Murphy to pop off at White House
CHICAGO — When his wife, Tori, went into labor on March 31, Daniel Murphy knew exactly where he had to be. The Mets second baseman left New York to rush back to Florida to be with her for the birth of their first child, even at the cost of missing Opening Day at Citi Field.
While Murphy missing the first two games of the season brought an outcry from some fans and at least two well-known New York sports talk-radio hosts, it also brought the spotlight on some of the difficult choices that working fathers are forced to make.
Murphy was invited to speak about that experience at the White House, and he accepted.
Murphy will speak on Monday about having his very personal family moment exploited in the public eye as part of a day of discussion on working fathers that will lead into a White House Summit on Working Families on June 23.
Murphy, his wife and 2-month old son Noah will travel directly to Washington from San Francisco after the Mets game there on Sunday.
“It’s an honor and it’s humbling,” Murphy said of speaking not as a baseball player, but as a dad. “Tori was very excited about this and so there was not much of choice: we were going to do this. “It’s exciting.” He will be joined by several high-ranking administration officials who are also working dads and who will share their experiences, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman, according to a White House official.
Murphy’s decision to return to Florida for Noah’s birth was met with criticism from WFAN radio hosts Mike Francesa and Boomer Esiason, with Esiason later apologizing for suggesting Murphy should have insisted on his wife having a C-section before the season.
“It was a time that we leaned on each other and leaned on Jesus,” Murphy said of dealing with the publicity surrounding his decision. “Through the fire He molds you. So we came out of it stronger.”
LEADING OFF
Matt den Dekker was back in the leadoff spot for the second straight game, going 2-for-5 with stolen base that led to the Mets’ only run in the series opener in Chicago. The speedy outfielder will likely get a some more chances there to prove he can hit at this level, with Juan Lagares on the disabled list with a strained right intercostal.
But Terry Collins is not committed to any one player hitting first right now.
“It’s just day-by-day,” the Mets manager said. “He’s gonna play some games, I don’t know how many. Matt’s gonna be OK. He looks good at the plate.”
The Mets are also considering promoting Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who has experience leading off, if they feel they have enough bullpen arms after their marathon series