A Voice Of Memories To Be Honored By New York Mets

I didn't know him but I met him several times at Shea Stadium. I had a slight connection to one of the earliest radio voices that I remember mimicking. In those days, I listened to enough Mets games to be pretty good at copying the guy that has voiced more Amazin's games than anyone else.

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Interestingly, Bob Murphy, the New York Mets play-by-play voice from 1962 until 2002, and my father both served in the Marine Corp during World War II and went through parts of basic training together. That was cool but a deeper connection to Bob Murphy was the unbridled optimism and enthusiasm that he brought to the listener. He loved the game and it was obvious the way he told the story of the contests over the radio. It is very cool to see owner Steve Cohen recognize the joy that Bob Murphy brought to Mets fans.

Bob Murphy won the Ford C. Frick Award in 1994 and was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His call of Mookie Wilson's dribbler past Red Sox first-baseman Bill Buckner in 1986 will forever be branded in Mets' fans eardrums. However, it wasn't only the theatrical moments that made Bob Murphy special. "Murph" had a way of making listener feel like he was your best friend. Telling you about each pitch, the sunshine at the ballpark, the smell of the terrific food, everything that you wanted to know.

Friend of the Drive with Charlie & Dan, VP of Alumni for the New York Mets, Jay Horowitz tweeted out the announcement that the New York Mets will honor Bob Murphy at the home opener. That game has been moved to Friday afternoon due to inclement weather on Thursday. His sign will be up about the left field upper deck with his broadcast partner, Ralph Kiner. The sun was always shining on the Mets when Bob Murphy was behind the microphone. As Murph would love to say, "we'll be back with the happy re-cap!"