ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 7, 1996 TAG: 9609090129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BALTIMORE
SOURCE: The Baltimore Sun
Only Willie Mays and Hank Aaron - each of whom could make an argument for being the best baseball player of all time - have reached both of the sport's most revered offensive milestones.
Murray's moment came on a rain-soaked night with barely half of the seats still occupied after the start of the game was delayed for 2 hours, 20 minutes, but the 25,000 or so diehards who stayed until this morning had enough lung capacity to give him a long and rousing ovation.
He circled the bases under a shower of sparkling confetti and was mobbed by his teammates at home plate as the public address blared the end theme from ``Star Trek, The Next Generation.'' The ovation lasted 81/2 minutes and Murray took a couple of curtain calls as the Orioles unfurled a large banner in center field that read ``Congratulations Eddie 500.''
The sometimes-taciturn Murray clearly reveled in the moment, his face aglow in the Orioles' dugout. He even came out and shook hands with several fans and friends before the game continued.
The date was particularly significant because Ripken paved the way for Murray's return to Baltimore with the speech he made to the sellout Oriole Park crowd after he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record last Sept. 6. He named Murray as one of the greatest influences on his career, and later made no secret of his desire to play alongside Murray again.
That became a reality when General Manager Pat Gillick traded left-hander Kent Mercker to the Cleveland Indians to bring Murray back to Baltimore after a 71/2-year absense. He left under bitter circumstances, but returned just in time to re-establish his baseball roots in the city where he developed into one of the most productive hitters in the history of the game.
There was room to wonder at the time of the trade whether the Orioles were only reclaiming Murray in the hope that his 500 chase would divert attention away from the club's dismal performance, but the deal worked on every level. His presence bolstered the bottom third of the lineup and helped the Orioles stage a dramatic second-half turnaround, which actually diverted attention away from his individual quest.
The Orioles entered the weekend just a game behind the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card race and still in range of the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East. That, according to manager Davey Johnson, is no coincidence. He said early on that Murray would bridge the club's leadership gap and help the Orioles create a winning chemistry.
The last player to reach 500 homers was Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt, who took his historic swing on April 18, 1987, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. The last American League player to do it was Reggie Jackson, who hit his 500th on Sept. 17, 1984, and arrived in Cooperstown in 1993.
Murray will be there soon enough. He ranks among the baseball's all-time leaders in virtually every relevant offensive category. The only question is whether he chooses to return for the 1997 season. He may not be the same hitter who terrorized American League pitchers in his first incarnation as an Oriole, but he had enough left this year to hit at least 20 homers for the 16th time in 20 years.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Eddie Murray, already with 3,000 career hits, joinedby CNBWillie Mays and Hank Aaron on an exclusive list when he smacked his
500th home run at Camden Yards on Friday night. GRAPHIC: Chart by
KRT: The 500 Club. color. KEYWORDS: MGR