Dale Murphy, Fieldman of the Atlanta Braves Center – A true American hero

One of my brother Jason’s many dreams was to travel to Los Angeles to meet Dale Murphy and the Atlanta Braves. In 1984 his dream and that of my family came true.

My father and mother, like most parents, wanted their children’s dreams to come true. They were in a position where they did just that. Looking back, now as an adult, I can see where that desire to help make your children’s dream come true may have come to a great sacrifice. However, they wanted to do everything possible to make my brother Jason’s dream come true.

Jason was born with a very rare bone disease. After turning 8, he could no longer walk and therefore spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Jason loved the Atlanta Braves. He watched most of the games on TBS and became a huge Dale Murphy fan. The trip was planned and arrangements were made to travel to Los Angeles and spend time with Dale Murphy and the Atlanta Braves. We arrived at the Hyatt Regency and were immediately greeted by Dale’s father-in-law, who helped us make contact and arrangements with Dale. Finally the moment came and Dale walked through the front doors of the hotel. Her eyes immediately went to Jason and they began to speak. Dale Murphy spent over an hour talking to Jason and my family, handing a baseball glove and other signed items to my brother. I remember seeing tears in my parents’ eyes as I witnessed the genuine compassion of this great baseball player and how he gave himself in that moment. Christian principles teach that giving ourselves is the greatest thing we can give to our neighbor. Dale did just that. The rest of the trip was spent eating with the team, getting autographs from each of the team members, and enjoying the time we spent as a family.

In truth, Jason’s dream came true. It wasn’t long after that landmark trip, Jason passed away. But this I can say; Thank goodness for people like Dale Murphy who, to this day, don’t realize how important that moment was in my older brother Jason’s life. Thanks, Dale Murphy.