Pat Murphy accepts his 3rd NL Manager of the Year award from a hospital bed. Murph!

To quote the TV show Shoresy*, “Murph is a beauty isn’t he? Isn’t he a beaut??”

The man is a national treasure. When I was watching MLB Network last night for the Manger of the Year award presentation, and they had all three guys up for the award on screen, I had to do a triple take to see what Murph was wearing and where he was. Of course he’s taking part in this presentation from a hospital bed in a hospital gown! Of course he is! Wouldn’t have shocked me one bit if he would have done the interview during his hip replacement surgery. Anesthetic? No thanks, I’ve got an award to win (*munches on pancake*).

I know I’ve said this many times on the podcast, but it’s just hard to fathom what a ride the Murphy Era has been in Milwaukee. When Counsell tucked his tail and ran for a bigger market and a better chance at a title (hah!), and they hired Murphy, I thought it made sense. He was Counsell’s consigliere, the players knew him, he knew the organization, perfect. He’ll be a good transition and then we’ll find out who the next guy is in a year or two. That’s what I thought. That’s what a lot of us thought!

But here we are. Three years under Murphy, three division titles, set the franchise record for wins in 2025 with 97, broke that record this year with 103, delivered the first World Series title to the Brewers organization, and becomes the first ever 3-peat Manager of the Year award winner. Never in my WILDEST dreams would I have envisioned that this would be the outcome of Murphy getting that job when Counsell decided to leave Whitefish Bay. And I’m talking my WILDEST dreams. Dreams where I get to be the Vice President for Teddy Roosevelt. Dreams where I take Topanga to my high school prom. Dreams where I have the perfect March Madness bracket. Dreams where I wake up with a full head of hair.

And not only has the on-the-field success been astonishing, he’s just such a perfect fit for the organization, the fanbase, and our Midwest sensibilities. He’s blue collar, he’s stern, he’ll bust your balls, he’ll take a pancake or turtle out of his pocket, he’ll build you up when you need it and speak plainly when you need it. 10/10, no notes.

*If you have access to Hulu or Disney, watch Shoresy. My wife and I binged it this year, it’s only 6-ish episodes a season, instantly on my all time Top 10 list. GOTTA SET THE TONE BOYS!

PS: Interesting discussion on Wilde and Tausch on ESPN Madison this morning about where Murphy fits in with the all time great coaches in the state. I think he’s already #2 on my list. Nobody will take the mantle from Lombardi, but right now I’d have Lombardi, Murphy, Alvarez, and Holmgren as my Mount Rushmore. If they add two more faces to the mountain I’m going with McCarthy and Bo Ryan. Honorable mountain mention to Al McGuire, Larry Costello, and Mike Budenholzer.