Joe Morgan
| Joe Morgan | |
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 Morgan with the Cincinnati Reds |
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| Second baseman | |
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Born: September 19, 1943 Bonham, Texas |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 21, 1963 for the Houston Colt .45's | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1984 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .271 |
| Hits | 2,517 |
| Home runs | 268 |
| Runs batted in | 1,133 |
| Stolen bases | 689 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Induction | 1990 |
| Vote | 81.8% (first ballot) |
Joe Leonard Morgan (born September 19, 1943) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in those years. Considered one of the greatest second basemen of all-time, Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. He became a baseball broadcaster for ESPN after his retirement, and now hosts a weekly nationally syndicated radio show for Sports USA. Joe Morgan is also a special adviser to the Cincinnati Reds.
Playing career
Raised in Oakland, California, and nicknamed "Little Joe" for his diminutive 5'7" stature, Morgan was a standout at Castlemont High School before being signed by the Houston Colt .45's as an amateur free agent in 1962. Early in his career, he had trouble with his swing because he kept his back elbow down too low. Teammate Nellie Fox suggested to Joe that while at the plate he should flap his back arm like a chicken to keep his elbow up. Morgan followed the advice, and his flapping arm became a familiar sight to baseball fans.
Cincinnati Reds
Although Morgan played with distinction for Houston, the Astros wanted more power in their lineup. Additionally, manager Harry Walker considered Morgan a troublemaker.[1]
As a result they traded Morgan to the Cincinnati Reds as part of a blockbuster multi-player deal on November 29, 1971, announced at baseball's winter meetings. While the Astros got power-hitting Lee May, the deal is now considered one of the most one-sided trades in baseball history.[2] To this day it is considered an epoch-making deal for Cincinnati and one of the worst trades in Astros' history. Included in the deal to the Reds were César Gerónimo (who became their regular center fielder) and pitcher Jack Billingham, who soon joined the Reds pitching rotation as a leading starter, veteran infielder Denis Menke, and minor league outfielder Ed Armbrister. In addition to May, all star second baseman Tommy Helms and outfielder/pinch hitter Jimmy Stewart went to the Astros. The deal facilitated a shift in Reds team philosophy towards speed over power, with Morgan and outfielder Pete Rose now two key figures batting back-to-back. Morgan added unusual home run power (at that time) for a second baseman to outstanding speed on the basepaths and excellent defense.
After joining The Big Red Machine, Morgan's career reached a new level. This included eight consecutive All-Star Game appearances (1972–1979) to go along with his 1966 and 1970 appearances with Houston.
Morgan, along with teammates Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Pérez, and Dave Concepción, led the Reds to consecutive championships in the World Series. He drove in Ken Griffey for the winning run in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series, now ranked as one of the greatest World Series of all time. Morgan was also the National League MVP in 1975 and 1976. He was the first second baseman in the history of the National League to win the MVP back to back.[3]
Morgan was an extremely capable batter—especially in clutch situations. While his lifetime average was only .271, he hit between .288 and .327 during his peak years with the Reds. Additionally, he drew many walks, resulting in an excellent .392 on-base percentage. He also hit 268 home runs to go with 449 doubles and 96 triples, excellent power for a middle infielder of his era, and was considered by some the finest base stealer of his generation (689 steals at greater than 80% success rate). Besides his prowess at the plate and on the bases, Morgan was an exceptional infielder, winning the Gold Glove Award in consecutive years from 1973 to 1977.
After his career ended, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1987, and his jersey number 8 was retired. He was honored by the Reds by throwing out the 1st pitch at the Reds first spring training game at Goodyear Ballpark (in Arizona) on March 5, 2010.
Later career
In 1980, Morgan returned to Houston to help the young Astros win the NL West. The Astros then lost the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. Morgan went to the San Francisco Giants for the next two seasons. His home run in the last game of the 1982 season eliminated the Dodgers from the division race. He won the 1982 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. He then went to the Phillies, where he rejoined ex-teammates Pete Rose and Tony Pérez. After losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, Morgan finished his career with the Oakland Athletics.
Legacy
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| Joe Morgan's number 8 was retired by the Cincinnati Reds in 1987. |
In the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James named Morgan the best second baseman in baseball history, ahead of #2 Eddie Collins and #3 Rogers Hornsby. He also named Morgan as the "greatest percentages player in baseball history," due to his strong fielding percentage, stolen base percentage, walk-to-strikeout ratio, and walks per plate appearance. That data was shown with the caveat that many players in baseball history could not be included in the formula due to lack of data.[4]
In 1999, Morgan ranked Number 60 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Morgan currently serves as a member of the board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical hardships.
Broadcasting career
Local gigs
Morgan started his broadcasting career in 1985 for the Cincinnati Reds. On September 11, 1985, Morgan along with his television broadcasting partner Ken Wilson were on hand to call Pete Rose's record breaking 4,192 career hit. A year later, Morgan started a nine year stint as an announcer for the San Francisco Giants. Morgan added one more local gig when he joined the Oakland Athletics' broadcasting team for the 1995 season.
ABC Sports
From 1988 to 1989, Morgan served as an announcer for ABC, where he helped announce Monday Night and Thursday Night Baseball games, the 1988 American League Championship Series with Gary Bender and Reggie Jackson, and served as a field reporter for the 1989 World Series. Morgan was on the field at San Francisco's Candlestick Park alongside Hall of Famer Willie Mays (whom Morgan was getting set to interview) the moment the Loma Prieta earthquake hit at 5:04 p.m.
NBC Sports
From 1994 to 2000, Morgan teamed with Bob Costas and (until 1997) Bob Uecker to call baseball games on NBC (and in association with The Baseball Network from 1994 to 1995). During this period, Morgan helped call three World Series (1995, 1997, and 1999) and four All-Star Games (1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000). Morgan had spent a previous (1986–1987) stint with NBC calling regional Game of the Week telecasts.
ESPN
Morgan was a member of ESPN's lead baseball broadcast team alongside Jon Miller and Orel Hershiser. Besides teaming with Miller for Sunday Night Baseball telecasts, Morgan has also teamed with Miller for League Championship Series and World Series broadcasts on ESPN Radio. In 2006, he called the Little League World Series Championship with Brent Musburger and Orel Hershiser on ABC, replacing the recently fired Harold Reynolds.[5] During the 2006 MLB playoffs, the network had Morgan, their lead baseball analyst, pull double duty by calling the first half of the Mets–Dodgers playoff game at Shea Stadium before traveling across town to call the Yankees–Tigers night game at Yankee Stadium.[6]
He was also a broadcaster in the MLB 2K series from 2K Sports. Although Joe Morgan's partnership with Jon Miller began in 1990, it was not the first time that Morgan associated himself with ESPN, as from 1985 to 1988, Morgan called college baseball games for ESPN.
In his time at ESPN, Morgan had been a vocal critic of statistics-based analysis of baseball, sometimes called sabermetrics. Michael Lewis' book Moneyball, which describes Billy Beane's sabermetric-influenced approach to running the Oakland Athletics, is a particular target of Morgan's criticism.[7][7] He has previously refused to read the book, reasoning that statistics are not more helpful than observation.
In 2009, Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski spoke about the perceived disparity between Morgan's celebrated playing style and his on-air persona:
- "The disconnect between Morgan the player and Morgan the announcer is one that I’m just not sure anyone has figured. Bill James tells a great story about how one time Jon Miller showed Morgan Bill’s New Historical Baseball Abstract, which has Morgan ranked as the best second baseman of all time, ahead of Rogers Hornsby. Well, Morgan starts griping that this was ridiculous, that Hornsby hit .358 in his career, and Morgan never hit .358, and so on. And there it was, perfectly aligned—Joe Morgan the announcer arguing against Joe Morgan the player."[8]
In the wake of Joe Morgan deciding to take an official role with the Cincinnati Reds as a "special advisor to baseball operations", it was announced on November 8, 2010 that Mr. Morgan would not be returning for the 2011 season as an announcer on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. His former broadcast partner Jon Miller's contract expired in 2010 and ESPN chose not to renew his contract.
Fire Joe Morgan
Morgan's announcing work with ESPN inspired the title of firejoemorgan.com, a sports blog that updated regularly from 2005 to 2008. Considered one of the most influential sports blogs of the decade,[9] the blog criticized sports journalism, particularly in baseball. While Morgan himself was a frequent target, the blog often was critical of other opponents of sabermetrics, as well as sports journalists who misstated or misrepresented the concepts of the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis.
Sports USA
It was announced on June 17, 2011 that Morgan will begin a daily, one-hour general-sports-talk radio program, beginning Monday, August 22, 2011.
“While I’m best known for baseball, I’ve always had a love of all sports,” Morgan said in a statement. “I’m fortunate that my career has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people, and I have heard so many remarkable stories. With my new show, I am looking forward to sharing these stories, as well as speaking with today’s sports personalities and newsmakers," Morgan concluded. [10]
Return to the Reds
On April 21, 2010 it was announced that Morgan is returning to the Reds in the role of "special advisor to baseball operations." Morgan will work in both the baseball side and community outreach side for the Reds.[11]
Morgan stressed to Marty Brennaman during the April 21 radio broadcast that he will not be involved in trade decisions.
Career statistics
| G | AB | R | H | BB | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,649 | 9,277 | 1,650 | 2,517 | 1,865 | 449 | 96 | 268 | 1,133 | 689 | 162 | .271 | .392 | .427 |
See also
- List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs batted in
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
References
- ^ Purdy, Dennis (2006). The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. New York City: Workman. ISBN 0-7611-3943-5.
- ^ Neyer, Rob (2006). Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders. Simon & Schuster. p. 193.
- ^ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.152, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ^ Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (Washington: Simon & Shuster, 2001), 479–481.
- ^ http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/104775
- ^ "Networks take N.Y. minute to decide baseball's two postseason money series". USA Today. October 2, 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-10-02-weekend_x.htm. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-07-06/news/say-it-ain-t-so-joe/
- ^ http://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/the_sportswriting_machine.php
- ^ "Best of decade: movies, TV shows, books, blogs (cont.)". CNN. December 11, 2009. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/magazine/specials/2000s/12/07/movies.tv.books.blogs/1.html.
- ^ http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/joe-morgan-getting-new-weekday-radio-show_b10745
- ^ http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100421&content_id=9464838&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Morgan |
- Joe Morgan at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- San Francisco Chronicle – Joe Morgan's clutch homer knocked the Dodgers out of the pennant race on the final day of the 1982 season and made the Braves champions.
