When Edwin Rodriguez was called up to the New York Yankees in September of 1982, he got the usual rude rookie greeting from a club that included the likes of Dave Winfield and Lou Piniella.
It was all good-natured, but still a little unsettling for the young second baseman. One player, however, came over to Rodriguez afterwards and made him feel welcome – Bobby Murcer.
“After all those guys went away, he came over and said ‘OK, kid, stay within yourself,’†recalled Rodriguez. “He was waiting for everybody to walk away for him to come by. He was a class act.â€
Rodriguez was only around Murcer for six weeks, but the veteran left an impression.
“In that short period he showed me how to approach batting practice, how to approach pregame workouts, gave me some tips,†Rodriguez said. “I watched him take batting practice and it was amazing. Every swing was with a purpose.â€
So count the Greensboro Grasshoppers manager among those who feel fortunate to have known Murcer, who died of brain cancer just before the All-Star game at age 62.
for the rest of this Bill Hass classic go to:http://www.gsohoppers.com/fanzone/bill-on-baseball/articles/073108%20Murcer.asp