enjoyed life.

And for those who remember his work on "Bowling For Dollars", "That's $10 for you, and $10 for your pin pal!"

flushing flash
October 21, 2003
Nishna, it's funny that you should mention that. In 1973 my uncle won $1500 (or thereabouts) by bowling two straight strikes on Bowling for Dollars. Of course, he had to share it with his pin pal. I watched it on tv shortly after it happened, and then figured I would never see it again. About fifteen years later, to my surprise my uncle unearthed an audiotape of his big moment (there were no VCR's in 1973) and played it for us. I remembered Larry Kenney hosting Bowling for Dollars in the mid-seventies and naturally assumed he was there in '73 as well. What a surprise when I heard the mellifluous tones of Bob Murphy coming through the speaker!

Jim Snedeker
October 21, 2003
Another classic Murphyism: Whenever a pitcher who was a lousy hitter came to bat, Bob would say "_______ doesn't have any hits this season, but _________ is a GOOD athlete!"

Murph Lover
November 11, 2003
Bob Murphy; the soundtrack of so many of our childhoods. Another great Murphyism, describing a pitcher who's in command: "He's wearing the hitterrrs on his watch chain."

Yorkwriter
November 15, 2003
The best Murphy call has to be Game 6 of the '86 playoffs against the Astros. A 16 inning gem. I remember his call just before Orosco struck out kevin Bass ("This is heart stopping baseball. No one has sat down in the last 5 innings"). When Bass struck out, Murphy sounded completely surprised. I think I heard "swing and a miss!" 4 times, and "stuck heeem out" 3 times. Beautiful stuff. One of the last broadcasters who employed that old time, descriptive style, as opposed to that obnoxious fan pumping (e.g. John Sterling) so prevalent today.

Kevin McLaughlin
December 2, 2003
My favorite Bob Murphy Moment: September 18, 1973. This was a MUST win, in order to stay close to the Pirates, during the great pennant race of '73. I'll never forget how upset I was as the Mets came to bat in the top of the 9th, down 4-1. Listing to to 9th inning with my transistor under my pillow (my mother had sent me to bed), I heard one of the Mets biggest regular season comebacks ever.

And then, while the Great Bob Murphy was doing the "happy recap" he said, "If the Mets had lost, they would be 4 & 1/2 games out...which would be a HILL TOO STEEP TO CLIMB!"

Brendan
December 11, 2003
Murph was probably the best announcer with his own audience right there at the games. Whenever I hear people talk about Met fans bringing their radio's so they could listen to Murph and watch the game, I start to realize how much he meant to fans. Honestly, how many people bring a radio to ballgames? Someone go ask Elias fast, because Murph's gotta have that record. Thanks Murph!

Lew Aflalo
December 14, 2003
I am so glad I made the time to attend the last game Bob Murphy called. I felt after listening to him for 35 years, that I owed him that. Bob has made long car drives seem short, taken away your streesful day if only for a few hours, and let true Met fans grow with him. Bob will be missed but never forgotten. Murph will always be a class guy.

Luka
December 19, 2003
I am NOT looking forward to a season without the possibility of hearing Murph on the radio. Although Lindsey used to refer to himself as the "Voice of the Mets," Bob Murphy will always be the true "Voice of the Mets." His positive outlook on the game, the team, the individial always helped the fan feel better about things. "He's batting two-oh-niiiiiine, but he's TOOOO good a player to be miiiiiired in this slump. You KNOW that by season's end he'll be up there around 300." I hope Murph enjoys his retiiiiiiirement.

Rich Weksberg
December 19, 2003
I remember when I was at Hofstra from 73-77, Murph hosted 'Bowling For Dollars' in the off season.

It was fun watching Murph interact with all the contestants some of whom were pretty goofy. If you knocked seven pins down, you got $7 I think it was $25 for a spare and $50 for a strike. Bob called a heckuva bowling game! I wish him a happy, healthy retirement!

marc
December 19, 2003
Gosh. At 38 years of age my childhood officially ended when Bob Murphy retired. For as long as I could remember I could throw on the radio and listen to Murph call a Mets' game and drift back into yesteryear.

For those of you who are part of my generation you'll know exactly what I mean.

Murph brought us back to those days of our youth when them Mets weren't always world beaters, but the game was still important.

So when April comes around next year we won't have anyone to invite us to, "Sit back and fasten our seatbelts for exciting Mets baseball." Murph, you'll be missed!

john fenyar
January 5, 2004
I have always loved his low-key homerism - you could always tell he was rooting for the Mets, but not blatently (are you listening John Sterling???). I hope in his retirement he may get a chance to put together his biography of his Sportscasting life, especially with my beloved Mets! The title should be obvious to all "The Happy Recap"! What does anyone else think???

Lew
January 5, 2004
Having listened to Murph for 35 of my 40 years, I can only echo the thoughts and sentiments of all Mets fans. Murph could make a bad day into a good one. His voice showed knowledge, sincerity, love for the game, and thoughtfulness. Although I never personally met Murph, I did attend his last game and I am glad I did. I felt that I owed it to him to thank him for the wonderful childhood memories I had,and the adult years where I could escape from the pressures of daily life with a dose of Murph. Where else can so may people remember so many favorite lines Bob Murphy had. When he walked ever so slowly off that field on September 25, 2003, I was glad he was able to see the crowd from field level and hear their appreciation for his hours, days, months and seasons of work for the benefit of those who trusted his voice to paint the picture we could not see. Thank you Bob Murphy, for joining us all for 42 years and letting us sit next to you "in the booth". You will be missed, but never forgotten.

Sol Lippman
January 19, 2004
First of all I loved the Murph and will miss him a great deal. Especially with Howie Rose as the new guy!! UGGGGHHHHH!!!

My favorite Murph story is my friend Walnuts was waiting outside the gate for an autograph with his young son when Murph was walking out. He said "Hey Bob how about an autograph?" Murph responded " NO NO I have to catch up with the wife." Walnuts response; "Why? Does she have the key to the liquor cabinet?"

A classic Mets moment.

Doc B
February 2, 2004
Along with the" happy recaps" plus "and there it goes -a home run for...." I will also miss Bob's unflagging optimism and professionalism. I have spent summers in NYC, in Virginia, in the Poconos and upstate NY and have always been able to remain in touch by listening to Bob on the radio. I have followed the Mets since I was 8 way back in '65 and Bob and Ralph have been a constant for nearly 40 years. That's a lot of hours listening to an old friend.

My favorite call of Bob's is the Division clinching game in '69 against the Cards when Gentry gets the game ending double-play. Boy was he pumped that night! As were all the rest of us.

Some time this summer I will tune to the Mets game and Bob's familiar call will be gone -and greatly missed. Thanks so much, Bob.

Paul Tarus
February 17, 2004
From the very first time I heard Bob Murphy's voice I was a Met fan. For most of my 39 years (going on 40 in November) I have waited thru long dreary winters waiting to hear that famous "it's a bee-utiful day for baseball, game time temperature about 72 degrees and not a cloud in the sky". When I hear that, I know that winter is now offically over.

Bob's "word pictures" have taught me more about baseball than anything else. I often find myself turning off the T.V. volume and cranking up the a.m. dial to hear him announce. And when you hear the excitement in his voice when the Mets start to rally, man, then you you it's gonna be on "heck'uva game".

I can't imagine a Mets game without him and although this past season he cut his games down to mostly home games, I still am not used to not hearing him. Because Bob Murphy has been with me almost my entire life, I feel he's like a relative, and now that he's signed off for good, I will always miss him. I actually met him once at an appearance in a mall in 1987, and although I never ever get excited when spotting a celebrity, I was in awe to see him there signing autographs. I wish him well and I will forever miss "the happy recap."

Mike Dolitsky
April 12, 2004
Actually, there was one "Murphyism" that occasionally backfired on Murph. During the late 60's and throughout most of the 70's, when Bud Harrelson was the Met shortstop and Murph was still broadcasting the games on TV, Murph would frequently make the following call, with enthusiastic anticipation: "Ground ball to short...watch Buddy!!". But once in a while, he'd have to follow that up with a disappointed "WHOA...HE BOOTS IT!!!"

As much as I loved listening to Bob Murphy call Met games for 42 years, I still couldn't help but chuckle whenever that happened.

Johnny Rodriguez
May 22, 2004
A life long Met fan, I moved to Maryland back in 1981. A few years later while driving lost in a dark country road switching stations in a 74 am radio Vega, through the static I heard "LINE DRIVE, BASE HIT!". It was Bob Murphy and I had found Met radio telecast. That was one of the happiest moments in my life to that point.

glenn
May 22, 2004
My favorite one, and I'm surprised I haven't read it here, is when there would be a foul ball back into the booth and you would hear it bouncing around and Bob would say, "Well Gary, you can't catch a foul ball with a pencil." I'll miss those great openings to the broadcasts where he would say "Its a marvelous day for baseball, a few high, puffy cumulus clouds..." Mets games won't be the same. Like Bob said at his retirement, "Let me tell ya how much I love ya." A class broadcaster all around!

Bob Chase
July 13, 2004
This is not a Met memory. I am from Maryland and remember when Bob broadcast the Orioles games with Herb Carneal. After the 1961 season, Herb went to do the Twins games and Bob went to the Mets. Bob got the Mets broadcast job when they heard his call of Roger Maris' 60th home run off Orioles hurler Jack Fisher at Memorial Stadium. I always considered him one of the best.

Big Russs
August 3, 2004
I remember a game against the Phils, probably in the mid-to-late 90s at Veterans. The Mets had a huge lead in the late innings, but the Phils were putting together an incredible comeback. I was sitting in my car, listening to the radio and Murph's call, in stunned disbelief that the Mets were about to blow what appeared to be a sure victory. When the Mets got the final out to preserve the win, an exhausted Murph said it all, ". . and the Mets win the damn game!".

It was the only time that I ever heard Murph use a phrase like that. It showed his human side.

David Simon
August 3, 2004
It was just announced on New York's WFAN radio station the passing of one of, if not the greatest broadcasters of all time, Mr. Bob Murphy. As a lifelong New Yorker and Yankee fan, my first inclination was to listen to the Yankees when I would be available to listen to the radio. However, if the Mets were on at the same time I would usually tune them in and if Murf was doing the game I would listen to him instead. His home run call "...long fly ball to right field...it may go...there it goes! Home Run..Darryl Strawberry." It is a sad day. With tears in my eyes, I say goodbye to a favorite friend. Thank you, Bob Murphy, thank you.

Bill Coulter
August 3, 2004
I have been listening to Bob Murphy since I was a kid in the late 60's. It was always a pleasure listening to his baseball play by play and commentary. He was a true professional in every sense of the word. I know there are fans out there who agree with me when I say Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner were the best trio of baseball announcers ever. They had a chemistry and a real sense for the game. I feel one would be hard pressed to come up with a better broadcast team in baseball today. Even though the Bob Murhpy has left us, memories of his great calls will live in our hearts and minds forever. Thank you Bob.

Darryl
August 3, 2004
What can I say about a man like Murph? He was a legend and a familiar voice all in one. I was about 6 when I started to root for the Mets (early 80's) and I still remember what it was like to turn to WHN (back in the day!) and hear "Welcome to NY Mets baseball everyone, this is Bob Murphy" in that deep midwestern drawl. Whenever I heard him as an adult I always thought back to warm summer evenings, simpler days, and Mets baseball. We'll miss you Murph!

Ian from Levittown
August 3, 2004
This is one these days that I wished just would never happen. But it did. I cannot fathom a summer, a world, without Murphy's voice on The Fan, sometime. A substantial part of my childhood has died today. Certainly, the is hardest part of growing up is losing what you treasure the most.

Mitch45
August 3, 2004
The Voice of Summer has been stilled, and with its passing, a piece of my childhood is gone.

RIP, Murph. You made millions enjoy baseball and summer.

LenDog
August 3, 2004
Just heard that Bob Murphy died.

I am going to cry like a kid tonight and I'm 43 years old.

Agee and McGraw were tough, but this is really going to hurt.

Thanks, Murph...so glad I met you in SF and talked Mets with you over a few drinks. It was a thrill...

"The crowd chanting we're number one, we're number one...Gentry working hard....HARRELSON TO WEIS THERE'S ONE, FIRSTBASE, DOUBLEPLAY!!!!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh the roar going up in this crowd!!!"'

Bob Murphy, September 24, 1969

Jim Reid
August 3, 2004
I first heard Bob Murphy back in 1966 when I started following the Mets.In the winter I would watch Bowling for dollars just to hear Murph, and dream of spring and baseball. Who can ever forget "Oh Mookie Wilson my how he can fly. Gonna miss you Murph.

DT
August 3, 2004
It is most certainly NOT a happy recap today with the passing of Bob. We will all remember him fondly. I am glad I still have a homemade copy of the 1969 album that came out after the Amazins won it. Bob, thanks for all the wonderful memories. You will live forever in our hearts, minds and soul. You will forever be the voice of summer for me and the legions of Mets fans for ever.

paul thomas
August 3, 2004
I was born the day the Mets played their first ever spring training game, and have been a Mets fan all my life. Today, a big part of me died with Bob Murphy. I was dissappointed but not surprised when he retired after the '03 season, but when I heard about his death today at a birthday party, I felt like I got punched in the stomach. He defined the character of Mets fans with his hopeful optimism during the bad years and his unbridled joy in the best years. Never had a bad thing to say about anyone. I still remember where I was sitting when I heard him call the "Mets win the damn thing, 10 to 9". Thanks for everything, Bob.

Ray
August 3, 2004
He made listening to games very easy. Great voice. Great manner in which he described the game. My favorite baseball radio announcer by a wide margin. Thank you for all the great years and memmories. You are missed by many.

Tom
August 3, 2004
I came across this page just today, August 3, 2004, the day Bob Murphy died. No one has been here in a year, it seems, and I feel like Charleton Heston arriving on earth long after he left in Planet from the Apes. I heard about Murph's passing when I stepped into my car after work today. On the FAN, Chris Russo was saying it was a sad day for Mets fans, and I immediately thought of Murph. He's gone.

I'm 35, and have listened,watched Murph from when I was 7 and I thought John Milner was the greatest. Transistor radios and Mets games called by Murphy were the greatest combination I have ever heard, the sweetest, most COMFORTING sounds I've come across in the world of sports,voice, and I am so sad and thankful today. I heard Murph do a "guest" spot during a spring training game in March this year, and a month later I heard lung cancer, and a few months later he's gone at 79.

Thank you to all above who wrote your thoughts about a great person that we were all fortunate to have shared part of a lifetime with. Mets baseball is a big part of who I am, who I have been, and Bob Murphy will be a part, somehow, of who I become. Thanks Murph fans, and thank you Bob Murphy. Amen

Jonathan Stern
August 3, 2004
Bob Murphy passed away today. The man just loved his job and did it well, calling Mets games with genuine passion, textbook professionalism, and touching humility. And we loved him for it. Always will. A sad day, but the longest and happiest of happy recaps is only just beginning.

flushing flash
August 3, 2004
What a sad day for us all.

Murph meant days at the beach, humid summer nights, the thrill of a pennant race, the doldrums of another long season.

When you were driving somewhere upstate and everything on the radio was either country music or religious programming, and suddenly you heard Murph's voice coming through the speakers amid the static, you knew all was right with the world.

God bless you Bob.

Steven Amato
August 3, 2004
A piece of my childhood has died today with the passing of the great Bob Murphy.

In the 1970's I'd would love to listen to Bob Murphy on the radio and watch Met games on television with my grandfather, Manuel Guadalupe (a great man). Ahhh the summer days with names like Koosman, Seaver, George "the Stork" Theodore, Tug McGraw, John "The Hammer" Milner, Cleon Jones, Felix Millan, Bud Harrelson, Jerry Grote, Wayne Garrett, Trusty Rusty Staub, Dave Kingman (my favorite baseball card) and Ed Kranepool. I could go on forever. Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and the great Bob Murphy.....

Later in life....one of my favorite things to do was to get my roast beef sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, a couple of snacks...put $100.00 on a Met game on a Saturday afternoon and ride out in my Camaro to see my girlfriend in Montauk and listen to Bob Murphy on the radio call the game. A two and a half hour drive with Doc Gooden on the mound and Bob Murphy calling the game. Awesome memories. I'll miss him big time.

No happy recap today...it's a sad day.

Jersey Matt
August 3, 2004
I am one of those kids that went to bed listening to Murph under my pillow... I should have been asleep hours ago, but the Mets are playing the Giants on the West Coast... Some 30 years later, I feel like I lost a large portion of my youth... Bob Murphy was a BASEBALL LEGEND!!! As important as the players on the field, he could sell a baseball game like no other... He made u feel like you were watching the game on TV. God Bless You Murph..... Many more Happy Recaps in the Great Beyond!!!

John Negron
August 3, 2004
I was privileged to be born in NYC in 1969 for that Amazing Mets World Series performance. My father and grandfather would watch nothing but the NY Mets play and listen to them on the radio. Over the years, I grew up hearing that familiar voice of Bob Murphy. I loved the excitement in his voice! I got home this evening from my police duties in Florida and got on the Internet and read the news about his death. My heart almost stopped! Now I can just pray for peace and blesings for his family. God Bless You! Thanks for the wonderful memories Bob!

Joe Figliola
August 10, 2004
When I listened to Mets games as a kid (early 1970s), I latched on to Lindsey Nelson's calls and wild jackets and enjoyed Ralph Kiner 's many baseball stories. At the time, Bob Murphy to me was the straight man, the professional. He came in and did his calls with that twang in his voice and that was it.

Don't get me wrong; I loved Murphy as a kid. But it wasn't until he became the full-time radio broadcaster that I began to really appreciate him as a play-by-play guy. He painted so many beautiful word pictures. I don't think anyone could make one recreate a game so vividly in mine or anyone's mind quite like Bob.

As far as historical memories go, I remember thinking as an 18-year old that Murphy was somehow "demoted" to the radio booth after so many years on TV. I really thought at the time that the switch was the beginning of the end. Yes, it was a beginning... the beginning of another wonderful era for him as a broadcaster.

Another great memory I have of Bob was when he called a Mets/Padres game on TV as part of the ill-fated Baseball Network in 1995. It was great to see and hear him call such action as Carl Everett's grand slam and Jason Isringhausen's mound work.

My favorite Murphyism? It's one that I'll sometimes use at the park: "HEEEEEEEEEE STRUCK 'EM OUT." What a great call; what a great man.

Metsmind
August 10, 2004
As saddened as I am by Murph's passing, I am just as touched by the postings of the other Mets fans who, like me, feel a piece of their childhood has been lost this week.

Murph became more of an icon late in his career. During the 70's and early 80's, his game had slipped, and thats when his TV gig was taken away. But he took his "demotion" like a man, and his legend grew as a radio man.

42 years is a VERY long time--- Bob Murphy will be a part of the fabric of the Mets forever-- much more so than the Wilpons ever will. For me, the sad thing is I probably don't have another 42 years to build another soothing friendship like the one Murph provided for all these years.

I am sure wherever Bob Murphy is going, he'll be able to say, "The sun is shining, there's still plenty of good seats, so why not come out to the ballpark?"

Your life was well spent, Bob Murphy. Thank you for sharing it with the people of the greatest city on earth.

Kiwiwriter
August 10, 2004
I am truly saddened to hear of the death of Bob Murphy.

In many ways, he was the sound track of my childhood and early adulthood.

BluesDuke
August 10, 2004
Bob Murphy was the Mets. Something unique has gone from our world.

Bill Henry
August 10, 2004
I am a Red Sox fan who grew up and live now in Rhode Island, but I went to college on Long Island and lived in Westchester for a total of 27 years. Obviously, I heard Murph with the Mets, but I will always remember him working as second banana with Curt Gowdy doing Red Sox games in the mid '50s. Even then, he had that distinctive way of pronouncing certain ballplayers names, so much so that to this day I can vividly recall totally obscure players from that time, just by remembering how Murph pronounced their names. As an example, a utility infielder with the Washington Senators named Tony Roig became "Toneee Roooiiig" with Murph at the mike. R.I.P. Bob

Bruce
October 4, 2004
Ryan left. Seaver left. Rusty came and went. So did Hubie, Lenny, Mookie, The Kid, and Mex. Darryl left. So did Doc.

The one constant, through all my years of Mets baseball, was Murph. When he retired, a little bit of the Mets passed.

With his passing, a great void expands in the heart of every member of the Mets family.

When my life comes to an end, I hope to be standing at the Pearly Gates, where Bob can give my "Happy Recap."

Jim Snedeker
October 4, 2004
I just realized one of the most important differences between Bob and Gary Cohen.

Even when the Mets were playing lousy (like in the late 70s), because Bob never said anything bad about them, you didn't mind listening. In other words, they lost a lot, but you didn't really think of them as terrible. They always had a chance.

With Gary, he tells it the way it is. If the Mets are playing poorly, he says so. If they make boneheaded plays, he says so. And for me, it makes me want to tune in less. I don't relish the thought of listening to a game played by fools.

As good as Gary is, it's for this reason I think Bob may have been better for the team. With Gary, you know how bad they are. With Bob, you didn't.

Raphael W
October 11, 2004
No other broadcaster could make the game sound as exciting as Bob. Any time he said, "Fasten your seatbelts," you knew the Mets had only a one run lead going into the 9th. The way he broadcast a game, close or not, always made the game seem more exciting.

Diamond Dave
October 11, 2004
I was on a sports tour to Chicago in the early 90's to catch 2 Mets games. We were staying at the Westin with the players and we took the train back from Wrigley after another Met loss. My buddy and I got caught in a thunderstorm and upon arriving back at the hotel went into the bar to drown our "sorrows". Sasser, Saberhagen, Cone, and Franco were all at the bar but they really didn't want to talk to two fans that looked like drowned city rats. In strolls BOB MURPHY and his wife. They sit at the bar right next to us order some drinks and they were both gracious and friendly. We toasted Bob and told him how we grew up with the happy recap! I've met many of the Mets over the years; Kiner, Matlack, The Doctor, Rusty, the "phenom" Jefferies, but along with meeting Tommie Agee, meeting Bob Murphy was my MET highlight of all time! He was a nice man.

David E. Van de Grift
October 14, 2004
Being born in and raised around Detroit I came to take for granted superb baseball broadcasts on the radio. It's only after the announcer (an Ernie Harwell or a Bob Murphy) or the ballpark (Tiger Stadium or Polo Grounds) is gone that you are filled with remorse.

Bob Murphy was on my radar for a long time, but the 1986 season with the most improbable of World Series finishes was beyond belief: "The Mets are going to win, the Mets are going to win. T-H-E-Y W-I-I-I-N."

Those of us privileged to be from cities with long established baseball announcers should be very greatful.

Kevin C. Delahanty, MD
October 14, 2004
It's amazing. This guy never played the game yet he's held in the same degree of reverence as our sports- heroes. Why? Because he was a good man who did a job incredibly well. Anyone who reads this note, please read the preceeding messages and you will see what sort of an effect Murph had upon people. We should all take a lession from this man. Besides hearing his wonderful voice any time we wish, he has left us a profound legacy. Yes, a significant part of our childhood is now gone, but Bob Murphy takes up his new position as a role model. Let's all pray for "happy recaps". As long as we have our memories, Bob Murphy lives.

Nick
October 20, 2004
Bob was a staple of my childhood and my favorite radio broadcaster of all time. I remember covertly listening to him through an earbud snaked up my shirt at school during the 1973 playoffs when Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose erupted into a brawl. The way he'd get excited and yell "Oh Mookie!" or something like that at the culmination of a great play was priceless. The only other guy I've ever come across who could carry his microphone was Jon Miller of the Giants and ESPN broadcasts.

John
November 22, 2004
I was deeply saddened when Murph died. I was born in 1966 and Murph has been part of my summers since I was a little kid. When I was about ten or so, Murph used to host Bowling for Dollars on WOR-TV. The show came on at 7pm, just before the Mets broadcast at 7:30. As a kid who did not yet understand that shows like Bowling for Dollars were taped at an earlier time, I could never figure out how Murph was able to get from the Bowling for Dollars studio to Shea Stadium in the five minutes between the end of the show and the beginning of the game!

dlcoopcity
November 22, 2004
I put Bob Murphy second only to my father on the list of people who taught me to love baseball. In the 80's, with the Met's getting better, and games on channel 9 geting fewer, there was always Mr. Murphy on the radio. I heard Doc's streak-ending loss to the Giants, Straw's first 3-homer game at Wrigley, and Rusty's long run in right all from Bob Murphy. When the Mets were on the West Coast, it was usually Murph who tucked me in - long after my mother had threatened me several times about going to sleep.

valhallavin
January 10, 2005
Back in the old days, Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson used to rotate the TV and radio broadcasts. Two would start the game on TV, one on radio, and every couple of innings one of the TV guys would move to radio and the radio guy take a break before replacing the other TV guy, and so on. It would usually end up with Bob on radio (“...and stay tuned for the happy recap.”) and Lindsey wrapping up the game on TV so Ralph could get set up for Kiner’s Korner.

A couple of times during the season, Bob would be away “on special assignment”. They wouldn’t tell you what the assignment was, but those were interesting games, watching the other two try to carry on without Murphy. They were always making laughable mistakes (you call a game very differently on radio than on TV) and leaving open mikes and dead air as they rushed back and forth.

After many years I found out that those special assignments were a contract clause Murphy negotiated that allowed him to return to Boston, where he got his start in radio, and broadcast a handful of Red Sox games each year. He loved Boston. I imagine that 1986 was even more special for Bob than the rest of us.

michael mollow
January 10, 2005
I saw no one post this quote, but perhaps some of you will remember it... Bob Murphy was praising the excellent behind the plate work of umpire Harry Wendelstadt as he said "If you had a ham sandwich for every time Harry Wendelstadt made a correct call, you wouldn't have to go to the supermarket for a long, long time." Can you believe it! That one always stuck with me.

David
January 19, 2005
The single greatest person in Mets history. I can remember from the time I was born in 1987 up until last year I would spend the summers with my cousins. We would be sitting in the back yard playing wiffleball pretending to be some of the Met greats, all the while we had 660 WFAN on listening to the Mets and Bob Murphy. And then if by chance the Mets had a day off we would pretend to be Murph, calling our own wiffleball games trying to sound like him. And if some how we got tickets to a Met game we always had a little radio that we would put in our pockets just so we could hear Murph. We talk about Athletes being heroes but what about sportscasters? Bob Murphy is and always has been my hero and voice of summer.

LenDog
August 27, 2005
I have already posted twice about the Murph but recently had another memory.

After 15 years on the west coast, I recently moved back to NYC. I took my wife, a native Californian, canoeing on the Delaware river.

Anyway, being out in western Jersey on Interstate 80 reminded me so vividly of coming home from college during '79 to '83. We would be near Binghamptom, NY, or maybe it was Scranton, PA, and we'd start fiddling with the radio to see if we could get WFAN or WHN (what was the Met station back then?)to come in.

Remember that moment when you'd hear the Murph's voice, fading in and out through static? You KNEW YOU WERE HOME when the crackly, wispy, sounds of the Murph calling the Mets came to you out on 80, or on the Thruway, or the Turnpike, or whatever road took you back to the tri-state area.

In my college days, the Mets were awful, but it that didn't matter. Hearing Murph (and you too, Ralph) was almost as good as seeing your buddies waitng in your driveway when you got home.

kdaykonway
November 6, 2005
I loved hearing a Bob Murphy famous story he told every year. Bob would continue to tell the same story no matter who joined him in the broadcast booth. It went like this: Hey Ralph, Lindsey ,Gary, etc did I ever tell you the story how they could never grow grass in the Astrodome? He then would explain about the roof and how all the grass died and how players would lose balls from looking up to the roof. Every year the first trip to Houston I had to listen to every broadcast just to hear it one more time. Bob was a very special guy and the Met broadcasts will never be the same. We all miss you, Bob.

Dave in CT
January 4, 2006
I have very special memories of Bob Murphy. He epitomized the Mets. He always had a nice thing to say about whoever he was interviewing, who was pitching, batting whatever. Whenever I had a bad day, I can always count on Murph to help put things back in prespective. He had a calming voice which was very easy on the ears. Whenever there was a change going on in my life or something going on which made me less than pleased, he always provided that continuity which made me reflect the "good old days"

Murph, Mets TV and radio is not the same without you. I miss you!!!

Metsfanforlife
April 28, 2006
Murph was the greatest announcer that ever lived. I used to mute the television and turn on the radio when Murph would move to the radio booth.

My memory of him is that he called a game with such style, it was impossible not to like him. I would remember driving in my car after a stressful day and turn on the radio when the Mets would play just because hearing Bob Murphy's voice put everything back into prespective for me.

To this day I find it hard to listen to the radio without Bob Murphy. It's not meant to be a dig to the current broadcast team, it's just that Bob was a fixture with the Mets for so long.

Murph, I miss you and hope you are enjoying your second life in Mets heaven.

Larry Burns
May 24, 2006
If you are a Mets Fan, then you have to love Bob Murphy calling a baseball game. I do not believe it is possible to not be both. His voice was the sound of spring. He had a hysterical way of turning a phrase. When the Mets opened the Port St. Lucie training facility I was listening to him do a Spring training game and he was commenting on the new facility,"It is SOOO beautiful and OHHH SOOO practical!." Now that he has passed, my favorite Murph story came when I along with a buddy of mine snuck into the press level during a 9th inning rain delay. Murph was walking down the hall when we saw him---he was much shorter than I realized. We both recognized him and screamed,"Murph" when we were about 2 feet from him---nearly gave him a heart attack. He was friendly though---great guy.

Joe
May 24, 2006
Outside of Vin Scully, there will never be another announcer like Bob Murphy to describe the Perfect Word Picture. From the time I first listen to the Mets back in spring training in 1962 Bob was the go to guy. Ralph had his moments as so did Lindsey. Bob you were the best.

Hank M
August 20, 2006
My sister and I met Bob in Dunedin, Florida in 1977 just prior to a spring training game against the Blue Jays. A girl we met there saw him first and asked for his autograph. With a smile, I heard him say to her, "It's the easiest thing in town to get" and signed for her. Then, he signed for my sister and myself, also with a smile and kind words.

I like to think of this as the real Bob Murphy - one who was always positive. He liked to say only good things about people. I recall once that he was quoted as saying "I don't have to make someone else look bad to make myself look good." This kind of persona is what made Bob Murphy the great announcer he was. The rest of the sports media should be influenced by these words!

Bob Murphy is nothing less than the best announcer in the history of New York baseball. You can talk about Red Barber and Mel Allen all you want, but Bob lived up to challenges that those guys didn't have. He made tuning into a game worth while despite continuous strings of last place finishes by the home team. During his 42 years in the booth, Bob had to deal with this from 1962 to 1968 and 1977 to 1983. Also, there was the horrid 1993 season. On the air, Bob always kept his good attitude, even in the most difficult times for Met fans.

Excellent job, Bob! New York has never listened to a better voice than yours...or a better man than you.

5280MetsFan
October 25, 2006
When the Mets use to have their West Coast swings, the games started after my bed time. So I used to sneak a tiny transistor radio (with the one piece headphone) into my bed,and listen to the games. It never failed that as soon Bob Murphy would go from radio to t.v broadcast I would fall asleep. No offense to Lindsey or Ralph. Thanks Bob for those late night radio memories from Candlestick Park, San Diego Stadium, and of course Chavez Ravine.

=Chuck=
October 25, 2006
The quality I loved most about Murphy, aside from his soothing voice and enthusiasm for the game, was how he always found something good to say about every player. The player could have been hitting .220 but he'd always try to throw something in there like, "This kid can really fly around the bases." Whoever it was above who said he thought the terrible Mets teams were better than they were because of Bob is absolutely right. He made you root for them because they tried their best.

Mike Fried
October 25, 2006
The greatest baseball announcer who ever lived. The high point of the 1986 World Series (besides the Mets win) was turning off the tv volume and the babbling Vin Scully and listen to Bob on the radio. His "happy recaps" were a joy to listen to.

mets trivia
November 1, 2006
When heard that Murph died part of my childhood died as well because I grew up with this man. It was the spring of 1962. I knew Lindsey Nelson, and I knew of Ralphie but Murph was new to me, and his voice was distinctive. As the years went on, all one had to do is turn on a Mets broadcast and you could tell if they were winning or not. Some of his expressions were priceless, like "wafted", "oooh that didn't miss by much", "fasten your seat belts." His career had a Happy Recap. I will always remember July 1990 when the Mets won a difficult game in Philadelphia, the game ended on a line drive being caught by Mario Diaz, and Murph declared "the Mets win, they win the damn thing." I was one of many fans to pay my last respects to Murph at St. Patrick's.

Jamey Bumbalo
November 1, 2006
It is thrilling and heartwarming to read all the wonderful tributes to Bob Murphy. What an announcer and what a fine man. I used to run home right after school to hear him on opening day. I met him in Montreal in 1974 when I was 12 and he was very gracious and friendly. Thank goodness I have the Mets 1986 video to hear him call the playoffs and World Series. 1) "This is heart-stopping baseball, pulsating baseball. No one has sat down in the last five innings." 2) Before Dykstra hit a homer: "Lenny Dykstra, the man they call Nails." 3) The classic: "Struck him out! He struck him out! The Mets win!" 4) And after the last out of the World Series: "The dream has come true."

Joe Santoro
November 1, 2006
September 20, 1973 Pirates were played the Mets at Shea. Dave Augustine at the plate, with Richie Zisk and the go-ahead run at second. I was there with my transistor radio. Bob Murphy made the call:

"And a fly ball, well hit to deep... left field, it's way back, Cleon Jones goes back to the wall...it hits the top of wall... Jones grabs it, he throws to Garrett, Zisk rounding third and coming home, the relay to Hodges, it's gonna be close...he slides, and he is...OUT!!! HE'S OUT! HE'S OUT AT THE PLATE!"

Oh the fans and I were going wild there at Shea Stadium! Thank God for my earphone, the transistor radio, and Bob Murphy.

I'll always love ya, Bob

TODD SCHUSTER
December 30, 2006
You always felt it was a sunny day when you heard the Murph do his spiel.

CJ
February 5, 2007
Of any celebrity, whether its show biz or sports, Murphy's passing was the hardest one I ever had to deal with. I felt like I lost not only a hero but a member of the family. For all eternity Bob will always be "The Voice Of The Mets."

Tony
April 12, 2008
I loved when Bob Murphy used to refer to Pat Zachry as "the tall, thin, lanky righthander from Waco, Texas." My favorite Murphy-ism of all time is when he said, "Trying to sneak a fastball past Howard Johnson is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster."

ALEX KROLL JR
April 15, 2008
Baseball just isn't as good without that voice. The Voice of Summer.

Russ
May 23, 2008
I grew up listening to Bob Murphy in the 60's and 70's, as well as imitating him making commentary. Of course our imitations didn't hold a candle to Bob himself. A true legend. He could make a strikeout sound exciting (and usually did).

Phil Calbi
June 25, 2008
He was the sound of summer. I miss the descriptions of "towwwerrring fly balls", and grounders that are "hammered to third!" He lives still in our memories, in a nostalgic country of the mind where it is always 1969 and there's always "a happy recap."

Mook
July 19, 2008
Is it me, or are summer evenings just not the same anymore? I really would rather listen to Bob Murphy broadcast a meaningless August game from 1979 (Williee MON-TAN-YES) than listen to any game now. Not that the guys now are bad (I especially like Howie Rose) but Bob Murphy was just that great.

...and we'll be back with the happy recap in just a moment...

Tony D
July 19, 2008
Always loved the way Bob Murphy made a point. I remember one time where he said "Trying to sneak a fast ball past Howard Johnson is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster". RIP Bob.

Bob
July 22, 2008
Bob was the voice of baseball. Period. I've yet to hear another like him. I started listening to him in '62, right until he retired. With Bob, each day was a "beautiful day for a baseball game." Or how about, "a laz-z-z-y fly ball"? And the following is one Murphy-ism I will never forget:

"Getting a fastball by HoJo is like trying to get the sunrise past the rooster."

Yes, this is a late entry from a longtime fan, however, I just discovered this great website and had to add some of my cherished memories of the unforgettable Bob Murphy.

Ian, from Levittown
October 14, 2008
It's been over four years, and I still wish Murph was here. Imagine listening to the radio for Santana's Game 161 masterpiece. Hell, even Game 162 would have been that much more bearable coming from his word pictures. Shea was definitely missing Bob Murphy that day. Still miss you Bob.

JOHN E. WHITE
November 3, 2008
I have been a Met fan since 1962, and remember all of Bob Murphy's broadcasts, and while driving on Long Island in the 70's and 80's listening to Bob on the radio, what memories that brings back: his happy recap for the Met games; his interviews with Casey, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Gary Carter, I could go on and on. Bob's voice filled the air in New York. Just listening to him from an apartment window, open car window, or from my dad's house, I can still hear his voice. I loved Bob, and when he passed I cried and had a mass said for him at my church, which I attended wearing my Met jersey. After the ball went by Buckner, I can still hear him saying, "The Mets win! They win! They win!" I love you Bob Murphy.

Greg From Brooklyn
April 24, 2009
Bob Murphy, along with Ralph Kiner is absolutely, beyond a shadow of any doubt the greatest baseball announcer in the history of baseball.

I consider myself a baseball historian, and I have those two to thank.

I miss you Bob Murphy.

Frank S
August 4, 2009
As a Mets fan since 1962, I tell my adult kids that the team of Murphy-Nelson-Kiner was the absolute best.

Bob Murphy was part of my youth, teen years and adult hood. May he rest in peace.

Brian
May 4, 2010
Murph brought a gift to broadcasting, He touched all that listened to him. He never spoke about himself as Met announcers do today, it was all about entertaining people and making them feel good listening to the great game of baseball. "He's got a wooooorld of speed" is my favorite Murph line of all time. Why don't the Mets put something in Citi Field to honor him and the other broadcasters (Kiner and Nelson)? Why is it just about the Brooklyn Dodgers?

Steve T.
August 3, 2010
What else can be said about the great Bob Murphy that has not been said. What a pleasure it was to listen to him PAINT THE WORD PICTURE for all those years. He had this way about him that would make you feel that he was broadcasting the game only to you. He was never judgmental to ballplayers, no matter how bad they were doing. Regardless who he partnered with, he made them feel as if they had been in the booth as long as he did. I know he's hanging out on those puffy cumulus clouds, watching down on his students, Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, and his Mets.

John L.
August 3, 2010
Today marks the sixth anniversary of Murph's passing. Summers have not been the same, but the years of memories this man gave us all will live on much, much longer. I can still hear "Fasten your seat belts, we're going to the ninth", "Mookie on the run, on the run, HE MAKES THE CATCH!" and "the Mets win the damn thing 10-9!" RIP my ol' friend and thanks for all the happy and not so happy recaps.

Shickhaus Franks
April 20, 2012
(1) He comes from a lineage of sports media: His brother Jack was the sports editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune for many years and even had the stadium named after him until the city of San Diego sold out to corporate interests.

(2) I remember when he died: I was on vacation enjoying the warm summer sun on the beach in Fire Island when I heard the news on 66 WFAN. For the moment, the ocean, the sand and the sight of real women in their swimsuits took a back seat to my memories of "LIIIINNNNEEE DRRRRIIIIVVVEEE, A BASE HIT BY _________" and winning the damn ball game 10-9.

(3) For many years, he would be the voice of the Orange Bowl football classic but I remember reading Phil Mushnick in the NY Post on how it was weird for him to hear Murph describe Oklahoma vs Notre Dame in January and then he would paint the word picture for the Mets vs _____ at Shea or on the road in spring and summer!

Dan C
December 6, 2012
Bob Murphy would say about a fast baserunner, i.e. Lou Brock, Jose Cruz or Bobby Bonds: He has a world of speed! How fast was that? Pretty quick I guess.

Rich
February 15, 2013
Bob Murphy was my best friend for many of my young years growing up. Murph did not know me. I was in a very bad family atmosphere at home from about 6 years old to 12 years old. My Dad was not around for me, and at night I would listen to Murph on the transistor radio under my pillow in my bed until I fell asleep. His voice and describing the game made me feel as if I was there. I have been and always will be a die hard METS fan! No doubt, Murph was the best of all time.

When Murph passed away, I felt awful, but remembered all the GREAT nights and days he brought to my life for 40 years

I know Murph has gone up to heaven, and can hear me -- Thank you Mr Murphy for always making me forget about life troubles when I listened to you call the MET games. And now for the "HAPPY RECAP"

Rest in peace!

Eddie A. , upstate New York
August 11, 2015
It is hard to believe so much time has passed since Bob left us. I was born in 62 and have followed the Mets over all these years through the good times and the bad times for all long as I can remember. Listening to them on a transistor radio with my dad on the porch from the late 60s on. When I heard of Bob's passing I felt like I was hit in the stomach. I remember sitting and wiping my eyes. Bob's voice was heard so often in our house it was as though he was part of the family. I guess in a way he was. My love for the Mets and baseball I'm sure will continue as it has but it surely is missing something special and that something special is Bob Murphy. Bob you were blessed in many ways in your life and we were blessed to have you in ours. Rest in peace my friend.

Kingfisher
July 27, 2017
Bobâ€™s voice was always a pleasure to hear since it defined Mets baseball, but he used to confuse me. I remember as a kid tuning in to a game from St. Louis and he would say that the Mets were facing the Cardinals at Memorial Stadium. Just learning about all the teams and their ballparks of the time, I discovered this was actually the name of the Oriolesâ€™ home field in Baltimore while the Cards home field in Baltimore while the Cardsâ€™ venue was called Busch Stadium. The place in St. Louis did have the word â€˜Memorialâ€™ inserted on occasion, but Bob should have said â€œBuschâ€ to distinguish it from the on one in Baltimore.

In later years, Murphy seemed to have trouble breaking an old habit when talking about the Metsâ€™ top minor league affiliate. The AAA-level team had been known by a geographical name of Tidewater for many years before switching it Norfolk, its home city. Bob referred to them as â€œTidewaterâ€ for so long that he kept doing it for nearly a decade after the name change. In fact, I donâ€™t recall him using â€œNorfolkâ€ to describe that ball club even once.

Overall, though, following the Mets with Bob on the airwaves was a joyous part of my younger days. I still have many good memories of hearing him describe the action despite any misidentifications he made. Besides, weâ€™re all only human and even the best of us make our errors.

Rob Rattiner
June 30, 2019
I have GREATLY enjoyed reminiscing by reading every single one of these posts by my fellow Mets fan brothers and sisters, and relating to how Bob Murphy (and Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner) touched our lives and embedded their unique voices in our brains. I was born in 1966, and grew up with Bob's voice under my pillow from the transistor radio, especially on those late-night West Coast road trips when my parents thought I was asleep! I remember Bob explaining the 1977 game in San Diego when Padres' manager John McNamara protested the Mets when John Stearns and Roy Staiger batted out of order!! How that night popped right back into my head after 41 years when Mickey Callaway made that same mistake in Cincy last year. I remember one of "Stevie Henderson's" first games after the dreaded Seaver trade, hitting a game-winning bottom-of-the-ninth HR at Shea!

I, too, cried when I heard of Bob Murphy's passing on Aug. 3, 2004. I heard so many of his calls running through the puffy cumulus clouds of my memory banks.

I can picture most of those famous ones, or even the '86 postseason ones, as song lyrics of my all-time favorite songs!

And, today, even when I'm trying to locate something in our house, and my wife advises me, "Look again! It's somewhere on the bottom of that pile!" suddenly my wife's voice is transformed in my mind into Bob Murphy's: "And they're cr--jamming & crowding ALL over Jesse Orosco! He's SOMEWHERE on the BOTTOM of that pile!!! He struck out Marty Barrett, the Dreeeeeeam has come truuuue!!!"

Then again, I have all sorts of baseball calls trickling through my brain--Whenever I look at my watch and it's a quarter after 7, all of a sudden it's April 8, 1974...."It's Seven FIFTEEN!!! There's a new home run champion in all of baseball, and his name is Henry Aaron!!!" Milo Hamilton's voice, not Bob Murphy's.

But of course: "A ground ball trickling...... it is a FAIR BALL!!!! Gets by Buckner!!!!!! Rounding 3rd Knight--the Mets will wiiiin the baaaaallgame!!!!!! The Mets WIIIINNNN!!!!!! THEY WIIIINNNNNNNN!!!!!!!"

G-d bless you, Bob Murphy! I wish I had introduced myself that night in the early '80s, when we waited outside the players' parking lot or the press gate at Shea Stadium, and Bob appeared walking hurriedly in his light green sports jacket across the parking lot. He looked shy and in a hurry, like it would have been a bother to stop him to say hello or ask for an autograph. I wish I did.

Anyway, much like the others above, I felt like I knew Bob Murphy personally, and as if a favorite uncle or a key figure of my childhood and youth are no longer here--that spring and summer have not been the same since he retired, and since he passed. Let's hear it today, folks, for that fantastic, short, stocky Ooo-klahooooman with the velvety voice, Mr. Robert Allan Murrrrphy!!!