Murphy’s Bleachers

From the moment that Jim Murphy purchased Murphy’s Bleachers, formerly known as Ray’s Bleachers, in 1980, it became the center point for so much activity in the neighborhood – including serving as the relaxation point of choice for dozens of Chicago Cubs down through the years (Mark Grace, Rick Sutcliffe, Keith Moreland, Jody Davis, and Randy Myers to name just a few), too many journalists, police and firemen to count, a “who’s who” of local politicians, the home to many political and community public events, hundreds of charity and political fundraisers, private good-byes (the family of NBC-5’s Darrian Chapman held Darrian’s memorial service at Murphy’s), the setting for hundreds of community meetings dating back to the battle over night games at Wrigley Field in the 1980s, the occasional wedding proposal, and just every-day rollicking good fun. Jim slowly expanded and re-invested in Murphy’s, creating what is now widely recognized as the best sports bar in America.