Love That Dirty Water, Boston You're My Home

Boston is a place that is central in BostonHerald Deputy Sports Editor Mark Murphy’s heart.

It is one of the most sports-engrossed cities in the country. 

But, it is also the place where it “combined my enjoyment of writing as with my enjoyment of sports,” said Murphy.

It was hard for Murphy growing up, because he grew up in a part of Connecticut that breeds Yankee fans; he wasn’t a fan of the Yankees or the local newspapers because of their extensive coverage on the team, said Murphy.

He was part of the minority. He was a Red Sox fan.

When he moved to Boston he was able to follow the sportswriters that he idolizes to this day.

“As I got a little bit older as I moved to this area I would read guys like Gerry Callahan in the Herald and Peter Gammons,” said Murphy. “Those guys were great.”

He also realized quickly that he couldn’t be a fan of his beloved Red Sox once he started working in the industry.

“You kind of have to sort of step back and take it from a much more even keeled perspective because you can access what is going on,” said Murphy. “From a positive and sort of negative perspective.”

But, there were other things he got to do that an ordinary sports fan couldn’t.

He covered games in seats that, “now sell for a couple thousand dollars,” said Murphy. “You cannot 

watch a game from seats better than that.”

He has lived in Boston for over 20 years, and hasn’t regretted one moment of it, said Murphy. 

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Interview

Q: What was your first job in the sports industry?

A: I was a freelancer. What we call a stringer. For the Dedham transcript, which is a small, at the time a small daily newspaper in Dedham. I believe it is weekly. I did as a freelance basis. I did it part-time. About a month after that I moved to a paper called the Middlesex news which is in Framingham, Ma. It is now called the Metro West Daily News. But, that was a larger daily paper. I think that I did previously the same role where I answered phones, rewrite, did high school stories, and go cover high school stuff. That is how I started.

Q: Were you a sports athlete yourself? Why are you in the sports industry?

A: Well, coming out of college I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, as I think many people are. And I took it as my job to figure out what I wanted to do. I just wanted to sort of combine my enjoyment of writing as with my enjoyment of sports. It seemed like a good outlet to start in.

Q: How did you get a job as a sports editor?

A: At the Middlesex news I went from a freelancer to full-time writer. I was hired I think in 1991, and about three years later the sports editor moved over to the news side to become the managing editor of the paper. And I was named sports editor at that time at the Middlesex News. And then about five years later a job opened up at the Herald as the night sports editor which technically in charge of the paper at night. The operation at night. So I took that job about five years after that. The sports editor moved on and the deputy editor moved into his spot and I moved into the deputy sports editors spot. So, that is my current job.

Q: Are you still a big Boston sports fan?

A: I enjoy the sports yeah mean. I enjoy the teams and everything that goes on. Once you get into the business you tend to not be a fan, you know what I mean? I think you are a fan of sports and what you are doing. But, you are not a fan in the sense that you are rooting for a team as a fan might you know. You kind of have to sort of step back and take it from a much more even keeled perspective because you can access what is going on. From a positive and sort of negative perspective. Because you kind of change from your sort of tradition definition of a fan. I think most people that certainly get into this business begin as fans.

Q: What is your favorite perk with this job?

A: Being able to be credentialed for games or big events. Although when I do go to an event it’s in a working capacity. But, I can go and watch high level sports teams for free. And you get a pretty good seat. When I first started I did do a lot of Celtics games. It is funny you brought up Mark. I actually met him covering the Celtics when I worked for Middlesex News. The seats there used to be right on the court. Now they kind of put you up in the stands a little bit. But, the seats now sell for a couple thousand dollars. That is where the press table was. Those were great. You cannot watch a game from seats better than that.

Q: Now, when you were growing up who was your favorite sports writer?

A: To be honest with you when I was growing up reading the paper. I did grow up in Connecticut. So, the local paper did use a lot of wire for the sports teams. It was actually Yankee country so there was a lot of Yankee stories and it was Yankee oriented where I was more of a Red Sox fan. I really didn’t have one. As I got a little bit older as I moved to this area I would read guys like Gerry Callahan in the Herald and Peter Gammons. Those guys were great.