Mets Daniel Murphy to speak at White House

It’s a pretty big deal to be asked to speak at the White House. When it’s for something that already seems like second nature, that’s good too. When it provides the opportunity, whether taken or not, to rub the foolish attention the original matter garnered into the fool’s face, that’s even better.

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News came out from Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that Mets’ second baseman Daniel Murphy was going to be a guest speaker at the White House in regards to his paternity leave on Opening Day. When I heard the news, I thought it was as a part of some award Murphy was going to get because he “did the right thing,” but I’m happy to report (or confirm, I suppose) that it’s for a special cause. The White House is holding a Working Families Summit on June 23rd and the first-time father has been selected to speak at the event.

For those that don’t remember, Daniel Murphy missed Opening Day because his wife was about to give birth to their first child. Murphy didn’t think twice about it and went to be at his wife’s side as she gave birth to their son, Noah. Who did think twice about it? WFAN radio hosts Boomer Esiason and Mike Francesa, who rebuked the second baseman, insisting that Murphy should not have just left his job as a Major League baseball player to go be present for the birth of his child. Esiason went so far as to say that Murphy’s wife, Tori, should have had a C-section before the season started, so as not to inconvenience Murphy and the Mets. Boomer has since apologized.

The Murphy family will travel straight to Washington after the Mets game on Sunday June 22nd in San Francisco.