He never filled Mickey Mantle’s shoes and wasn’t one of baseball’s superstars, but in the hearts of Yankees and their fans Bobby Murcer was a Hall of Fame person who happened to be a wonderful player.
“This is extremely difficult because we loved him so much,” a sobbing Joe Girardi said shortly after hearing the news that Murcer, 62, had passed away in Oklahoma City today after battling brain cancer.
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As the sad news drifted through a clubhouse that showed no signs of a much-needed 9-4 win – something Murcer would have cherished – over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, voices were barely heard as people recalled a Yankees icon who was supposed to be the next Mantle but instead turned into a good player and a person that treated everybody with a big hello and an ocean of respect.
“Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine,” George Steinbrenner said in a statement. “I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy.”
Murcer, who hit .277 in his career with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBIs in 17 seasons, started and ended his career with the Yankees, with stops with the Giants and Cubs in between. But it was as a Yankee in the dismal years of the late 1960s and early 1970s that he made his name as the face of the team.
“Bobby never had a negative thought in his mind,” Mariano Rivera recalled. “That’s what I will always remember. The last time I saw him was at the Stadium I gave him a big hug. It was nice to see him, he was a great, great friend.”
Long-time trainer Gene Monahan still marvels how Murcer was able to deliver the eulogy at Thurman Munson’s 1979 funeral and then hit a game-winning homer against the Orioles later that night at Yankee Stadium.
“We went to Canton and all the things that we do, that was the hardest,” Monahan said. “I don’t know how he got through what he did, putting that eulogy together in a day and a half and winning that ballgame for us.”
Derek Jeter recalled Murcer’s big smile and how he was always available for words of encouragement.
“I knew he wasn’t doing well but I didn’t know it was at this point,” Jeter said. “Bobby always went out of his way to be positive. He was one of those guys you looked at and how he handled everything with class. You never hear anyone say anything bad about him. He was a good person, that’s the bottom line.
“He treated people with respect. He would go out of his way to tell you were doing a good job. Even when you were struggling he would tell you he was looking forward to you coming out of it.”
Alex Rodriguez, who passed Mantle on the all-time home run list by hitting his 537th homer for 13th place today, knew about Murcer before meeting him from his days playing in Seattle for Lou Piniella, Murcer’s very close friend.
“I heard a lot of Bobby Murcer stories,” Rodriguez said. “And then when he would come around with that Oklahoma accent and he would talk hitting. He was one of the greatest Yankees of all time and one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. The Yankees were his life. He is the symbol of what the Yankees stand for and he is a real champion.”