[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF BOB MURPHY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ANTHONY D. WEINER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 2, 2003

  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, back home in New York, Mets fans are coping 
with the retirement of New York Mets announcer Bob Murphy. Murph was an 
original Met, having called Mets games since their inception in 1962, 
42 seasons ago. He saw, and brought home to us, every peak and trough 
in between.
  It's hard to explain the special bond that Mets fans have with Bob 
Murphy. But it is akin to a long-term friendship that begins in early 
childhood, suffers with you through adolescence, struggles with you 
through young adulthood, and triumphs with you through maturity. 
Friends who spend every summer day and night together, and whose hearts 
ache to be reunited during the long, cold winter.
  As children, Bob Murphy tucked us in to bed at night. He sat with us 
in the classroom as we smuggled a radio into school. He rode with us as 
we sat in traffic. No matter what else was transpiring in our life, we 
could always turn to Bob Murphy bringing us a routine game in the 
middle of June, and be put totally at ease. Bob Murphy had that calming 
effect on us. Chicken pox, report cards, girlfriends all came and 
went--but through the years, Bob Murphy never left our side. He shared 
those moments with us all while bringing us to the edge of our seat, 
sharing with us the emotional roller coaster that comes with being a 
Mets fan.
  He brought us laughter; he brought us tears (in the early years, 
often at the same time). In their history, the Mets have won two World 
Series and four pennants. But, nestled between those accomplishments, 
they have suffered at some of the leanest years that baseball has ever 
seen. All the while, our emotions likewise ran the gamut; and there was 
Bob Murphy to share them with us.
  His work behind the mike was as good as they come. One of my favorite 
calls remains the wild pitch thrown by Bob Stanley in the sixth game of 
the 1986 World Series. Everyone remembers the Bill Buckner error from 
that game. But, in truth, the biggest moment of that inning came a few 
pitches earlier, when Stanley's pitch to the backstop allowed Kevin 
Mitchell, the tying run, to score. Murph's succinct call was perfect. 
The excitement in his voice was unmistakable, and he let his brevity 
and his repetition indicate the profoundness of the moment.
  ``Gets away! Gets away! Here comes Mitchell! Here comes Mitchell! Tie 
game! Tie game . . .!'' And with that last ``tie game'' his voice 
trailed off--or maybe it was drowned out--to the loudest eruption that 
Shea Stadium has ever heard.
  We're going to miss him. Bob Murphy gave a lot to us, more than we 
can ever thank him for. But today, on behalf of my colleges in the 
House of Representatives, I wish Bob Murphy the happiest of recaps to a 
tremendous career.

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