Last night, notorious baseball villain Nyjer Morgan managed to put himself into the positive spotlight for the first time in his baseball career—for all of three minutes. The Milwaukee Brewers most certainly deserved to celebrate their well-earned, thrilling Game 5 victory in extra innings to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks and advance to the NLCS.
However, for Brewers and baseball fans alike to hail Morgan a “hero” is sorely misguided.
Morgan has been an average baseball player his entire career, spanning six seasons in Pittsburgh, Washington, and Milwaukee. His regular season career batting average is .288—above average, certainly, but far from raising eye brows.
The guy is a threat on the base paths—stealing 42 bases in 2009—but is also a liability, as he was caught stealing a league-high 17 times that season.
However, this article isn’t arguing the merits of Morgan’s playing career. After reading an article hailing Morgan to be a permanent member of Brewers lore, going so far as saying “we can’t help but love him,” I felt as if somebody needed to step in with a rebuttal.
The guy is a black eye to the game of baseball. He is a disgrace to all the good baseball players do, and should never, ever be regarded as a role model.
Let’s look at his track record. In August 2010, Morgan was suspended by Major League Baseball for throwing a baseball at a fan at Citizens Bank Park after a heated exchange.
Less than two weeks later, Morgan rammed Marlins catcher Brett Hayes, separating his shoulder on a play at the plate he had no chance of being called safe.
The next night, he incited a bench-clearing brawl after a pitch was thrown behind him in retaliation for his play at the plate.
Which bring us to last night, when Morgan, by way of his series-ending hit it in the 10th inning that lifted the Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks, made everyone forget about his track record for all of three minutes before he managed to be thrust back into the negative limelight.
The alleged “hero,” live on TV while TBS attempted to interview him, let out several euphoric “F-bombs,” repeating the phrase a few times before being restrained.
Brewers fans, do not be mistaken. This is not a knock against your franchise. In fact, I will be rooting for you in the NLCS, as I strongly believe in the baseball model the franchise has adopted.
However, Morgan needs to be castrated from baseball. Whether or not he wants to acknowledge it, as a Major League Baseball player, he is a role model, and thus needs to behave accordingly. The guy is an imbecile, a sore spot for a sport that has managed to do a great job emerging from what is perhaps the worst time in its history.
While Morgan may be a decent baseball player, do not ever mistake him for a hero.
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