Bless their hearts.

So I am scouring Yahoo! and come across a story about Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy.  It seems there is a reason I don't necessarily partake in listening to some of the morning sports radio talk shows, if I had, then I likely would have heard the barrage of criticism Mr. Murphy has received because instead of being on the field for games 1 & 2 of the 162 GAME MLB SEASON, he chose to be home with his wife following the birth of their first born child.

I know what you are going to say.... the AUDACITY OF DANIEL MURPHY!  How dare he take fatherhood to actually mean..... FATHERHOOD!

When I first read this story, I must admit, my blood started to boil.  I felt like I was reading comments from the 1950's.  But no, not my imagination at all.  They were hard and true comments made April 2, 2014.  Thing is, I thought maybe April 1st, was actually a day late, because surely, these were April Fool's Day cracks, right..... wrong.  The words, "get your ass back to the team" c/o Craig Carton, "this is what makes our money" c/o Boomer Esiason, "I frankly don't get it" c/o Mike Francesa and one from a fun fan.... "I've never heard of something so ludicrous [paternity leave for a baseball player]".  Hey fella's, did the sky just fall and somehow I, as a former athlete and still a sports fan missed it?  Baseball plays 162 LOOOOOOOOOOONG games, Daniel Murphy missing games 1 & 2 is really irrelevant.

Daniel Murphy knows what his career means, but you know what else, he knows what his family means and for that I say, BRAVO.  Why is this MAN's character being decimated because he took what truly is the most INSIGNIFICANT time during the baseball season to be with his wife and newborn, first born, child?  Why do we do that?  So basically as voices on the radio, the only way to make yourself seem, what more manly, is to attack someone for being a DAD first?

Look, I know what the field means to the pro athlete, I get the responsibilities he has to his team and to the contract he has signed.  But do those two game days really mean he is less committed to his team, his responsibilities than you are or were?  Do you feel that bragging that you would tell your wife to schedule the cesarean section because it works best for your schedule, makes you more of a man?  I ask that you look to yourself, and I mean really look to yourself; Ask yourself, not just the part that consistently agrees with your every word, but the true inner part, ask that part, was ripping this man necessary?  To me, it felt like the bully that starts in on a kid and then everyone just jumps on trying to one up the next guy.  I remember those kids too, because I was a target, but that's another post....

I applaud Daniel Murphy.  When I had my son, while I was happy my mom and dad were there... the one person I ABSOLUTELY WANTED AND NEEDED by my side those first few days, was MY HUSBAND.  No, he wasn't breast feeding our son, but he was helping to keep me calm.  You see he is my team, my parents are my parents, they love me, support me and were thrilled be with me during that time, but my husband is "MY TEAM".  He is what gets me through pretty much any and everything in my world, him and my FAITH of course.  He is the other half of that phenomenal creation that leaves me in awe on a daily basis.  The bulk of the work post birth of course falls on mom, but the little that he did... WAS HUGE and I am certain Daniel Murphy's wife felt that same way.

Daniel Murphy didn't miss the first game of JUST 16 in the NFL, he didn't miss the deciding game for a playoff spot, he didn't miss a playoff game.  BUT even if he did.... is he still less of a man, I think not.  We go through this life making decisions that affect more than ourselves in ways we couldn't possibly understand, we need to think about that before we decide to rip into a person for making a decision that benefitted his personal family before his baseball family.  Mr. Murphy, congratulations on becoming a father and for standing tall to be a man!