NEWARK, N.J. -- Troy Murphy of the Golden State Warriors was in very unfamiliar territory on Friday night.
Instead of standing under a basket going for a rebound or taking shots behind the 3-point line, Murphy found himself in the third-base coach's box -- or at least sort of close to it -- working for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League as part of "Troy Murphy Night."
"I'm a huge baseball fan," the NBA forward said about 90 minutes before lifting his 6-foot-11 frame off the bench in the dugout and trotting to the coach's box in the bottom of the first inning.
Once there, the New Jersey native looked out of position, literally.
While most coaches stand somewhere near the white lines painted about 10 feet to the side of the base, Murphy stood with his feet on the dirt along the warning track in foul territory, less than 10 feet from the fans in the box seats.
It seemed to be a form of self-protection for player with five years remaining on a multimillion dollar contract.
Murphy inched a tad closer to the grass in the second inning and finally got the toe of his sneakers on the grass for the third inning, his last at third. He spent the fourth inning signing autographs for fans.
"We're bridging the gap between basketball and baseball," said Bears manager Chris Jones, a former major leaguer who usually coaches third base. "He is going to know the signs and give signs. It's not going to be a for-show thing. He is going to be in the mix."
The idea of Troy Murphy Night started in February, when he answered a few questions for Sports Illustrated.
One of them was what he would be doing if he wasn't playing in the NBA.
Murphy, who attended Delbarton High School in Morris Township, replied that he would be coaching third base for the Bears.
Newark assistant general manager Jim Cerny saw the response and called the Warriors almost immediately.
"I'm hoping to think of promotion ideas for the season and 'Bam,' I see this," Cerny said.
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