by Paul Semendinger
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Our perceptions are often shaped by our experiences. Bobby Murcer was a great Yankee, but I never got to see that Bobby Murcer.
I didn’t get to see Bobby Murcer play in his prime. By the time I was a Yankees fan, or a fan of baseball (is there a difference?) Bobby was playing for the Giants and the Cubs.
I have only come to appreciate Bobby Murcer, the great player, in retrospect.
Of course I remember that Murcer returned home to the Yankees in 1979 and had what might have been his greatest day when he payed tribute to Thurman Munson by almost single-handedly defeating the Orioles on the day he said goodbye to his friend. But, I was eleven at the time. The overall significance of Murcer's great day was, to a large extent, lost on me. In fact, to be honest, my family was on vacation that day. I’m sure I didn’t see that game on TV when it happened. Today I love that story. When I was a kid, it didn’t register as much.
In a way it isn't fair to the excellent career he had, but I mostly remember Bobby Murcer being an older guy on the team – a pinch-hitter and occasional outfielder. In the years I cared about baseball, Bobby Murcer was no longer a great. (In a way, I remember Bobby Murcer in the same way I remember Ed Kranepool and Rusty Staub of the Mets… former greats, old pinch-hitters, looking for that one last great moment. It seemed like there was a time when every team had an old former star on the bench as a pinch-hitter. I think they also all batted left-handed. John Milner, Richie Hebner, and Terry Crowley also come quickly to mind.)
I remember Murcer pinch-hitting for Tommy John in the early innings of a 1981 World Series game… I remember that didn’t work out so well.
Here are Murcer’s stats over the years that I paid attention:
1980: 100 games played .269/13/57
1981: 50 games played .265/6/24
1982: 65 games played .227/7/30
1983: 9 games played .182/1/1
Bobby Murcer hit his last home run on June 1, 1983. It gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning in a game they’d win 3-0 over the California Angels. Oscar Gamble also homered in that same inning. (The pitcher who gave up both blasts was Dave Goltz.) Ron Guidry went the distance for the Yankees that day pitching a shutout and winning his 7th game of the year.
The Bobby Murcer I knew was not the BOBBY MURCER older Yankees fans knew. I wish I had seen that Bobby Murcer.
My dad and I did go to Bobby Murcer Day at Yankee Stadium in 1983. I still have the Yankees Magazine and scorecard from the game. (The Yankees lost that game 8-5 to the Tigers.) I remember the Yankees playing Bobby Murcer’s new song, Skoal Dippin Man on the scoreboard. (The song was about chewing tobacco. It’s very dated now. Bobby Murcer never did become a singing star.)
Of course a whole generation of fans came to love Bobby Murcer as an announcer which is where he went after his playing days. Murcer later publicly battled cancer with dignity and class.
I just wish I had seen the great Bobby Murcer… Timing is everything.
Murcer was such a beloved figure for the Yankees, and his presence on this card captures an era of great talent and passion for the game. I can imagine sitting down, organizing a collection, and enjoying some shisha tobacco while appreciating the history behind each card. The combination of relaxing and reliving these moments through collectibles like the 1977 set makes it a perfect way to unwind for any sports fan and collector alike.
I had the opportunity to meet Bobby Murcer when he made an appearance in the Mens Department at the Macy's in Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, NJ. The Men's Department was where Macy's set him up so he could meet his fans. Oddly enough, he appeared there along with Eddie Layton, renowned Yankee Stadium pipe organist, who, of course, played an organ at the event, giving it that "Yankee Stadium sound". The thing I remember most about that event, is that Bobby Murcer, who was still an active player at the time, emceed the event himself (Macy's gave him a microphone to address everyone), and interacted with the large group of fans who attended, before the autograph signings began, and…
I love the comments that are shared memories of these players.
Great stuff.
I got to see Bobby Murcer at the old Stadium. I still have a Murcer signature Bat Day bat from that era. He was really good.
I think we all have regrets about players we never saw because they were just before our time. For me, it was Mickey Mantle, who retired after 1968. I went to my first game in 1970.
It's hard to believe the '71-'73 Yankees, who had Murcer, Roy White and Thurman Munson, were so bad (all 4th place AL East finishes with essentially league-average team OPS). (The '70 team won 93 games and still finished 15 games behind the juggernaut Orioles.)
Bobby Murcer was my favorite Yankees growing up. He had to bear the burden of being "the next Mickey Mantle", being from Oklahoma and all. After two cups of coffee in 1965 and 1966 and two years lost to military service he joined the Yankees for his first full season in 1969. Like Mantle, Murcer had started out as a SS but was not a fit for that position. In 1969 he started out as a 3B man but was quickly shifted to the outfield. He really bloomed in 1971, slashing .331/.427/.543 25 HR 181 OPS+ 6.5 WAR leading the league in OBP and OPS+ and battling Tony Oliva for the batting title all season. He followed that with a…