The Idiocy Gene

grabarkewitz:

Jon Paul Morosi is my write-in candidate for Idiot of the Year. In his latest piece, he claims the Dodgers will be lucky win anything this fall. Seems our problem is that we do not have a "defined" ace or number two. Hmmmmmm, Randy Wolf has looked acelike, of late. I guess you need five years or more of acehood to qualify for Morosi's list or be a Cy Young or World Series MVP winner to get notice. There was also something about not having any real playoff experience among our starters. Correct me if I am wrong, but did Brett Myers, Cole Hamels or Joe Blanton have tons of playoff experience, last season? Not that I remember.

I guess having one of the best bullpens in baseball history, riding a hot starter (Wolf), getting contributions from guys who were claimed off of the scrap heap (Garland and Padilla), a very savvy veteran (Kuroda) and probably the best 21yo pitcher in the game (Kershaw) indicates we have pitching problems. I would think that some 26 other teams would love to be in our situation.

Morosi, stick to what you know - getting coffee for the Midget and brown-nosing your employers to keep your worthless job.

I can't wait for the Dodgers to answer all these critics in the post season, this has been their only rant this whole season (even when the offense was the culprit). The only way we'll stop seeing or hearing this shot is for the Dodgers to make it to the World Series this year. Hell even then they'll probably be more excuses why the other team lost than the Dodgers won, but at least we can all tell them to go fuck themselves and their expert opinion.

Joe Chat – 9/22/09

Joe Morgan: You have to really tip your hat to the Boston Red Sox. When the Yankees swept them in New York, it appeared they were going to struggle the rest of the season. They have bounced back and played great baseball.

Why did it appear that way? Because they lost four games to the hottest team in the majors on the road? That’s nonsense.

Other than the first game (13-6, Yankees) when Smoltz got rocked … again, Boston was in every game. The second game went 15 scoreless innings before NY won; The third game was another pitching duel, 1-0 until late; and the last game was 2-1 Boston into the bottom of the 8th. It’s not like the Red Sox got blown away. They lost four games on the road to the best team at the time.

The same for the Minnesota Twins. They appeared to be out of the race and they have quickly jumped back in. Those are the only two real races that are left. That's why the Wild Card is very good for baseball.

Minnesota is a pedestrian 25-22 since the beginning of August. Detroit is 26-22 over that same time span. On July 31st, the Twins were two games out of first. Today the Twins are 2 ½ games out of first. The most they were out was 5 ½ games in early August. Being 5 ½ games out in early August makes a team appear out of the race?

Idiot.

Jeff (Cleveland): Joe, is there a situation out there, a clubhouse, a manager, where Milton Bradley might succeed? His attitude seems to have cost him in Cleveland, San Diego, LA and now Chicago. He is a talented guy, but the Cubs are his 7th organization in 9 seasons. What is it going to take for him to be successful?

Joe Morgan: Well, what it really tells me that Ron Washington is a better manager than I thought he was.

Is that even safely possible, what with you already being so intimately attached to Washington’s . . . . . . . well . . . uhhh . . . . . . . The mental image is beginning to make me queasy, so . . . yeah…

Bradley was in Texas for all of one season; A season in which he raked to the tune of a .321 average and a .999 OPS and he was the center of all love-fests everywhere. Gee, I wonder why he had no problems?

Must’ve been Ron Washington.

That was the only place in the last few years where he didn't have any major incidents.

That was the only place in the last few years where he actually produced to the level of his talents. Hmmm . . . Again, I wonder why he had no problems?

I don't understand it.

I’m shocked…

He's definitely having a problem of finding a place where he fits in.

Folsom? Leavenworth? Sing Sing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bellevue Mental Hospital?

Nora (St. Louis): Joe, thanks for chatting on a consistent basis. Now that you have seen Wainwright pitch, who are your top three Cy contenders in the NL, and in what order?

Joe Morgan: Well, there are three contenders - Carpenter, Wainwright and Lincecum. If I were voting today, I would vote for Wainwright. But everyone has two more starts. If Wainwright wins 20 games, wins his next two starts and pitches well, I would vote for him. Wainwright has more innings, but Lincecum has the strikeouts.

Idiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiot
idiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiot
idiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiotidiot…

Sorry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . but I feel better.

Mike (CT): Do you think a speedy player should lead off the batting order or a player that gets on base a lot but isn't that fast? Thanks.

Joe Morgan: I would rather have a speedy player. I'll give you a great example. Wade Boggs hit lead off most of his career, had 200 hits a lot, high batting average, high OBP, but couldn't run. His OBP was higher than Rickey Henderson's but who would you rather have leading off?

1.) Boggs did not hit leadoff most of his career. He batted leadoff in about 900 games and elsewhere in the lineup (mostly 2nd and 3rd) in about 1500 games.
2.) Boggs had 200+ hits in seven of his first eight years, and never again in the last ten years of his career.
3.) Boggs had a career OBP of .415; Henderson (the slacker…) had a career OBP of .401.
4.) Boggs could run, he just chose to run slowly so that you would one day have this completely asinine ‘great example’ to use.

Moron.

That should answer your question.

Only if the question was ‘Is Joe Morgan a complete and utter moron?’

A guy that can run sets the table, sets the tone, puts pressure on the other team right away. A guy who gets on base and can't run isn't as valuable as one who can.

I bet Joe supported Dusty Baker’s choice of Taveras and his .273 OBP leading off too.

After all, Taveras does have speed.

Noonan (Philly): Would the Phils rather play the Dodgers or Rockies? Give me the Dodgers and their beat up pitching staff.

Joe Morgan: Well, that's logical, but I would say that you have to look at the Dodgers, who were in the playoffs last year. They learned a lot against the Phillies. The Rockies were not in the playoffs last year. A lot of their guys haven't pitched in the playoffs and we don't know how they will respond to the pressure. As a player, I didn't care who we played in the playoffs, because if you're hoping for one team and you could end up not playing them.

Wow. A clear, concise answer.

Oh, wait . . . . . there’s more…

But when talking about the playoffs, any team can get hot and win. I don't think Detroit or Minnesota will win the AL pennant.

We’ll ignore the fact that this has absolutely no relevance to the question asked, for now . . . But Joe says any team can get hot and win. Except Detroit and Minnesota. They don’t qualify as ’any team’.

Probably has something to do with the White Sox and Jose Guillen…

If I had to choose right now, I would say that the Cardinals will win the NL, because I think they're the best all-around team in the NL.

Except for the Dodgers. The Dodgers are better offensively. They’re better defensively. They’re better at throwing the ball from the mound-like area.

Evidently, ‘best all-around’ means second place.

And ‘being professional’ means Joe Morgan…

Welcome to the first installment of WWJS – What Would Joe Say! (no promises when subsequent installments will come though)

Using a Rob Neyer Chat (‘cause we all know we can’t get any intelligent questions from Joe Chats…), we’ll hypothesize what Joe would say. To inject some sanity in the proceedings, Neyer’s answers will follow the ‘Joe’ responses.

(Okay, so I'm bored . . . . . . . . . Sue me...)

Darrell (Tennessee): Please tell me that my Mariners King Felix will win the Cy Young. I'm tired of hearing about CC cause he plays in New York, this is a two horse race between Felix and Grienke.

Joe Morgan: You have to remember, wins are the ultimate factor for pitchers. If they win, they’ve done there job. That is why CC is my vote to win the Cy Young because he has won more games than anyone else. And he plays for the best team in the American League. Grenkie and Felix have been good, but they don’t give their teams the best chance to win. They are not consistent enough.

Rob Neyer: You're not hearing about CC because he plays in New York. Well, maybe a little bit. But w/r/t to the Cy Young, you're hearing about him mostly because he's got a shot at winning 20 games; in fact he's the only pitcher who's got a shot at winning 20 games. Voters have always liked 20-game winners, and some of them still do.

Grant (MPLS, MN): As fun as it would be for the Twins to beat the Royals, White Sox, and Tigers to reach the playoffs, you have to believe they would be swept in the first round with their current starting pitchers. Right?

Joe Morgan: The Twins have been really playing really well recently and have got back into the race. They were out of it a month and a half ago. But you can’t say they would get swept because in the playoffs any team can get hot and win. But I don’t think Detroit can win and if the Twins play the Yankees then they’ll be out of the playoffs fast. As good as New York is with Sabathia at the front of their rotation, they could sweep the Twins.

Rob Neyer: Oh, we can't predict a sweep, necessarily. But whoever comes out of the Central will be a huge underdog in the first round (and any successive round).

Steve (Middletown, CT): How did Red Sox pitchers walk Royals batters 11 times last night? That doesn't even seem possible.

Well, when the ball doesn’t go over the plate, then it’s a ball. When you do that a lot, you walk a lot of batters. I don’t know who it was who walked all those batters, but I’ve been saying for a while that the Red Sox pitchers are struggling ever since they got swept by the Yankees. That was the turning point when the Red Sox started their slide. They just arent consistant. If they keep throwing pitches that are not over the plate, they will continue to be incosistent and walk a lot of batters. Maybe they could even reach 12 walks in a game! Just kidding.

Rob Neyer: Well, most of those were Wakefield, and it just doesn't look like Kid '66 is healthy enough to pitch.

Mike (Chicago): Did you see that Fielder hit into a 6-5-3 double play with Ramirez covering 2nd last week? Has that ever happened?

Joe Morgan: If he actually covered second that would be illegal. You have to let the runners see the base. It’s not fair for the defense to cover the bases so the offense doesn’t know where to run. I never did that when I played second base and nether did Davey Concepcion, who should be in the Hall of Fame. Not that I like to talk about the Hall, because I’m a voter but he really deserves to be in there.

Joe Morgan: And I’ve seen Hanley Ramirez turn double plays at second base a lot. It’s not that unusual because he’s a shortstop, like Davey Concepcion.

Rob Neyer : I've seen it, so I'm sure it happens more than you think. At least two or three times per season, and perhaps quite a bit more.

Travis C. (Lake Highlands): Why did Texas let Millwood pitch enough to vest next year? Is it because they fear the union reprisal?

Joe Morgan: It’s not just Millwood. All the pitchers pitched enough to vest next year. They will all get vests in 2010. But there isn’t any prizes from the union for that.

Rob Neyer: You sort of have to let the players determine their own playing time, based on what they're actually doing on the field. You've got a little wiggle room, of course. But the Rangers were in the hunt until about a week ago, so they basically had to pitch Millwood in his turn.

Herman Edwards (NYC): You play to win the game! You play to win the game! I understand the point you saber-geeks make in saying wins is an overrated stat for pitchers, but putting your team in a position to win games should certainly count for something.

Joe Morgan: Finally, someone who thinks like me! That’s exactly right. A pitcher’s main job is to win games. Sabathia and Wainwright have done that the best so they are the best pitchers in the leagues this year. The more games you win, the better a pitcher you are.

Rob Neyer: Greinke has put his team in a position to win almost every game he's pitched. It's not really his fault that they've actually won so few of them.

Erik H (St. Pete, FL): What do you think the Rays should do with Aki Iwamura after this season? He has a $4.5 mill option for 2010, but the Rays have cheaper, and better, in house options. Do they let him walk, or will they trade him?

Joe Morgan: The Rays underachieved this year because they had a lot of young players who didn’t know how to win. They should get more speed for their lineup next year. They have Crawford, but he is getting old. More speed would make their lineup better. They also need more pitching, but every team needs more pitching so I’m not sure where they can get that. Except for the Red Sox, they have the best pitching in the league.

Rob Neyer: I don't see how he plays every day for them next year, but $4.5 million isn't a lot, so I think they'll exercise that option, then trade him or keep him around for utility duties.

Charles (Los Angeles, CA): Can you recall a season, since the advent of the wild card, with less September drama than this one?

Joe Morgan: I can’t even remember 2008, so I don’t know if there’s been a September with less drama than this year. I do remember in 1976, when my Reds were playing so well there wasn’t any drama. The wild cards were already decided before September that year so there was no drama that year. But any other year, I don’t remember them.

Rob Neyer: I think there was one, right? Can't find it quickly ... But let's see what happens in the AL Central before we complain too terribly much.

Zac (Sacramento, CA): Who do you think is going to win the World Series?

Joe Morgan: Any team who gets into the playoffs can get hot and win the World series. Detroit or Minnesota can’t win. Or the Pirates. They have lost for 17 years now and I don’t understand what they are doing with that team. Aramis Ramirez. They should have kept all those players, then they would be a better team. Aramiss Ramirez. He’s the key to the Cubs. I really believe if he played the Cubs would win. He’s the key to the Cubs. The Pirates.

Joe Morgan: The New York Sabathias are the best team in the American League because they have Yankee at the top of their rotation and he’ll win the World Series for them. He’s proven himself. The Cardinals are the best all-around team in the national and Wainwright is the best pitcher since Don Gullett and they will win the World Series. Albert Pujols. But any team can get hot and win. The Padres can’t.
Rob Neyer: I reserve the right to change my opinion, but at the moment I've got a really good feeling about your Colorado Rockies.

Joe Chat – 9/22/09

Buzzmaster: Joe's here!

In body at least.

Bryan (Ohio): With the Yankees sweeping the Sox last weekend, do you see the Yankees as the clear cut favorite to win the World Series?

Joe Morgan: Three weeks ago, I wrote the same exact response to this question that I would write today. In fact every time I have selected this question to answer, which is pretty much every week because I haven’t had an original thought in about 52 years and it’s just easier to answer the same questions every week ‘cause you know I am very busy not watching games in the plush booths these new stadiums have, I have written the same response. So by now, everyone should know what I think about this. If not, just look in any past Joe Chat this year and I’m sure it’s in there somewhere.

Well, it’s what he should have written…

John (AR): Can the Braves out Rockie the Rockies?

Joe Morgan: Until the Rockies did that, I didn't think it was possible for a team to win 19 out of 20 down the stretch or any fabulous number like that.

Oakland A’s, 2001 – finished the season on a 29-4 run to win the AL West.
Oakland A’s, 2002 – finished the season on a 35-8 run, including a 20-game win streak to win the AL West.

Isn’t Joe from Oakland?

Just sayin’…

Since the Rockies did that, we know it's possible...

‘Cause it had never been done before, right?

I still think the Rockies will win, because their last series is in LA against the Dodgers and they won't be playing all of their regular or pitching their top starters.

The Dodgers will be fighting for Home Field Advantage in the playoffs in all likelihood, so why wouldn’t they be playing all their regulars or pitching their top starters?

Not to mention the Dodgers would probably love to push the Rockies out of the playoffs and therefore miss both the Cardinals and Phillies in the first round of the playoffs.

Didn’t think that one through, did you Joe.

Who am I kidding . . . You never think anything through. That would take cognitive abilities waaaay beyond your simple mind’s capabilities.

2005
+171 – St. Louis Cardinals – in playoffs
+147 – Cleveland Indians
+118 – Los Angeles Angels – in playoffs
+114 – Oakland A’s
+102 – Boston Red Sox – in playoffs
+100 – New York Yankees – in playoffs
+96 – Chicago White Sox – in playoffs
+95 – Atlanta Braves – in playoffs
+84 – Houston Astros – in playoffs
Seven of the top nine teams in Run Differential in 2005 made the playoffs. The Padres won baseball’s worst division (not a single team was on the plus side of Run Differential) with a -42. They also won only 82 games and beat up on some real sad sack teams in the West (the other four teams were a combined -448 in Run Differential!!).

2004
+196 – St. Louis Cardinals – in playoffs
+180 – Boston Red Sox – in playoffs
+135 – Atlanta Braves – in playoffs
+124 – Chicago Cubs
+105 – Houston Astros – in playoffs
+102 – Los Angeles Angels – in playoffs
+89 – New York Yankees – in playoffs
+80 – San Francisco Giants
+77 – Los Angeles Dodgers – in playoffs
+66 – Texas Rangers
+65 – San Diego Padres
+64 – Minnesota Twins – in playoffs
All eight playoff teams in 2004 finished in the top twelve of Run Differential. And as you can see, with three more runs, the Twins would have been in the top ten as well.

So out of the 48 teams to make the playoffs over the last six years, 43 of them finished in the top ten in Run Differential. Seems like a pretty good indicator to me.

So what is your point here Joe?

…doesn't tell you nearly as much as total pitching stats and total offensive stats, BA with runners in scoring position…

Really?

RISP is going to be a more positive indicator of playoff potential than Run Differential?

You’re an . . . . . Ummm . . . . . . . . . I need a bigger Thesaurus. I’ve run out of synonyms for ‘Idiot’.

…it just tells you when they're good, they're really good and when they're bad, they're really bad.

As bad as Joe is, what do you think his ‘Run Differential’ would be?

Steve (Middletown, CT): Sabathia for Cy Young? He has more wins than Greinke.
Joe Morgan: I would vote for CC, but not so much for that reason. I would vote for him because when he came to the Yankees, he was under extreme pressure to do three things: 1) win games; 2) be the ace of the staff; 3) beat Boston.

When Greinke was selected #6 overall in 2002 by the Royals, he was under extreme pressure to do three things: 1) win games; 2) be the ace of the staff; 3) beat any American League team he pitched against.

That . . . coupled with the fact that Greinke beats Sabathia in virtually ALL pitching categories . . . would sway me to vote for Greinke.

As it would most sane people.

The only thing left to do is lead them in the playoffs, but the votes will be in before the playoffs.

Good thing, ‘cause as has been shown repeatedly, if Sabathia pitches well in the playoffs, it will be a first.

CC will have more innings pitched, Greinke may have better other numbers.

Unequivocally he will. And Sabathia’s FOUR inning advantage in IP . . . Might that be because Sabathia has one more start than Greinke?

Moron.

But for me it's innings pitched and wins and losses.

Just one more reason why you are the saddest excuse for a baseball analyst on the face of the earth.

But you can not take away from what Greinke has done.

Yet you continually do.

I would not argue with anyone who votes for him.

Good, ‘cause you couldn’t argue with them because they’d be right and you’d be, once again like every time before . . . wrong.

Idiot.

Throwdeuce:

One problem HA, Dodgers didn't make playoffs in 2007.

Quite right, TD. The +62 was correct, but the team was wrong. Should have been the Cubs, who did make the playoffs that year. So the results are still the same.

And Joe's still an idiot.

The Jacobs family understands that Shapiro has developed an organization that has inherent stability given its fiscal restraints in the free agent, amateur and developmental markets.

Uhhh, Peter . . . The Jacobs family no longer owns the Indians. In fact Dick Jacobs, the previous owner of the Indians is now, unfortunately, six feet under.

As in . . . dead.

Shouldn’t you, like, know that Peter?

Even with this season's disappointments, the Indians' stability has enabled them to twice win more than 90 games over the past five season…

Wow. Way to nit-pik the stats there, Peter.

Wedge has managed seven seasons in Cleveland. But all you want to highlight is the middle five? Is that because in the first and last seasons of his tenure the Indians managed to win only 68 and 65 games? Is it because outside the two 90+ win seasons, Wedge managed to finish at .500 once and under .500 four times? Whatever the case, that’s very disingenuous, Peter.

Stability? Wedge’s Indians posted the following W-L records in his seven seasons:
2003: 68-96
2004: 80-82
2005: 93-69
2006: 78-84
2007: 96-66
2008: 81-81
2009: 65-97

Two seasons of 90+ wins; Two seasons of 68 or less wins. That’s stability?

I think your toupee is a little too tight today.

beat the Yankees in an ALDS, get to within a game of the World Series and maintain an average of 83 wins…

Again, very disingenuous. That 83 win average is not for Wedge’s seven year tenure, it’s only for the five years you chose[/b] to acknowledge. Over his entire seven year tenure, Wedge guided the Indians to an 80-84 yearly record. He’s a losing manager.
Not that 83 wins a year is all that impressive anyway…

…in a Rust Belt division in which 83 wins in 2009 would have kept them in contention until the final weekend.

And that means exactly what? The Indians won 65 games this year and finished 21 games behind. What 83 wins would have done is irrelevant.

When a team loses close to $20 million, when it struggles to win 70 games, when it sees attendance at The Jake dwindle from close to 43,000 a game during a much different time to 22,144 with staggering declines in both the population and job markets, someone had to go. So Wedge was offered up to the fan base.

When the manager of that sub-70 win team also has a losing record over seven years with the team, seems to me that’s a good place to start the offering.

You know what else could be offered up? Something… Like, say, reduced ticket prices. But we all know how likely that is to happen.

Reality is that when The Jake was full every night and the Indians were a nightly bash happening, the Ohio economy was far different.

So this is the reason Wedge was a losing manager?

There was no NFL franchise.

It could be argued that there isn’t much an NFL franchise now…

The Cavaliers played in the suburbs.

No, they moved downtown the same year the Indians did.

You’re reaching Joe Morgan levels of wrong-ness here, Peter.

LeBron James was 10 when the Indians played the Braves in the 1995 World Series.

When LeBron James was 10, the Indians were very good, playing in a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium, and drawing sellout crowds. Now that LeBron is 24, the Indians are not good, are no longer playing in a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium, and are drawing barely 50% capacity crowds.

Your point?

And someone has to pay. Tony Bernazard was well-sacrificed. Now several of Minaya's aides have either been fired or have quit. Oh, the fact that they have played most of the season with more than $75 million worth of players on the disabled list -- including their best pitcher (Johan Santana), one of their two best players (Carlos Beltran) and an All-Star shortstop (Jose Reyes), not to mention the trauma suffered by David Wright -- now seems lost in the need for someone's taking the blame and being put in the public stocks. And that someone apparently is Minaya.

Why, did Jacobs fire Minaya too?

Remember, Mets ownership does not care to pay above-slot money in the draft, like the Yankees and Red Sox. Its scouting people are not allowed to go above slot, and the joke around the American League East when Billy Wagner was given to the Red Sox was that Boston got him because Mets ownership didn't want to pay the $3-5 million required to sign the two draft choices it would have received if it had held onto Wagner and allowed him to become a free agent after the season. There are deeper-seated problems than a focus on how Minaya articulates in press conferences, especially in a sport that for 130 years has embodied our society's immigration patterns.

Social immigration patterns???

Really?

This is where an article about Eric Wedge being fired goes?

Despite ownership's dismissal of the draft and the refusal to hire a Sandy Alderson or some experienced baseball CEO, the Mets are gradually building beneath the surface…

Gradually building beneath the surface… The Mets?

Just how far beneath the surface do we have to look, Peter?

Still, Ike Davis, the Mets' first-round pick in 2008, was signed at slot and has a chance to be a very good player. Brad Holt, a sandwich pick in 2008, was a slot sign. They had no No. 1 pick this June.

That’s a loooooooooooooong way beneath the surface, Peter.

Davis, I’ll concede. He may amount to something. But Holt just got to Double-A this year, and posted a 6.21 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP there. And who else is there?

And now we're being told…

A whole bunch more stuff about the New York Mets and how great Omar Minaya is . . . In an article about Eric Wedge and the Indians.

Let’s skip that, shall we…

Wedge was fired because of complex issues stemming from a few flawed decisions throughout the organization in a city that
cannot forgive mistakes. The Mets' infrastructure couldn't absorb an epidemic of injuries.

Right decisions can produce the wrong results, and the best of intentions doesn't guarantee consistent contention. With hundreds of millions of dollars invested and Johnny from Far Rockaway calling on line four, someone has to pay.

This is the most Gammons talks about Wedge in this whole convoluted mess of an article. The subject of his title doesn’t get the focus of the article until the last three paragraphs.

I just know, somehow . . . some way, Joe Morgan was involved in this.

Welcome to the Idiocy Gene, Peter.

bob007hh:

Question for you HA, now that the Twins have beaten the Tigers and gotten to the playoffs (thus Joe Mauer proving he's actually a good player) will Joe Morgan consider him for the AL MVP?

LOL !

hunteralan:

Let's ask him...

BigBlueWC (Los Angeles): Hey Joe! Love the chats! Question for you. Now that the Twins have won the AL Central, does this prove that Joe Mauer is the best player in the AL? Is he now MVP?

Joe Morgan: That's a difficult question for me. I don't like to talk about the Hall because I have a vote but I will say he has been good but he's a catcher. Catchers don't win MVP's unless they're Johnny Bench. He's the only catcher to win one. Mauer's been good, but he is not the one who has led the Twins in their hot September. That's been Morneau. He's carried the team to this hot finish. Then you have Jeter and Teixeira in New York. Teixeira has been better than ever in the Bronx and Jeter broke the Yankees hit record. Robinson Cano. And my personal dark horse Kendry Morales. When those guys were out, he carried the Angels. Ron Washington is the best manager though. Mauer should be considered, not because he consistently led the league in batting and getting on base and slugging and ESP, but because without Morneau, he wouldn't hav been able to will the Twins to beat the Tigers. He is the first catcher to win a batting title though, so that should be considered. But he's not a catcher like Johnny Bench was.

Does that clear it up?

Morgan couldn't write that much without mentioning Davey Concepcion.

Joe Chat – 9/22/09

Joe Morgan: I'm surprised that the Tigers were not able to close it out, because I figured that Minnesota would lose to Greinke once and that they would lost a game or two to Chicago.

BAM!!!!

Right out of the gate . . . . Idiocy and butchering of the English language!

YEAH!!!!!!

But that's why baseball is such a great sport, you never know what's going to happen.

Especially if your name is Joe Morgan.

Chris (New Jersey): As a Yankees fan, who do I want to play in the Division series?

The Baltimore Orioles. They’re the worst team in the league and that would make it easier to win.

What? You expect something more meaningful from Joe?

Joe Morgan: I would say Minnesota. They don't have a dominant starter like Justin Verlander. They beat the Twins 7 straight games this year, but they were 5-1 against Detroit as well. So, it shouldn't really matter if you're a Yankees fan. They are clearly the better team.

And if you remember back a few weeks, you’ll recall that Joe said that any team that makes the playoffs can get hot and win the World Series. Except Detroit and Minnesota. They’re not considered ‘any team’ and they’re not allowed to win.

Bryan (Ohio): Hey Joe, who do you think wins the Tigers/Twins game today?

Joe Morgan: You can almost flip a coin.

Joe: “Hey Jon, did you look at the selection on this menu they left for us?”
Jon: “Uhh, Joe… The game’s going to start.”
Joe: “Yeah. The Yankees are going to win.”
Jon: “But we’re in Minnesota for the Twins and Tigers.”
Joe: “Lamb, filet, salmon…. What’s roe?”
Jon: “Fish eggs.”
Joe: “Hmmm, I wonder if they taste like chicken eggs.”
Jon: “Joe? The game?”
Joe: “Let me know when you need a sound bite. I just don’t know what to order first.”
Jon: “Here comes the first pitch.”
Joe: “It’s only the first one. I have to decide or I won’t have time to try them all!”
Jon: “Joe, you gonna work this game or eat your way through it?”
Joe: “Uhh, not sure. Let me flip a coin…”

I know they're playing in Minnesota…

Joe says this like it’s a closely guarded secret and no one else knows.

so they'll have the crowd and the homefield advantage.

They let people in for one of these things?

But I've seen the situation where the road team has won these playoffs before.

Liar.

You’re too busy with the menu…

Jerome (CA): Do Joe Torre play Juan Pierre in the playoffs? The Dodges werent the same when Manny come back. They missed Pierre's small ball.

Classic Joe Bait…

Joe Morgan: It's not just the small ball that they missed. It's the energy that he brings every day and the threat that he brings as far as running the bases and stealing bases. No, I don't think Torre uses Pierre more. He made it clear that when Manny came back that he was his left fielder and Pierre was his extra man. I don't know if that will change, however, I did see Pierre playing down the stretch when they were trying to clinch. You never know what Torre's going to do, but I dont' see him taking Manny out of the lineup.

. . . . . Classic Joe Idiocy in reply.

Jeff (Tigers fan in Boston): I am extremely confident in Rick Porcello today. If he helps pull out the win for Detroit, he's gotta be the rookie of the year, right?

Joe Morgan: If he can win this game today, he would get my vote.

Based on this one game.

No matter that he couldn’t even outpitch fellow rookies Jeff Niemann, Brian Anderson, or Ricky Romero. Not to mention the everyday contributions that Gordon Beckham, Elvis Andrus and Nolan Reimold gave their teams.

If Porcello wins this one game, he’s it. Instant ROY. Cy Young material. Instant HOF inductee.

Not that Joe would talk about that…

Steve (Middletown, CT): Who is your NL CY Young winner?

Joe Morgan: I would give it to Wainwright, but there are a lot of people that believe that Carpenter deserves it. Wainwright pitched more innings, he was there the whole year. Carpenter had the injury. Wainwright led the league in wins and had more innings than Lincecum and Carpenter. ERA and strikeouts don't impress me as much as wins do. The name of the game is to win.

When anyone ever questions your/my claim that Joe Morgan is an utter and complete moron . . . Here’s the rebuttal…

Well, actually, it’s only one of many that could be cited… But this one’s right up there.

Joe Morgan: I think we'll have a great postseason this year. Remember, as I said before, any team that gets into the playoffs can win the world championship.

Except the Twins. They’re not categorized as ‘any team’, they are just ‘that team’, so they can’t win. Not allowed to.

Joe Morgan said so.