KANSAS CITY -- The visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium has a different kind of visitor this weekend with the Brewers in town.
A turtle.
Scratch that -- a tortoise.
Its name is Bobby Jr., named after Bobby Witt and Bobby Witt Jr. -- the father-son duo and close friends of Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who started this whole thing with the tortoise Friday night ahead of his Apple TV interview with Tricia Whitaker.
Last year, during an on-field interview with Whitaker, Murphy introduced the concept of “pocket pancakes” by producing -- you guessed it -- a pancake from the pocket of his hoodie for an in-game snack. It became such a sensation that the Brewers began selling Pocket Pancakes at the concession stands on Sundays last season.
This year, Murphy wanted to produce something different for his interview with Whitaker, the sideline reporter for Apple TV who was preparing to broadcast Friday’s game from Kauffman Stadium before it got rained out.
“I got a special guest I want you to meet today,” Murphy said in the video. “This is Bobby Jr., in honor of my friend Bobby Witt and his son, Bobby Jr. I didn’t want to pull out pancakes, so here we are. Now, we got pocket turtles.”
Why Bobby Jr. as the name?
"I respect the guy over there so much," Murphy said Saturday, referencing Witt and adding that he’s close with the Witt family. “I think he represents the game as well as any individual."
Murphy and the Brewers had been brainstorming ideas for what to pull out of his pocket for this interview, and Murphy decided on his way to the ballpark that it would be a turtle. Then, he had to figure out a way to acquire one at Kauffman Stadium.
That’s where the Royals’ visiting clubhouse staff came in, specifically Barrett Paulson, who arrived to work on Friday and was immediately hit with the “weirdest request I’ve ever gotten” in his six years working for the Royals, he said.
Visiting clubhouse manager Levi Noble told Paulson that he needed to go buy a turtle for Murphy. At first, Paulson thought Noble meant a turtle figurine or statue.
“Nope, a real live turtle,” Paulson said.
The nearest pet store is just more than 2 miles from the stadium: John’s Exotic Pet Store. Noble called ahead and asked if they had turtles, and they did. So Paulson, equipped with $400 from Murphy, ran out to his truck and headed over.
“The guy had like four- or five-inch turtles, and I’m like, ‘That’s perfect,’” Paulson said. “As he’s ringing me up, I’m like, ‘What kind of turtle is it?’ He’s like, ‘It’s a sulcata.’”
A sulcata, as Paulson learned from a Google search back out in his truck, is not a turtle; it is a tortoise. The third-largest species of tortoise in the world, with the average male size growing to 170 pounds. They also live anywhere from 55-80 years.
“I called Levi and was like, ‘This is a tortoise, and they live forever,’” Paulson said. “And he’s like, ‘Just bring it.’”
Armed with the tortoise, Paulson headed to the visiting clubhouse and Murphy’s office. On the elevator ride down, he ran into Brewers pitcher Jaoob Misiorowski, who questioned why Paulson was carrying a tortoise.
“It’s for Murphy,” Paulson replied, all the explanation needed.
Murphy was pleased with Paulson’s find but had one more question: Would it bite? Paulson told him no, but…
“He goes, ‘Prove it,’” Paulson said. “So I open the enclosure, pick it up. The tortoise was chilling.”
So, Murphy was able to get his interview in with Bobby Jr. and Whitaker despite the rainout. And on Saturday, Bobby Jr. was still in the clubhouse. The players took him out of his enclosure to roam a bit before returning him under a heat lamp. They’ve learned that tortoises mostly like to eat vegetables, don’t like loud music, and that it’s best to hold them with two hands.
"They loved it,” Murphy said. “They've learned the do's and don'ts of tortoise living."
The real Bobby Witt Jr., over in the home clubhouse, received a text from Brice Turang that included a video of the tortoise walking around, which made Witt laugh.
What will happen to Bobby Jr. after this series is to be determined. Everyone agrees it needs to go to a good home that will take care of him for however long he lives. Whether that is in Kansas City or Milwaukee remains to be seen.
“I went home last night and was talking with my mom, and she loves animals, so she said she’d take care of it for the meantime, until we find a good home for it,” Paulson said. “It’s going to live forever, so we need to find a good home.”