Blowfish Welcome Dale Murphy Opening Night!

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COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The boys of summer are back as the Columbia Blowfish are set to open up their fifth season with a little help from a baseball superstar.

Owner Bill Shanahan revealed former Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy will be the opening night guest of honor.

"He is the nicest man I've ever met in professional sports and what a great baseball player," said Shanahan. "He'll be throwing out the first pitch. He's going to be signing autographs for the fans, great way to kick off opening day with something special."

Murphy, a two time National League MVP in the early 80's, still draws huge crowds. Bombers Coach Lee Gronkiewicz is a long-time fan of Murphy.

"I was growing up in California, so it was 1 o'clock, come home and they had a 4 o'clock game on TV out here, so he was one of my idols growing up," said Gronkiewicz. "I'm really excited to meet him."

You can take home a nice souvenir to remember Murphy's visit to Capital City Stadium. His autographed jersey will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Palmetto Health Foundation.

"We ask that everybody come out, not only show support for the Blowfish but show support for the Palmetto Health Foundation and Dale Murphy will be here to cheer us on as well," said Shanahan.

"I already told him, I'm going to get a couple of baseballs signed for myself," said Gronkiewicz. "I'll definitely have one signed for Ray Tanner's foundation, but I'll definitely have one in my house too."