Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Joe Morgan chat nonsense
by Anonymous at 4:49 PM
Ask and I shall receive. A couple hours after mentioning that Joe had not chatted in a while, he had one today (that unfortunately, I missed live) and it was fantastic. It was a vintage Joe Morgan performance. Dan (NYC): Hey Joe, Late last night Hideki Matsui was cleared for BP. If he is able to come back by October, how do you see him fitting into the Yankees lineup? Joe Morgan: First and foremost a guy that sits out that long won't come back and make the same impact. He won't be the same Matsui that we saw last year at this time. We'll have to see what kind of production he can give them. You're not going to get much better with Matsui, you will with Sheffield. I say that because Sheffield can dominate a game and carry you for days at a time.Mike: (York, Pa): Hey joe, how did you enjoy the Little League World Series? I know I enjoyed listening to you. Have fun.
Joe Morgan: I thought it was great. It was a fun event. It was the first time that I had ever been there. The excitement and pagentry was great. I thought it was great. But like everyone else, I hated to see one team lose, but it was great for them to get there.
Sounds like everything went great. Really great and great.Nick Chicago: So is Jermaine Dye finally the top canidate for AL MVP?
Joe Morgan: When I was in Boston a couple of weeks ago, I said Derek Jeter was 1 and Big Papi was 1A and Dye was the other candidate. The other two guys are in heightened situations, but I think Dye is the most consistent producer from Day 1. Remember for a while, Big Papi was only hitting .250-.260. But Dye has been consistent, but he was overshadowed by Thome for a while.
I’m sorry, so is Dye finally the top candidate?Dan (Mizzou): Should Cardinals fans really worry about the reds? We still have a 3 game lead.
Joe Morgan: I don't think the Reds are as big a concern as some of the other teams. The Reds are just not as consistent.
What other teams? The Reds are 3 games back of the Cardinals, and the next closest team is the Astros at 6 games back. What other teams Joe? He couldn't mean the Cubs, could he?David (Chicago): Joe, How good do you think Josh Barfield can be? He has surpassed most expectations this year.
Joe Morgan: I haven't seen him play much. We've only done one Padre game.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your Emmy-award winning commentator Joe Morgan. Remember folks, one of his jobs is to know the answers to questions like these.
Uh, Joe? Sheffield has been on the DL since before Matsui. Wanna re-think that argument Big Guy? You just contradicted yourself WITHIN THE SAME FRIGGIN ANSWER!
mitch (mo val,ca): pedro or koufax in their primes?
Joe Morgan: That's a tough question, because you're looking at different eras. I'd probably go with Koufax, but it's a very tough decision, because I like to see them both pitch.
Is he doing this on purpose? He just contradicted himself again. He says it’s a tough question because we’re looking at different eras, but then he goes ahead and picks Koufax. Koufax pitched in one of the pitcher-friendliest eras of all time, while Pedro’s hitter-friendly era is on a scale that we’ll probably never see again. What the EF Joe?
Rickey (Oakland, CA): How good is this young Florida team? Are we looking at powerhouse for years to come?
Joe Morgan: I think they can be competitive for years to come. I don't know about a powerhouse. Young players today can go and play well, because there isn't any pressure on them.
A good point. There’s much more pressure on the veteran player with the guaranteed multi-year and multi-million dollar contract than there would be on the young player making the league minimum who can be sent to the minors at any time.
Dan (Philadelphia): Who's your NL MVP at the moment?Wow. If Dan from Philadelphia is anything like me, his head is spinning right now. I have a new theory on Joe though and it involves ADHD.
Joe Morgan: I would have to wait until who's in the playoffs. But at this point, I would go Howard, Beltran, Wright, Reyes, but Albert Pujols has to be in there some place too. But at this point, that's how I see it. If the Phillies get in the playoffs, I think Howard has a good chance of winning. If not, Beltran and Wright have a chance, with Reyes moving up quickly. That said, Pujols is the most valuable to his team.
Mike (Milwaukee): Joe, As a hall of fame 2nd baseman I was wondering your thoughts on Rickie Weeks and his future in the League?
Joe Morgan: I haven't had much of a chance to check him out, but I have heard some good things. But I like to see a player myself before I say what he's going to do.
Joe, what teams DO you watch?
Justin FJM (Denville, NJ): Hi Joe - What do you think is the most important aspect of beinga leadoff hitter? Steals? On-base percentage?I would say he’s just flat out wrong here. The correct answer is “getting on base first, speed second, baserunning ability third”. Maybe I’d flip-flop the last two, but those are the answers. Making things happen and having a certain mentality is a meaningless answer that doesn’t help anyone and provides no insight whatsoever.
Something else?
Joe Morgan: I think the most important thing is having a leadoff hitters mentality. By that, I mean is at the start of the game, taking some pitches so your teammates can see how the guy is throwing. You need that mentality. The second part is making things happen from that position. Then, it's getting on base.
Sorry for the length of the post today, but it’ had been a while since Joe had chatted and he had lots of material.
