BASEBALL NATION: Why I'll Miss Murph

In many years from now, we'll be telling our grandkids about a very different age of baseball broadcasting.

We'll be telling them of play-by-play guys who (gasp!) didn't have a cheesy, "signature" home run call in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator of fans. We'll tell them about a time when shtick was not a prerequisite to landing a broadcasting job. Someone once asked Murphy why he didn't have a home run call. "Each home run is different," the Murph replied. Talk about a passion for the game, not the ego.

Speaking of which, we'll be telling them of broadcasters who were truly passionate about the game, not just passionate about one team or about King George's checkbook. Gary Cohen said that Murphy treated a meaningless Mets game in August like it was the 7th game of the World Series. More than just passion, that's called taking your job seriously.

And even though Murphy kinda lost it near the end (calling Vladimir Guerrero "Pedro" and calling pop-ups "near homeruns"), there was still an air of professionalism around him that never left. I was a Yankee fan throughout the '90's, but I knew there was something about Murphy. At least moreso than Sterling and Kay. (Which isn't saying a whole lot, but you know what I mean.)

And when Murph called it quits at the end of last year, it was the end of an era. He will be missed.