I have many memories of Dale Murphy, all of them memorable and burned into my mind. I'm only going to share what is probably the best one, which is my very first.

I was ten years old in 1982, and we had just gotten Turner Broadcasting System in my town. I had never watched baseball before,and pretty much knew nothing of the game.

One day, early in the 1982 season, all that changed.

Even though it was nineteen years ago, I still remember this so vividly. They were playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, in a day game, of course. I decided I needed a favorite player if I was going to be watching baseball. I decided the first player I saw bat for the Braves would be my favorite.

The announcers then spoke, "Coming to bat, leftfielder, number three, Dale... Murphy...."

I had never heard of Dale, or really anyone else for that matter, but that was it. He would be my favorite. I am fiercely loyal, and no matter who it may have been (COULD have been Biff Pocoroba....), I would have followed his career.

Be that as it may, however, it was Dale. Wanna know what happened next?

He hit a home run.

» Robert F. Marble is a long time Braves fan of over 20 years, and a Dale Murphy advocate who believes he will one day take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Never making it with the first dream of playing big league ball, he now has a new ambition. Professional wrestling, and is known around the Kentucky and West Virginia independants as 'SexyBoy Bobby Storm'. Perhaps one day he'll make it to Atlanta after all..

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