Why MLB Needs To Punish Nyjer Morgan
A lot of people can say what they will about the 30 year old Morgan, but this is what I have to say.
This guy is a plague to Major League Baseball and he needs to be dealt with quickly.
May 22nd, 2010: Nyjer Morgan misses a line drive in center field, then slams his glove down and throws a temper tantrum because he thought he knocked the ball over the fence for a home run. Fellow outfielder Josh Willingham had to finish the play because Morgan gave up on it, but Adam Jones was able to get an inside the park home run on the play. I applaud you getting mad at yourself instead of blaming someone else, but grow up man. There is no need to slam your glove down and cry about it on the field. Especially when there is still a play going on!
August 25, 2010: Morgan is suspended seven games for throwing a baseball at a fan, and striking a different fan in the head, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Morgan is currently appealing this suspension. I do not believe this was intentional, but still shows some character flaws.
August 28th, 2010: Morgan runs into Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson when crossing home plate, Anderson didn’t even have the ball, nor was he blocking the plate in any way. Morgan was so intent on hitting Anderson, that he completely missed the plate, was touched by Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez, and then called out. This is when the real problems start and something should have been done.
August 31, 2010: Morgan takes out Marlins catcher Brett Hayes and separates Hayes’ shoulder. There was a play at the plate, Hayes did have the, was blocking the plate, but Morgan should have been sliding. This is NOT 1970, Morgan is NOT Pete Rose, and Hayes was on the plate NOT three feet down the line like Ray Fosse was. Yet more more incident that MLB should have stepped in on and punished Morgan for.
And now…the straw that should break the camel’s back, but I doubt it will.
September 1, 2010: Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad hits Morgan in his first at bat. Morgan, now on first and with his team behind 11 runs, steals second base and then third on the Marlins. Why steal? You are losing by 11 runs! So in his second at bat, in the sixth inning, Volstad throws behind Morgan. Morgan throws the bat, runs at Volstad, connects with a left to his face, then is taken out by a clothes line from Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez, and, I can only hope, got the $H!+ kicked out of him in the dog pile that ensued.
Did you really accomplish anything?
They threw at you the first time for taking out their catcher the night before. They threw at you the second time for stealing two bases when your team was down by 11 runs. There are times to fight for your teammates and times to stand up for yourself, but when YOU intentionally disrespect the other team, DO NOT get pissed when they retaliate.
If Morgan is not severely punished for this laundry list of offenses MLB is in for some bad things. This guy is showing kids how NOT to behave. He is a plague and he NEEDS to pay for it.
TAGS: Adam Jones, Brett Hayes, Bryan Anderson, chris volstad, Florida Marlins, Gaby Sanchez, Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals
10 Comments
Reading this I gotta essentailly agree with your premise that Morgan needs to be taken to his own personal OK corral and dealt with like the Earps and Doc Holliday did the Clantons, et al… however I have one little teensy eensy bone to pick. Where is it written that when my team is behind by umpteen runs that I can't try and get into scorintg position so that a teammate could maybe drive me in and who knows what could ensue from there. Remember this is baseball and there ain't no clock to run out the time with.
It is not written anywhere…but neither is "You hit our best player…we will hit yours". Go ahead and try to get into scoring position, I agree with that completely, but steal two bases when your team is down by 11, after you have just been plunked for being a douche and I can't argue with the other team coming after you.
I gotta disagree. You have a good case but your off base on this point. No team has a right tog o after a player for trying to win a game by stealing bases to get into scoring position. They already did what they had to do to even up the score and what they continued to do..if your argument is valid… in going after him for stealing bases when his team is down by 11 makes no sense and has no validity. Your argument might have some validity if the tables were turned and Morgan’s team was up by the 11.
I think Gaby Sanchez should be suspended as well. The whole “protecting your pitcher” thing goes only so far. Clotheslining a guy who’s already engaged and isn’t even looking at you is a little extreme.
If he was a player who didn't have a list of offenses, just over the last week, I don't think the Marlins would have gone at him. Playing hard is one thing, trying to stick it to your opponent just to do it and make them look bad, is quite another.
Matt…I just heard that Sanchez got suspended for three games and Morgan wound up getting suspended for 8 more games, on top of the 7 games he is already suspended for. Which apparently the MLB denied his appeal for.
I am a big Nationals fan and here is my take on Nyjer and the three most talked about incidents
1) hitting the fan with a ball- using the words "throwing a baseball at a fan" is a little unfair because it makes it sound as if he was trying to hit someone.
A Philly fan that was at the game and sitting in the area where the incident took placed described the event saying Morgan had been playful during the night with hecklers. At one point a young child asked for a ball Nyjer tossed a ball in to the stands in a typical rainbow style of throw players use to toss balls in to the stands. The ball went over the kids head and the person who got hit was not paying attention and it was not as if Morgan tried to drill a fan with a hard throw.
Players toss baseballs in to the stands all the time and this could have happened to anyone.
2) runs in to Hayes- honestly I feel he should have slid and would have been safe if he did so. Hayes called it a clean hit as have some other people in baseball that Ive heard talk about it. Personally I think it was a little reckless and Morgan was playing too aggressive at that point.
3) the brawl- not completely Nyjer's fault.. He took getting thrown at the first time and he knew it was intentional but he took it.
As for him stealing two bases back to back well I had no problem with it to be honest. I dont care what people say about well they were down by 11 runs to me that is even more reason to play harder. So what is baseball a pansy sport where if you get down big you are supposed to roll over and keep on taking the beating? He stole 2 bases and ended up getting drove in for a run so he helped his team score. By the middle part of the 7th they had cut the lead down to only 5 runs and were back in it. You play to win whether you are up by 11 or down by 11. If they didnt like getting shown up well throw him out and dont let him steal two bases back to back.
They threw at him a second time so he went back at them. I've seen plenty of players storm the plate and to be honest the fight should have stayed between him and the pitcher. Sanchez took it to the next level by taking a cheap shot on Morgan.
Im not a Morgan fan and to be honest hope that he is not a long time starter… however to call him a plague while not putting down Sanchez is BS. You say he shows kids how not to behave but in the same article pretty much applaud Sanchez for his gang like mentality in jumping a guy….
sounds a little backwards if you ask me
Playing hard is one thing, trying to stick it to your opponent just to do it and to make them look bad, is another. And from everything I have heard, and from my years of playing baseball, that is how the Marlins felt, and that is how I would have felt being an opposing player.
Sanchez does not have the laundry list of problems I described Morgan having. No where in this article did I applaud Sanchez for the clothesline. I only stated how he hit Morgan with the clothesline. I did say I hope they dealt with Morgan properly at the bottom of that pile, and I hope they did.
So properly dealing with a person who instigated a one on one fight is blind siding him and then jumping him?
You do realize that is a gang style mentality correct and that to you is the proper way to deal with him? So is that what you feel is a good example for a kid to learn?
What laundry list does he have?
Getting mad at himself? that is not exactly a crime
A ball accidentally hitting a fan? even another Phillies fan who was at the game in the area of the incident said a kid asked for a ball and Morgan tossed it in to the stands in a rainbow style throw that sailed over the kids head and accidentally hit someone and that makes him a villain? come on now thats just silly
So what does he really have against him? Running in to two catchers….
Ok well he did he cause a serious injury when he ran in to the Cards catcher? NO…. Was it the Marlins catcher? NO…. So it is not the place of the Marlins to seek revenge for an incident that did not involve them..
Now running over their catcher I can give you that one and that was what hitting him the first time was about and did Morgan attack after the first time? No he didnt
They put him on base so he made them pay and its that simple….
You say oh well he tried to show them up….
Morgan getting to third and then getting driven in started a stretch where the Nats outscored them 7 runs to 2 through the 4th and 7th innings.
He stole two bases was it to show the Marlins up? Maybe so but does that make it right to go at a batter for a second time? In my opinion no
Im not a Morgan fan and to be honest I think he has done some things he should not have but I think you are turning him to a bigger villain than he actually is. I also think you are letting the Marlins off the hook to much
Morgan was a child like this when he played here in Pittsburgh too.