Pat Murphy's biggest gripe with MLB is a hilarious nod to Cubs' playoff controversy

Pat Murphy is, quite simply, the best.

Remember back in the postseason when the Chicago Cubs tried to accuse the Milwaukee Brewers of manipulating their roof to gain a competitive advantage by shading their own dugout while leaving Chicago's in the sun? For those who don't remember, the following clip from Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs' independent regional network, should help jog your memory.

The idea that the Brewers were intentionally shading their dugout and not the Cubs', made funnier by the fact that the game that took place in Milwaukee in October, was quickly debunked by several Brewers writers who noted that MLB makes the decisions when it comes to American Family Field's roof in the postseason. As a result, the situation, one that started out with the Cubs accusing their rivals of trying to give themselves an unfair competitive edge, quickly became an embarrassing moment for Chicago.

But that wasn't the end of it. When the series headed down to Wrigley Field for Games 3 and 4, Brewers fans on social media were quick to point out any moment where the Brewers' dugout was in the sun and Chicago's was in the shade.

However, then the Brewers took care of business in Game 5, sending the Cubs back to their roofless stadium, seemingly leaving the short-lived American Family Field roof scandal in the past. To that, Pat Murphy said not so fast. While it absolutely could have been a genuine answer from the Brewers' manager, when asked by a team of reporters at ESPN what he would change about the game if he were MLB Commissioner for a day, Murphy replied, "Shadows? Eliminate shadows."

Pat Murphy says he would "eliminate shadows" from the game if he were the Commissioner of MLB for one day

The MLB team over at ESPN recently published the results of their MLB managers survey, which included several Murphy-esque quotes from the Brewers' skipper. However, by far his best response was when he was asked, "If you were commissioner for a day, what is the one change you would make to MLB?" Murphy replied by saying, "Shadows? Eliminate shadows. Can't have shadows -- dangerous for players. Or devices to communicate for outfielders, so they don't run into each other." The article, free to read at ESPN and linked below, is well worth the read as it includes great insight from some of the top baseball minds in the world.

MLB managers survey: Skippers on rules, players, each other

The first half of Murphy's response suggests that he's referencing the now-two-month-old roof fiasco with the Cubs. Had he ended his response after saying that he would "eliminate shadows," it would not only have made for a more humorous answer, but it would have also been clearer that Murphy was taking a shot at the bogus claims that Milwaukee was manipulating their roof to create shadows and gain an advantage during the 2025 postseason.

However, Murphy walked back his answer by saying that player safety is truly impacted by the presence of shadows in the game. His idea of creating a device that allows outfielders to communicate with one another is an interesting one, and one that feels entirely feasible given the rise of PitchCom in MLB.

It's fitting that the manager of the Brewers, who play in one of the worst stadiums for shadows in MLB, would be worried about their impact on his players' safety. Therefore, it's likely there was a little bit of both sincerity and humor to Murphy's response, which perfectly encapsulates who the Brewers' skipper truly is.