Thank You Bobby Murcer

Reviewed By Stuart Nachbar

 
I remember my first New York Yankee game. It was July, 1970, in the “original” Stadium, Yankees versus Minnesota Twins: our hometown boys versus Billy Martin’s first division champions. At least I think Billy was still in Minnesota that July; he got fired so often I don’t remember for sure. 

The Yankees of 1970 won 93 games, but we finished second, 15 games behind Baltimore. Our top three starters won 49 games and our top two relievers saved 45. The nucleus, the middle of our batting order was young: catcher Thurman Munson, American League Rookie of the Year, steady and reliable left fielder Roy White and center fielder Bobby Murcer, our home run king. The next season, Murcer took the American League batting title to the wire, hitting a career-high .331, though the team won 11 fewer games.  
 
Bobby Murcer was my favorite player on those bad Yankee teams, the ones that were owned by CBS, before George Steinbrenner bought the most storied franchise in baseball—for less than CBS originally paid. It was easy to bill Murcer as the successor to Mickey Mantle: they’re both from Oklahoma, both played center field in the capacious original Stadium and both dressed in the same locker. Murcer could’nt match Mantle’s power, or speed, but he became a fine ballplayer nonetheless. Bobby was a five-time All Star and hit 252 home runs, and he was the youngest $100,000 player in Yankee history. He was twice traded for more established stars: first Bobby Bonds, then later Bill Madlock, a future batting champion. That’s quite a complement; it showed how valuable Bobby was in his prime. 

Bobby Murcer did not become Mickey Mantle, but from reading listening to interviews and hearing his broadcasts, he seemed like a very nice guy, a ballplayer I’d love to have had as a next door neighbor. I was a Yankee fan when the Mets were the darlings of New York, but Bobby was the best position player on either team, until he was traded to San Francisco. There are two Yankees deserving of World Series’ rings, who never got a chance to play for one: Bobby and Don Mattingly. Oddly enough, it was Mattingly who replaced Bobby on the roster in 1983. 

I had to buy and read Bobby’s book, Yankee for Life, My 40 Year Journey in Pinstripes and review it. I normally don’t care for sports autobiographies, but this one was special. Bobby Murcer was the best player on some average to mediocre Yankee teams, however, he writes more as an observer, like the broadcaster he has been for the past 25 years.  It’s not Ball Four, but you do learn what it was like to be on those teams. 

In Yankee for Life, you not only get to know a ballplayer, a family man, an anti-tobacco activist, a broadcaster, and a brave man beating back a malignant brain tumor. I also appreciated his candor about the quality of baseball today; he’s seen more than 40 years of Yankee greats, and played in both leagues, so you know he knows the game. 

Yankee for Life is a niche sports book; you have to be a Yankee fan forty or older to really appreciate it. But if you are, you’ll keep it on your shelf.

Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com .