Major League Baseball

Longtime Giants equipment manager gets his title

Published Nov. 2, 2010 9:33 a.m. ET

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Owner Bill Neukom, holding the World Series trophy, called for teary-eyed Mike Murphy down the hallway and handed off the hardware to the man who very much deserved to carry it into the clubhouse.

''Gonna take it to the boys. Gotta take it to the boys,'' Murphy said as he made his way through the madness and into the middle of a champagne party.

Murphy began with the Giants as a bat boy in 1958, the club's first season out West from New York, and he has never left. He has never missed a home game in all these years either.

The man who goes simply by ''Murph'' has seen it all with this team. Three World Series misses, and now this long overdue championship for a city just waiting to celebrate its baseball team.

''He is such an integral part of what we do,'' said Neukom, who captured a World Series crown in his second full season as managing partner. ''As Mike Krukow always says and all veterans and Hall of Famers come back and say, 'When you cross the threshold into Murph's clubhouse, you're a Giant. You're in the best clubhouse in Major League Baseball, win or lose.'''

Murphy saw Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda fall short in 1962. He used to watch a young Barry Bonds bounce around the clubhouse at Candlestick Park with his late father, Bobby.

''It means a lot to me after all these years of being a bridesmaid to all of a sudden be a bride again,'' the 68-year-old Murphy said. ''I feel happy the boys did it. It's sinking in to me. It's one of those things that's unbelievable.''

Murphy is a fixture in the franchise. He quietly goes about his business - politely uttering the phrase ''I don't bother nobody'' - while knowing what players need, their quirks and moods.

Perhaps nobody more so than Bonds, who departed after breaking Hank Aaron's home run record in 2007. The seven-time NL MVP was quick to congratulate the Giants on Monday night, and Murphy in particular.

''I also want to congratulate Mike Murphy, who has spent over 50 years working tirelessly for the organization,'' Bonds wrote on his Web site. ''Murph has witnessed so much Giants history and I am thrilled that he finally gets his San Francisco Giants World Series Championship.''

Bonds was far from the only one thrilled for Murphy.

''I'm probably the happiest for Murph of anybody, no question,'' said J.T. Snow, a former first baseman turned coach and special assistant. ''In fact, I would give him that World Series trophy and let him take it home. He has meant more to this organization than anybody.''

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A HALL OF FAME LINEUP: If Giants fans don't mind waiting about 10 days, they can head to the Hall of Fame to check out some great memorabilia from the 2010 World Series.

Museum officials were headed back to Cooperstown along with the bat Edgar Renteria used to hit the game-winning home run in the Series-clinching Game 5, and the jersey Tim Lincecum wore in the game.

They also got plenty of headgear: the batting helmet Cody Ross wore throughout the Series, and the caps worn by Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner in their shutout victories. Aubrey Huff gave his left cleat.

The Rangers were represented, too, with the bat Mitch Moreland used to hit the first World Series home run in club history.

Other items to commemorate the first World Series in North Texas included dirt taken from the pitchers mound following Game 3 and the ceremonial first pitch ball from Game 4, delivered by President George W. Bush, along with President George H.W. Bush, signed by both men.

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IN DEFEAT, A RING ANYWAY: Rangers catcher Bengie Molina is going to get a World Series ring anyway because he spent half this season on the San Francisco Giants. How awkward is that?

''There's a lot of guys that I enjoyed playing with, made myself very comfortable when I was there in San Francisco,'' he said. ''I'm actually very happy for them. ... I think they're enjoying right now what a special feeling it is.''

Molina said before the Series that he was considering retiring. In the moments after this season ended, he said he hasn't decided.

''Right now, it's probably closer to no playing than yes,'' Molina said. ''I don't want to decide right now because then something happens later on and I come back. I just want to spend time with my family right now, my mom and my wife and my kids. I'll spend times and I'll make a decision.''

Molina was 2 for 11 in the Series, playing four of the five games.

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ONLY IN SAN FRANCISCO: Warning: Giants slugger Aubrey Huff is considering a grand unveiling for his lucky red thong.

''I'm probably going to wear it all by itself in the parade,'' Huff said. ''I better get a spray tan, huh?''

Huff might have been the only San Francisco player happy to win in Texas. He grew up in the area going to Rangers games and had plenty of friends and acquaintances in the stands, plus some of his role models, including Nolan Ryan.

''To do this here in front of a lot of people I grew up idolizing: coaches, coaches from high school, friends, all my family's here, it's special, man,'' Huff said. ''Been a long grind for me, nine years. To be here and do this, I can't believe it happened.''

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CRANK UP THE HOT STOVE: About an hour after the game ended, the MLB players' association sent an e-mail declaring 142 players are free agents, plus 34 more are eligible for free agency pending option provisions.

Rangers ace Cliff Lee is among the headliners. Other Texas players on the market include catchers Bengie Molina and Matt Treanor, infielders Cristian Guzman and Jorge Cantu and reliever Frank Francisco.

From the world champion Giants, the free agents are sluggers Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen, infielders Juan Uribe and reliever Guillermo Mota.

World Series MVP Edgar Renteria and Texas DH Vladimir Guerrero are eligible for free agency pending option provisions.

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AP Sports Writers Jaime Aron and Stephen Hawkins contributed.

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