"Searching For Bob Murphy"

“There’s a fly ball, hit du-eeeeep to right field… It may go… Gone! Home run! Home run!”

Of course, each of us has our favorite baseball call. For me, whenever I think of Bob Murphy, the word “du-eeeep” triggers wonderful memories. I loved hearing that call while driving, sometimes so distant from the FAN’s signal, I’d barely make out his voice as it creeped through static. Even as it was tucked away in the corner of today’s slick TV and Internet age, nothing beat listening to a Mets game on radio with Bob Murphy at the helm. And, of course, those long drives were always much easier to handle when the broadcast ended with a “happy re-cap.” I will miss Bob Murphy’s word portraits; the way he told me about what was happening on the diamond.

The old guard is trailing off, one at a time. It’s the natural order. Gone are the likes of Jack Buck, Mel Allen, Harry Caray, Ken Coleman, Lindsey Nelson, and now, Bob Murphy. There was something precious about these voices and the way they relayed their experiences to us over the airwaves. They reported about a different game, set in a different world. Everything seemed more compact and intimate back then – more familial, in a way. These men talked to us during a time when players stayed together for more than a season or two; when fans had a chance to build a relationship with a team, or at the very least, a nucleus of a team. In that sense, the announcers – the voices that brought the ball games into our homes, cars and offices – they, too were part of this family.

Are they being replaced? I suppose in thirty years I’ll reminisce about one or two of today’s announcers. Still, as the sports experience has transformed over the years, so, too, has the reporting of that experience. New voices search diligently to sell and trademark their styles – looking for new catch-phrases to add to their reels as they shop for new gigs. And yet there are a few – a very few who “have it.” That same unforced quality Murph and the others had.

True love for the game shines through the voice. I’ve always believed that and will recognize that special quality when I hear it again.