American Family Field (MILWAUKEE) – Pat Murphy’s career spans over 44 years across the minor leagues, collegiate programs, international coaching and Major League Baseball. After four decades in the game, he has a lot of lessons to share from being a baseball lifer.
Murphy can go off on tangents, but he’s not a leader known to give long, passionate speeches. Brewers players say his lessons show up in smaller, everyday moments. It might be a comment in the dugout or during a mound visit. It could be a single sentence after a bad game. Often, it’s a story that seems unrelated, until it isn’t.
Ask anyone in the Brewers clubhouse about their manager and players tend to describe him in the same way: honest to a fault, steady, wise and unafraid to laugh at himself.
This is a collection of those stories, told by the players themselves, about their favorite Murphy stories and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Question: What’s your favorite Murphy story?
“I got a lot. Not a lot of PG.
“My first ever interaction with Murph, it was my first spring training. Couns [Craig Counsell] I was still a manager, that I knew. I knew that. And I went over to the big league side one day to hit the bats for life. Murph was there and he told me he was the video guy, so I just believed he was the video guy for about a week. The first hunt I was in the gym, I managed it myself. I’m all red and whatnot.
He was like, ‘You need to do your homework guys.’ It’s just who Murph is, especially with the rookie and the new guys.”
Pat Murphy’s press conferences are a highlight of the Brewers’ run. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
“One story that stuck, at a COVID summer camp this guy (Murphy) literally had a heart attack hitting mushrooms. He was hitting mushrooms; next thing we know, he’s not hitting mushrooms — he’s sitting in the dugout. We’re like, ‘What’s going on?'” Next thing you know, he’s gone.
He turns the attack of the mind.
Therefore he takes this coat like a robber on a journey, and says ‘This is’ a tour, mocking himself.
If that doesn’t perfectly describe Murphy, you know what does? He can’t overthrow him, man. He is a tough guy. Ton means to us players, he leads the way guys. It’s better.”
Question: Do you think this site is uniquely suited?
Woodruff: “I do. The way he leads people in class is fantastic. I think having a smaller club like we do, he really invests in people. This is a big reason why we do it, we just invest in people. He does well. He knows how to push the right button at the right time, and I think that’s what makes him who he is.”
Murph’s favorite hit story: “I would probably say when he was eating that pancake during the interview, at the Apple TV game, and he was eating the bacon. It’s pretty vague.”
Question: What is the biggest lesson you learned from him?
“Murph has been great for me these three seasons. It’s funny that he’s the kind of manager, you never really know where you stand with him. So he kind of keeps you guessing on the road. But now, to know for three years, I think we’ve gotten pretty tight. And I’m amazing for the guidance and mentorship he’s given me.
“That guy over the moon could manage. He’s got talent for it. He’s got passion. He’s a leader of men.
“He does the best that everyone is in the moment, no matter what it looks like, no matter how important it is. That’s what he always preaches. This is the most important thing that I took from my time here is that you have to be in the moment. That’s what he believes. Everyone wants a wise decision.
Pat Murphy greets Abner Uribe after the Brewers Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, which sealed the series sweep of the Dodgers. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Images via Getty Images)
Question: We see a comic strip of Murphy. I’m sure you’ve seen the hotter version. How to describe the Murph experience?
Ortiz: “That’s a big question.
“I think he’s on fire when he needs to be, and he’s funny when he needs to be. He knows what he’s doing. Of course, we wouldn’t be in this place without him. He definitely knows what he’s doing, and when he needs to do something – and the guys pay attention to that. When he needs to be funny, he does it well. I think that he does a good job of understanding.”
The history of Murphy’s exiles: “I can’t pick one story, but what I like is that we have the right number of guys for their personalities.”
All of our guys are really good at it. No one takes their humor personally. If he shoots at you or something, everybody knows who he is and he’s got a sense of humor and respects all of us. That shows me that we have a pretty tough group of guys. We all hear his criticism very well. I think that’s a big part of why we’re here.
Question: What bothers you about Murphy’s acting style?
Frelick: “I think of the flag, right? The flag is walking through the door. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 1st game of the world series or the game before the All-Star break at 12 p.m. If you don’t play the same way, you’re not starting the bench. The media will tell the public.
What is there about Murphy? “The power of getting it, wherever you go, the identity funnels everything into one. I think that’s one of my things about it. We all come from different places; we have different stories and places. It brings us all together to a common place and makes us closer as a team.”
Question: What is Murphy’s top story?
He said, “If you are tired, sleep.”
“I’ve heard him make some names in our meetings. It’s pretty funny. You never know when he’s going to pick you up in those meetings. I don’t think I’m allowed to say half the stuff that follows. The one that stands out to me the most is when he said, ‘If you’re tired, sleep.’
“There are so many stories about Murph. I don’t know if I can pick just one. He says a lot and makes it so unique. So there is one.
“We talk about him all the time. We’ll never play anyone like him again. He’s unapologetically himself. As an actor, you never wonder how Murph feels about you. Good or bad, he’s going to tell you. Everyone expects him and he knows that, and in meetings and big speeches he’s had someone pretty legendary.”
Pat Murphy and Christian Yelich are two of the biggest leaders in the Brewers clubhouse. (Maria DeCicco/MLB Images via Getty Images)
Question: What is an example?
Yelich: “My favorite is when we had a team meeting, he starts going a long way against some really good teams. He was talking about not apologizing and stuff like that. He continued, “If you’re tired, sleep. Get up before the game and go to the game at 6:30”. That’s basically it. If you’re tired, sleep. If you’re weak, get stronger.’ All the guys were laughing about it because it was just.
“After this year we asked him, and he did not remember to say. He said, “I did not say.” But you can go around here and ask everyone. Remember that they said that if they are tired, they go to sleep.
“That’s really how he wins his game. And he only cares about winning. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. We love him playing.”