Dale Murphy has been up to bat in the major leagues, served three years as president of the Boston mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is currently considering a career in politics, perhaps as the next governor of Utah.

"I've been asked before to serve in political office; I usually said no, but this time I'm interested," said Murphy.

Murphy would run for the 2004 Gubernatorial seat as a Republican. However, he didn't come to this decision alone.

"It's kind of someone else's idea," said Murphy. "It's the people that asked me. I mean people get asked all the time, but there is nothing official. I'm interested, but a lot of things have to happen."

Laughing, Murphy added, "The Republican party in Utah needs to say okay."

According to Ryan Perry, field coordinator for the Utah Republican Party, anyone can run for political office. Perry said party caucuses are held every even numbered year. In these neighborhood meetings state and county delegates are elected. The delegates then nominate state and county officials, including a candidate for governor.

In May, the delegates must achieve a 60 percent consensus in favor for a candidate to attain automatic nomination, otherwise a primary will be held and the general public will be able to vote. Perry said there are approximately 3500 delegates at the state convention who must be convinced that Murphy is the candidate of choice.

"There are already some loyalties," said Perry. "It is a grassroots game, but anyone has a chance."

A major roadblock for Murphy's nomination is current Republican governor, Mike Leavitt. Gov. Leavitt has yet to announce whether he will run for his fourth term as governor in 2004.

Gov. Leavitt's constituent affairs staff person, Richard Sorenson said, "The Governor has not yet decided whether or not he will run for re-election in 2004."

"I do not know when he plans to make the decision, but I believe he is keeping the option open," added Sorenson.

In a recent Salt Lake Tribune article, a survey showed 52% of Utah voters who would not support Leavitt should he pursue a fourth term.

Political consultant Mike Triggs from Los Angeles has headed up a committee called "Californians for Murphy." In a letter to BYU supporters Triggs said he hoped to "test the waters for a possible gubernatorial bid by Dale in 2004."

Triggs has complete confidence in Murphy and his abilities to be the next governor of Utah. His mission in Boston was a microcosm of a small state said Triggs. Murphy had to maintain a budget, staff, and had stewardship over a lot of people.

"This guy could be, should be, will be the next governor of Utah," said Triggs. "He is a resident and tax payer, that's all the constitution of Utah requires."

Murphy brings many unique character traits and qualities to the table, Triggs said. Murphy is confident with himself and his family, is a fresh face to politics, and is a very capable leader.

"From his days up to bat in Atlanta, to the three years he spent as the President of the Boston Mission, Dale Murphy has demonstrated that rare quality in men: pure inspired leadership," Triggs said.

In American politics today, it is not uncommon for candidates to spend millions of dollars on a political campaign. This past gubernatorial election in California, combined campaign spending reached nearly $50 million. Triggs said it would cost close to $2 million to get Murphy into the governor's seat.

It is "the nature of the beast," he said. "Dale brings the ability to raise money outside Utah, with a network of friends."

Murphy met many different people and potential campaign supporters as he suited up for the Atlanta Braves, in a professional baseball career that lasted 17 seasons.

He was a first round draft pick in 1974 and holds 10 career records. He hit 398 career homeruns, which ranks him as 24th all time. Murphy was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1982 and 1983.

With these kinds of numbers, it would seem as though Murphy is a shoe-in for the hall of fame, but looks can be deceiving.

"I'm not too optimistic, but I don't like to be a negative person," said Murphy.

Murphy added that players must be retired for five years before they will be considered for the hall of fame. A committee of sportswriters will vote on retired players and those players who receive the highest percentages are invited into the hall of fame.

"I've been getting voted on for four years, I'm not getting a very high percentage, so I'm not too optimistic," said Murphy. "I don't have a lot of the benchmark numbers that get guys in, like they hit 500 homeruns or if they're a pitcher and have 300 wins, those kinds of guys go in automatically."

Nothing has been set in stone, but for the time being, Triggs will continue to explore the benefits and downsides of pursuing Murphy as a candidate.

"In the coming months, we'll be engaged in a number of activities to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, to assess Dale's strength as a potential candidate and the interests of the Utah electorate in current issues and personalities," said Triggs. "We are cognizant and sensitive to the factors of making a final decision. They will be overcome as the process progresses."

Due to some of the roads of uncertainty that lay ahead, Murphy has not totally committed to the idea of governor.

"It's major," said Murphy. "I've always admired people that have gotten into that because someone's got to do it, but I don't think there's anyone that would say, 'hey this is a neat life, its fun to go out and have people disagree with you, and say things about you.' Its still a lot of work and a lot of challenges, so I have a lot of things to think about."

Murphy is no stranger to people who haggle with him. In a fireside at BYU, Triggs related the following excerpt from Murphy's talk. He was up to bat at Atlanta and a witty fan unveiled a huge banner referring to a Latter-day Saint prophet's quote that read, "Dale, no other success can compensate for failure at home plate."

Murphy said that sometimes it was tough to be in the locker room. He had to put up with offensive language and crude stories that can easily be found in the major league setting.

"Mostly people respected me, but sometimes I'd hear some words I shouldn't hear," Murphy said. "You got to make the decision if you are going to be tolerant and understanding. You can't expect everyone to believe like you believe and talk like you talk. For the most part, when guys would talk to me, they would change if they had to change. I felt like people respected me when they were talking to me and knew that I didn't like to hear those kinds of things."

In his heyday, when Murphy was sitting atop the baseball world, he also had to wrangle with other problems that come with stardom. On different occasions, eager fans would camp outside his home hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol. It got to the point where the Murphy's had to move to a different neighborhood, behind a barrier of 3 or 4 acres.

"When you live in a regular subdivision you just have no privacy. It's not our neighbors, it's the people that weren't our neighbors," Murphy said. "It's just uncomfortable, we wanted more privacy. I think our society gets a little carried away sometimes with athletes."

Should Murphy become governor he would again be placing himself in the public spotlight. He would be forced to sacrifice much of the precious time he spends with his family. Those close to him know that family is one of Murphy's highest priorities. From his days as a Brave he said that juggling career and family was a difficult thing for him to do.

"I wouldn't see the kids too much in the day and I wouldn't get home until 11:30 at night," said Murphy. "Its very challenging for the wife of a professional ball player. A lot of the burden and responsibilities went on her shoulders, but I tried to chip in when I could."

However, when faced with responsibility, Murphy doesn't shun away. If events unfold such that Murphy is put in position be Utah's next gubernatorial candidate, he won't sit it out.

Murphy's formula for success in life is an extension of his philosophy, "The only people who fail are those who don't participate."