Gobbla2001
10-12-2006, 09:09 AM
October 12, 2006 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.
Dale Murray admits it's a bit odd that a baseball player would be recognized in the midst of football season.
But Murray's journey through life has included stops in places he never knew existed while growing up in the tiny DeWitt County community of Ratcliff.
Murray will be inducted into the Cuero Gobbler Hall of Fame before Friday's game between Cuero and Palacios at Gobbler Stadium. He will be honored at a reception beginning at 6 p.m. at the high school cafeteria where will be joined by fellow inductee Mickey Mayne, who played football at Cuero and the University of Texas and professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Browns before coaching and becoming the superintendent of schools in Daingerfield.
"Obviously I wanted to be a major league baseball player," Murray said. "I think every kid wants to do that. I had a lot of breaks and a lot of luck. It seemed like I was in the right place at the right time."
Murray had a 12-year major league career during which he played for the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. He finished with a 53-50 record and 3.86 ERA.
Murray pitched in 518 games and made only one start but threw 902 1/3 innings during his career that he traces back to his father, Jack, who was a catcher, teaching him how to throw strikes.
"I lived 10 miles out in the country and it was hard to get home after practice," said Murray, who quit playing football after his freshman year. "But it's funny, my parents always seemed to find a way to get me to baseball practice."
Murray had a successful high school career at Cuero but wasn't really sure where it would lead until he showed up at a tryout camp in Yorktown sponsored by a group of former professional players, known as the San Antonio Rambling Wrecks.
"I just kind of ran into Red Murff," Murray said of the scout best known for signing Nolan Ryan. "He asked what I wanted to do and if I'd like to go to college and play baseball."
Murff helped Murray land a scholarship to Blinn College in Brenham where he faced one batter - earning a save by getting him to popout - before a rain shower forced the team to work out the next day in a parking lot where Murray broke a bone in his leg, which put an end to his career at Blinn.
Murray returned home and took classes at Victoria College before getting back on the mound for the Cuero Toms during summer league play where he caught the attention of a scout for the Montreal Expos at a tournament in Cuero.
Murray was invited to an Expos' tryout at Blinn and he impressed the team enough to be selected in the 18th round of the amateur draft.
After attending spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Expos sent Murray to its rookie league team in Watertown, S.D., where he had worked with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, who was a roving instructor for the team. Drysdale taught Murray how to throw a sinker, which became the staple of his major league career.
"I was getting hit hard," Murray said. "He watched me and had me throw on the sideline. I was throwing the ball across the seams and he had me grip it with the seams.
"When I started throwing the ball, it started doing this," added Murray, making a sweeping downward motion with his hand.
The sinker was a perfect fit for Murray, who went from Aug. 18, 1974, to Aug. 20, 1976, a span of 247 1/3 innings, without allowing a home run, which at the time was the longest streak since World War II.
"Bob Watson (of the Astros) got me in Jarry Park (in Montreal) with an opposite-field, wind-blown homer," Murray recalled. "The next was when Bobby Murcer hit one in San Francisco."
Murray remembers being traded to Cincinnati in a deal that involved Tony Perez and he unwillingly became a part of the "Bronx Zoo" with the Yankees under manager Billy Martin, who constantly battled with owner George Steinbrenner.
"I was right in the middle of the whole thing," Murray recalled. "The New York Yankees are the big leagues of the big leagues with all the publicity and politics. That was very uncomfortable to me."
Murray had a more pleasant experience during the two years he spent in Toronto playing for Bobby Cox.
"He was a great, great man and a good friend," Murray said. "He's such a good communicator with the players. You could tell him anything. You can see why he's so successful. He's an easy man to work for."
Murray suffered a back injury in 1983 while he was pitching for the Yankees. He continued to pitch until 1985, but Murray never felt the same and his career ended shortly after he signed with the Rangers.
"I remember Yogi (Berra) was fired (as manager of the Yankees) on Sunday and we went to Arlington and they released me before the next game," Murray said. "I walked across the field to the other dugout. Doug Rader was managing the Rangers and said he was already working on getting me. They signed me and I went to Oklahoma City for two to three weeks before going back to the Rangers for two weeks before Doug (Rader) was fired and that was it for me."
Murray found life without baseball to be difficult and had a hard time adjusting after his retirement.
"When you're young, you think that baseball is going to be your whole life and that just doesn't happen," Murray said. "It was time for me to make some decisions. It's not good to wake up every day and not know what you're going to do next. You need to wake up and be needed somewhere."
Murray discovered his place at R.F. Blackwell Estate where he works as a rancher. Murray and wife, Becky, who went back to school and became a nurse after raising two daughters, are thankful for the recognition, regardless of the time of year.
"I've been on a ranch all my life," Murray said. "I can relate to it easy and the people I work with are great. This is kind of a little hometown situation. I appreciate them thinking of me."
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On a sidenote, Dale Murray and I partnered up in a game of pool after my uncle's birthday party earlier this year... I had never really met him, great guy though... we won the first game easily but then my uncle and cousin knocked us out (I blame myself, I knocked about five balls in straight after breaking one in and got cocky and lost, we never recovered)... he then threw a sinker from across that ole b ar using the cue-ball, it hit me in the knee and cut my leg clean in half...
Dale Murray admits it's a bit odd that a baseball player would be recognized in the midst of football season.
But Murray's journey through life has included stops in places he never knew existed while growing up in the tiny DeWitt County community of Ratcliff.
Murray will be inducted into the Cuero Gobbler Hall of Fame before Friday's game between Cuero and Palacios at Gobbler Stadium. He will be honored at a reception beginning at 6 p.m. at the high school cafeteria where will be joined by fellow inductee Mickey Mayne, who played football at Cuero and the University of Texas and professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Browns before coaching and becoming the superintendent of schools in Daingerfield.
"Obviously I wanted to be a major league baseball player," Murray said. "I think every kid wants to do that. I had a lot of breaks and a lot of luck. It seemed like I was in the right place at the right time."
Murray had a 12-year major league career during which he played for the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. He finished with a 53-50 record and 3.86 ERA.
Murray pitched in 518 games and made only one start but threw 902 1/3 innings during his career that he traces back to his father, Jack, who was a catcher, teaching him how to throw strikes.
"I lived 10 miles out in the country and it was hard to get home after practice," said Murray, who quit playing football after his freshman year. "But it's funny, my parents always seemed to find a way to get me to baseball practice."
Murray had a successful high school career at Cuero but wasn't really sure where it would lead until he showed up at a tryout camp in Yorktown sponsored by a group of former professional players, known as the San Antonio Rambling Wrecks.
"I just kind of ran into Red Murff," Murray said of the scout best known for signing Nolan Ryan. "He asked what I wanted to do and if I'd like to go to college and play baseball."
Murff helped Murray land a scholarship to Blinn College in Brenham where he faced one batter - earning a save by getting him to popout - before a rain shower forced the team to work out the next day in a parking lot where Murray broke a bone in his leg, which put an end to his career at Blinn.
Murray returned home and took classes at Victoria College before getting back on the mound for the Cuero Toms during summer league play where he caught the attention of a scout for the Montreal Expos at a tournament in Cuero.
Murray was invited to an Expos' tryout at Blinn and he impressed the team enough to be selected in the 18th round of the amateur draft.
After attending spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Expos sent Murray to its rookie league team in Watertown, S.D., where he had worked with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, who was a roving instructor for the team. Drysdale taught Murray how to throw a sinker, which became the staple of his major league career.
"I was getting hit hard," Murray said. "He watched me and had me throw on the sideline. I was throwing the ball across the seams and he had me grip it with the seams.
"When I started throwing the ball, it started doing this," added Murray, making a sweeping downward motion with his hand.
The sinker was a perfect fit for Murray, who went from Aug. 18, 1974, to Aug. 20, 1976, a span of 247 1/3 innings, without allowing a home run, which at the time was the longest streak since World War II.
"Bob Watson (of the Astros) got me in Jarry Park (in Montreal) with an opposite-field, wind-blown homer," Murray recalled. "The next was when Bobby Murcer hit one in San Francisco."
Murray remembers being traded to Cincinnati in a deal that involved Tony Perez and he unwillingly became a part of the "Bronx Zoo" with the Yankees under manager Billy Martin, who constantly battled with owner George Steinbrenner.
"I was right in the middle of the whole thing," Murray recalled. "The New York Yankees are the big leagues of the big leagues with all the publicity and politics. That was very uncomfortable to me."
Murray had a more pleasant experience during the two years he spent in Toronto playing for Bobby Cox.
"He was a great, great man and a good friend," Murray said. "He's such a good communicator with the players. You could tell him anything. You can see why he's so successful. He's an easy man to work for."
Murray suffered a back injury in 1983 while he was pitching for the Yankees. He continued to pitch until 1985, but Murray never felt the same and his career ended shortly after he signed with the Rangers.
"I remember Yogi (Berra) was fired (as manager of the Yankees) on Sunday and we went to Arlington and they released me before the next game," Murray said. "I walked across the field to the other dugout. Doug Rader was managing the Rangers and said he was already working on getting me. They signed me and I went to Oklahoma City for two to three weeks before going back to the Rangers for two weeks before Doug (Rader) was fired and that was it for me."
Murray found life without baseball to be difficult and had a hard time adjusting after his retirement.
"When you're young, you think that baseball is going to be your whole life and that just doesn't happen," Murray said. "It was time for me to make some decisions. It's not good to wake up every day and not know what you're going to do next. You need to wake up and be needed somewhere."
Murray discovered his place at R.F. Blackwell Estate where he works as a rancher. Murray and wife, Becky, who went back to school and became a nurse after raising two daughters, are thankful for the recognition, regardless of the time of year.
"I've been on a ranch all my life," Murray said. "I can relate to it easy and the people I work with are great. This is kind of a little hometown situation. I appreciate them thinking of me."
-------
On a sidenote, Dale Murray and I partnered up in a game of pool after my uncle's birthday party earlier this year... I had never really met him, great guy though... we won the first game easily but then my uncle and cousin knocked us out (I blame myself, I knocked about five balls in straight after breaking one in and got cocky and lost, we never recovered)... he then threw a sinker from across that ole b ar using the cue-ball, it hit me in the knee and cut my leg clean in half...