When last we discussed this story, I thought the omens for a return to the Rockets' broadcast booth by Calvin Murphy were looking decent, but it's not to be.
Calvin Murphy, who took a leave of absence last season as the Rockets' television analyst while facing a criminal trial that ended with his acquittal, will be replaced by former Rockets Clyde Drexler and Matt Bullard on the team's broadcasts next season, the Rockets announced Thursday.Drexler will work with play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell on home games on FSN Houston and KNWS (Channel 51), succeeding Comets coach Van Chancellor. Bullard will work for a second season as Worrell's broadcast partner on road games.
After a Hall of Fame playing career with the Rockets that began in 1970, Murphy, 57, was a part of Rockets broadcasts from 1989 through March 2004, when he took a leave of absence to deal with his legal challenges. His contract expires Sept. 30 and will not be renewed, said Tad Brown, the team's senior vice president for sales, marketing and broadcasting.
"It's unfortunate that after 35 years that this is the end, but it's all about business," Murphy said. "I had 35 great years with the Rockets, and even the bad years were good.
"I was hoping for a few more years, but I understand."
Murphy was acquitted Dec. 6 by a Harris County jury after two hours of deliberations on charges that he had molested five of his daughters. Testimony included the revelation that Murphy has 14 children by nine women.
Brown, asked if Murphy's legal problems, in the wake of his acquittal, had any impact on the decision not to renew his contract, replied, "Not at all. Change is part of this business. Players change, executives change, broadcasters change. It's the nature of sports."
Jon Heidtke, general manager of FSN Southwest and FSN Houston, which acquired the Rockets' broadcast rights last year, said the network's contract with the team calls for talent decisions to be made by the Rockets in consultation with the network. He said Murphy's legal problems "did not come up in any of our conversations" about next season's telecasts.
Not everyone loved his act on TV, and when Les Alexander bought the team virtually his first move was to fire Calvin. The public outcry on Murphy's behalf surprised the new owner, and he quickly rehired him.
Personally, I kinda liked Murph's schtick, cornball and self-aggrandizing as it was, but then I grew up on Phil Rizzuto's cornball schtick with Yankee broadcasts. As for his replacements, I've enjoyed Matt Bullard's work with the Comets, and I'll be interested to see how Clyde Drexler does. I'm sorry Calvin Murphy won't get the kind of signoff he'd have wanted, but I'm okay with how things turned out.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on July 09, 2005 to Crime and Punishment | TrackBackBrown, asked if Murphy's legal problems, in the wake of his acquittal, had any impact on the decision not to renew his contract, replied, "Not at all. Change is part of this business. Players change, executives change, broadcasters change. It's the nature of sports."
Do they really expect anyone to believe this?
Posted by: Tim on July 9, 2005 9:14 AMOne of my strongest recollections of baseball broadcasting was a game when the scooter went into a 20 minute monologue during his intro of Amos Otis. "Ya just don't hear many guys named Amos anymore." There is Amos this and Amos that and there was this other guy named Amos once but he played mostly in triple A ball . . . . It reminded me of the Forrest Gump scene about shrimp. Now that those days are gone, and with the loss of Ebbetts field, and no more Ballentine beer commercials (the three ring sign) I find myself thinking those were the good old days.
Nothing like that ever comes to mind when I think of the first short guy to stuff the Basketball and the greatest thing that ever happened at Niagara U. I am glad the Rockets have a good new public face and hope that CM finds a better future.
Posted by: RJH on July 9, 2005 10:06 AMBrag alert:
At the maiden Texans game against the Cowboys a few years ago I got to sit next to Calvin Murphy (we were both not exactly in the VIP section). He's very accomodating to the average fan, at least in my experience.
The past few years have been difficult -- the death of his wife in that auto accident, the sordid accusations of his daughters (a garden-variety embezzlement gone horribly wrong), the back-of-the-hand treatment from the Rockets and specifically Les Alexander.
Through it all he's managed to maintain his decency and even a sense of humor.
If the worst some can say is that he made a few poor choices regarding women he slept with, with the clothes he wears or even about his communications skills, then that strikes me as something worse than sour grapes when balanced against all the good he's done for the city of Houston (in the form of his kids' basketball camp, for starters).
Here's hoping life's next opportunity for Murphy is a good one.
He deserves it.
Posted by: PDiddie on July 9, 2005 12:11 PMI compare this to Marv Albert getting kicked out of his national NBA contract for his sex offenses in Virginia a few years back. Then again, OJ Simpson was acquitted of two counts of murder, yet he can't get back on TV either. ;-)
"Personally, I kinda liked Murph's schtick, cornball and self-aggrandizing as it was, but then I grew up on Phil Rizzuto's cornball schtick with Yankee broadcasts"
Nobody does cornball schtick like Phil Rizzuto did cornball schtick. There were nights when he and Bill White were more entertaining than the game. My favorite moment was when Phil Rizzuto introduced himself as Bill White. All poor Bill could do was laugh.
Posted by: William Hughes on July 9, 2005 9:05 PMThank God one of Houston's long nightmares is over. No more loud suits. No more cookies. Now if Les'll just dump Gene Peterson and Jim Foley and bring in some pros on the radio side.
Posted by: johnr on July 9, 2005 9:10 PM