Paul (Atlanta, GA): Joe, appropriate punnishment for Kenny Rogers?
Joe Morgan: Well, that's not my job. Nor is it yours. Baseball will have to decide how far he stepped over the line. And, he definitely stepped over the line. Baseball will have to decide the punnishment ...
Ken Tremendous: Yeah, Joe, I think we all knew that you weren't actually the guy who was responsible for punishing Kenny Rogers. We just thought we were doing an on-line chat with you, in which you were assuming the role of a guy who is knowledgeable about baseball. You're allowed to give your opinions. In fact, you are being paid by ESPN to give your opinions. So don't be shy. Don't think that people might think ill of you for voicing your opinion, because, again, that is your job.
joe (chicago): Joe--Is it just me or are their more quick ejections this year? After what happenned in Philly and Florida last night, are the umpires just tired of taking so much abuse? I saw a game where a cardinal pitcher was ejected after LaRussa had pulled him from the game...
Joe Morgan: Well, I was in NY on Sunday and Sheffield threw his helmet down and was ejected immediately. My understanding is, if you throw equipment, you get fined for each piece of equipment you throw. It's not an automatic ejection like some people think. I didn't think Sheff should have gotten ejected for that, because, you know, it's in the heat of the battle, the Yankees were on a four game losing streak and Gary was upset. The umpires have to understand that their is emotion in baseball. I think this ejection was unwarrented. Unless there is direct confrontation, I don't think immediate ejection is appropriate.
KT: So, Sheffield shouldn't be ejected, because the Yankees were on a four-game losing streak? The umpires, in the split second after a bang-bang call when a player starts screaming and approaching them and throwing his helmet, should stop and think and say, "Yeah, he's upset, but can you blame him? His team isn't playing that well." Okay. So, Lou Pinella should never get ejected, because the DRays are playing .390 ball? But Ozzie Guillen should get ejected more, because his team is playing well, so he has less of a reason to get angry? Okay.
Joe (Indy, IN): Joe, what are you thoughts on Sheffield saying that he will be a cancer in the clubhouse to his new team if he is traded? As a former player, how would you handle that kind of attitude coming into the clubhouse?
Joe Morgan: First of all, I don't think that he would be a cancer, but it's his way of telling teams that he doesn't want to go any place because he doesn't have a no-trade contract. He made a special deal with the Yankees by not using an agent and by not asking for a no-trade clause. Therefore, his only defense against a trade is to tell somebody that he doesn't want to go there. BUT, I guarentee that IF he gets traded to another team, he will play and he will perform.
KT: Why does Joe Morgan have a boner for Gary Sheffield? "He made a special deal with the Yankees by not using an agent and by not asking for a no-trade clause?" That was his decision. He was probably stupid to do it, because the Yankees give away no-trade clauses like they're Orbitz gum samples. Why are you defending an indefensible act -- announcing loud and clear that he will raise hell if he is traded, while his team is trying to get on-track? Where is the Joe Morgan who talks incessantly of "intangibles" and "leadership?" And how can you guarantee that Sheff, of all people, will perform on another team? This is the guy who, by his own admission, threw balls away in Milwaukee so he would get traded. He is maybe the only player in all of MLB about whom you could NOT guarantee this.
Zac (McDonough, GA): Are you surprised about the division races (specifically NL East) and how they are panning out? Who woulda thought a month ago that Oakland would even be looking at the sunny side of .500 How do you see that race panning out this year?
Joe Morgan: I guess it surprises me most that all the teams in the East were over .500. I can understand teams like Oakland and the Yankees turning things around. The Yankees went 16-2 at one point. There's so much parity that teams can get hot and go on winning streaks and just as easily get cold and go on losing skids. There are a lot of mediocre teams out there. YOu'll see this off and on throughout the season.
KT: Joe? The question was about Oakland. Remember our little talk about answering people's questions?
Derek (NYC): Joe, there has been talk of a tigers resurgance since the disatrerous season of 2003 but I still think they have a ways to go, their only good pitcher is Bonderman and the Magglio signing looks to be horredous in retrospect
Joe Morgan: The signings do not look good, but Ordonez was a free agent signing so they didnt' have to give up anything but money. We'll have to see how much he contributes the rest of the season. Inconsistency has been the problem with the Tigers -- and every other mediocre team that is struggling. Streaks and skids, that's just the way of the game today. There just aren't any great teams. Every team has flaws. Every team is looking to the July trade deadline as a way to improve their team. Only the White Sox are pretty content with what they have. That should tell you something.
KT: "Didn't have to give up anything but money?" Joe, that contract is going to cripple them for years. (Plus, when you sign free agents you have to give up draft picks, but hell, we can't expect Joe to know that, because, well, he doesn't know anything.) Money is everything in baseball, especially with a mid-market team trying to claw its way back to respectability. Also, you talk about "inconsistency" like it's the same thing as "mediocrity." The Yankees have been "inconsistent." The Tigers are "mediocre." Mediocre teams are inconsistent, because they are mediocre. See? I think you think that every team should be the 1975 Reds. They were "consistent" (i.e. "really good" in Morganspeak).
SPECIAL SECTION:
JOE MORGAN ON YOUTH, VETERANS, AND THE ALL-STAR GAME
JOE MORGAN ON YOUTH, VETERANS, AND THE ALL-STAR GAME
Rob (DC): I can't believe there are no all-star game questions yet. But I will ask one, do you think Utley will be, and deserves to be on the All-Star team?
Joe Morgan: Obviously Jeff Kent is going to win the fans' voting, and rightfully so. I definitely think Utley has performed like an All-Star, but since Jeff is going to win, so Utley would have to be a player/manager pick, but I'm not sure what the manager will be looking for. The Cardinals Grudzielanek has played very well, also.
KT: One vote for veterans over youth in the All-Star Game. (Also, I think "what the manager will be looking for" is the best players in the league. Because, I mean, it's an all-star game.)
Alex (DC): While we're on the subject of the all-star game, who are your starting pitchers for each league?
Joe Morgan: In the National League I'd pick Dontrelle Willis although Livan Hernandez and Clemens would also be good choice. I think youth should be served in the All-Star game, that's what it's about. Youth moving into the spot light.
KT: One vote for youth being served in the All-Star Game.
Todd (Delaware): Do you agree with Fans if they vote Brian Roberts over Alfonso Soriano?
Joe Morgan: That's a tough question because they both deserve to be there. I'd say that Soriano has been an All-Star and has proven himself more than Brian Roberts. Roberts has never hit more than 4 or 5 homeruns before this year, Soriano has done it throughout his career. I would probably lean towards Soriano this year, know that Brian Roberts will eventually be an All-Star. Again, it's about track record for me.
KT: One vote for track record over youth in the All-Star Game. Does he even hear what he is saying?
Let's just look at those two sentences again:
"I think youth should be served in the All-Star Game, that's what it's about."
"Again, it's about track record for me."
Fantastic.
Also, Roberts: .365/.438/.614/1.052. Soriano: .282/.313/.557/.870. Anyone who doesn't think Roberts is the starting second baseman this year is an idiot. By the transitive property of idiocy, Joe Morgan is an idiot.
Labels: all-star game, joe morgan, joechat
