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Junior outfielder Chris Murphy started in 50 of the 52 games for the Salukis last season and was fifth on the team in RBIs and second in stolen bases. Murphy sat down with the Daily Egyptian to reveal his dislike for watching baseball and his love for road trips.
Daily Egyptian: You said earlier you have a bad habit of quickly forgetting things. Would you have remembered to show up for this interview without the reminder text?
Chris Murphy: Yeah, I would have. I’ve got ADD. I get sidetracked. I wrote it down. If I wouldn’t have, I would have been, like [shrugs shoulders].
DE: What’s your worst, most humorous ADD moment?
CM: Actually, when I was playing down in Georgia, I remember I called a fly ball, and I saw a bird fly by, and instead of looking at the ball I got sidetracked. I looked at the bird and the ball just fell right behind me. I felt like a complete idiot, but whatever, it happens.
DE: Well what do you do while you wait for action in the outfield?
CM: I get really bored, you know. All my coaches, they know I’m bored ... I like to have fun when I’m out there, try to make it the best I can. I’ll be singing. I’ll be talking to other outfielders. I’ll be making noises, I don’t know, just pretty much goof off.
DE: What are your thoughts on teammate Andrew Dunn signing with Milwaukee?
CM: I’m really proud of him. He’s a great teammate, I’m glad he got to sign. I know that after the whole draft went, he was like, “All right, I’m not going to play anymore.” And then, this just came out of nowhere for him, and I know he was really excited. He deserved it. He worked hard.
DE: Do you think about baseball and/or getting drafted very often?
CM: That has been my goal since I was really little. I’ve always wanted it, and I don’t want to do it just for myself, I want to do it for my mom, my parents, because they’ve put so much effort and money into it. I mean, I love it more than anything, but, yeah it’s for me overall, but I’d love that I’d do it for them too.
DE: Do you have a favorite memorable moment from a past season?
CM: My big moments are always like running into a wall or doing something stupid like that because I remember them because I got hurt.
DE: What about a favorite pro moment?
CM: Actually, I don’t watch baseball at all. I don’t follow it. I couldn’t name you 10 guys that play in the major leagues. It’s that bad. ... It’s just boring to watch. People come to our games and I love seeing people there. They’re on the hill just hanging out, but, I try to go to a pro game, and I just sit there. I’m like, “This is so boring.” A lot of people just love it. I don’t. I don’t like watching it.
DE: Do you follow any professional sports?
CM: Football, Hockey. I’m from Pittsburgh, so ... I kind of miss being back home, but I don’t, at all. Living in the city my whole life got old, and then coming out here, I actually love it. It’s relaxing. There’s no traffic.
DE: Have you explored the nearby Shawnee Forrest?
CM: Yeah, I go fishing every once in awhile. I ride my motorcycle a lot, just take rides ... that really relaxes me the most. After a hard day I just go do that for an hour or so.
DE: Do you have any pre-game rituals you do to relax for games?
CM: Not really. I’m really weird about how I put my shoes on. How I tie my shoes. If I tie them, I don’t want to untie them, because they get the right fit and then I can’t get it back [laughing].
DE: How about your music. Any particular song you want to hear before a game?
CM: Not this year, at all, really. I just listen to whatever. I had a playlist on my iPod that I liked to listen to for the bus rides, but it wasn’t pump-up music, it was relaxing, like country music.
DE: Do you prefer to drive or fly?
CM: Drive. I love driving. I’ll drive home — 11 hours, 10 hours — like it’s nothing. I like driving by myself, because I like to just get to thinking about stuff. My mind wanders and I don’t even realize the trip went by.
DE: What about the last movie you saw that you enjoyed?
CM: I saw “The Hangover.” That was hilarious.
DE: Do you prefer humor or horror?
CM: Humor. I like horror movies, but now they’re just getting so fake, it doesn’t really look real, and I’d rather watch something funny than fake.
DE: One last either/or. Cold or hot weather games? You’re from a cold area.
CM: Everybody says that, but I hate being cold. Yeah I’m from Pittsburgh, it’s always cold, but nobody really likes the cold. So, I’d rather be hot than cold. Playing baseball in the cold just stinks.
DE: Cold does stink. How many interviews have you done?
CM: Not many, three or four since I’ve been down here.
DE: Do the outfielders get overlooked?
CM: No, I mean, we’re just three guys out there running down balls, it’s our job. I love it because you get to run ... I just like being able to run freely around the outfield like a kid. That’s what I like.
