Ahead of his visit to the city Saturday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy joined La Crosse Talk PM to discuss coaching \u2014 football and basketball \u2014 Bob Uecker and, of course, pocket pancakes.<\/p>\n
Murphy will be the La Crosse Loggers special guest Saturday for their winter BBQ at the La Crosse Center, appropriately themed \u201cAn Evening with Pat Murphy.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n We kicked off the interview by pointing out the high expectations Murphy has set for himself, winning back-to-back NL Manager of the Year awards in his first two seasons leading the Brewers.<\/p>\n La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Find the show on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0Apple Podcast<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0here<\/a>. Tune in on the WIZM app or on air at 92.3 FM \/ 1410 AM \/ 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After that, we asked Murphy, who has over 40 years in baseball, if he had to pick, would he rather coach the Packers or the Bucks \u2014 if this Brewers gig doesn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n \u201cA little unfair to me because I was a college football coach before I started coaching baseball,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI love coaching football because I love the strategy and the science behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n An Evening with Pat Murphy<\/p>\n What: La Crosse Loggers Winter BBQ featuring Brewers manager Pat Murphy<\/p>\n When: Saturday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., program starts at 7:00 p.m.<\/p>\n Where: La Crosse Center<\/p>\n Tickets: Adults $25, Children (12 & under) $10<\/p>\n How to Buy: Available at the La Crosse Center box office or via Ticketmaster. Corporate tables are available by calling 608-796-9553.<\/p>\n Murphy went with the historic franchise and sport he knows best over coaching one of the best players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is pretty special,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI think it would take me a long time and we\u2019d lose a lot of games between now and then. Don\u2019t underestimate how good a job these guys do because it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n We also delved into Murphy\u2019s college baseball managing days and how he\u2019s used that experience \u2014 as a legendary coach who led Arizona State to four College World Series and put Notre Dame baseball on the map \u2014 to help him in the Majors identify the type of character and player he wants on his team.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that those jobs help you \u2026 you go through a lot in the coaching world and success doesn\u2019t always bring you wisdom and knowledge,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s the opposite. So having success, it taught me a lot about some things not to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy also offered a glimpse into his direct leadership style, saying while he values a player\u2019s character, he prioritizes results over gut feelings.<\/p>\n \u201cBe careful how much you feel, because feelings don\u2019t matter,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cBehavior matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Another part of the conversation was simply remembering Brewers legendary announcer Bob Uecker. Murphy spent 10 years with the Brewers organization and said Uecker became a great friend. He talked of how Uecker was the gold standard for that kind of clubhouse character \u2014 sharing a story about how \u201cMr. Baseball\u201d would go out of his way to welcome even the most obscure new players. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m telling you, a new kid comes in the clubhouse, he knows the kid,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cThe players on the team don\u2019t even know the kid,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cUecker\u2019s there, he knows him, he knows somebody who knows him, he sticks his hand out, he talks to him, he spends time with him. And the kid\u2019s looking around going like, \u2018Is this a joke? This guy, Bob Uecker, knows me and wants to meet my parents?\u2019 I mean, the guy was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the conversation had to eventually get to the viral \u201cpocket pancake\u201d moment. For those who don\u2019t know, during an in-game interview last season, Murphy (in)famously pulled a pancake out of his pocket and offered the reporter a bite.<\/p>\n Aside from the pancakes, Murphy admitted he will smuggle waffles, bagels or even cold pizza in his hoodie pocket to snack on \u2014 raw dogging the snacks too. They\u2019re not in a Ziploc bag.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you fold it over,\u201d Murphy said of the cold pizza, as if everyone should know it\u2019s fine to just keep it in your pocket, as long as it\u2019s folded. \u201cIt\u2019s cold pizza\u2026 It\u2019s not like drippy or runny or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if his hoodie pockets get stained:<\/p>\n \u201cIt might be a little bit, but we got laundry,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cYeah, I mean, they\u2019re nasty. That\u2019s the price of doing business.\u201d<\/p>\n Sticking with the topic, we asked Murphy if he\u2019d like to see a pancake theme in the Brewers\u2019 proposed $800 million business district outside the stadium, which we\u2019ve nicknamed \u201cThe Beer District,\u201d mimicking the Bucks\u2019 \u201cDeer District.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy joked that a \u201cPancake Plaza\u201d or \u201cFlapjack Way\u201d would be a perfect fit, or even having his own \u201cPat\u2019s Pancakes\u201d restaurant. \u201cI think that\u2019s a good little breakfast place around there and we capitalize on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The interview concluded with Murphy reflecting on his friendship with the late Bob Uecker, describing him as a man who went out of his way to make every new player feel like they belonged in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n Tickets for \u201cAn Evening with Pat Murphy\u201d can be purchased at the La Crosse Center box office Monday-Friday, between 11 a.m. \u2013 4 p.m. or on TicketMaster. Adults are $25 and children 12 & under are $10. Parties interested in purchasing a corporate table can contact the Loggers office at 608-796-9553. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday with a pre-Murph program from the Loggers. Murphy will take the stage at 7 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n