Articles from September 2010

As if walking off the field under his own power didn’t make him seem like a total badass, Logan Morrison proved how tough he really is by starting both games of Monday’s double-header, less than 24 hours after being drilled in the face by teammate Emilio Bonifacio’s foul ball.

Late last night I reflected on what happened to Morrison by invoking my memories of how a similar incident ended the career of Juan Encarnacion in 2007.  Thankfully(and surprisingly), Morrison escaped the scary incident without any serious injuries- just a golf ball sized lump beneath his left eye and some serious seam marks.

Based upon the video replays of Morrison wearing a foul ball to the face, and considering the photo(pictured above) that he posted on Twitter last night, I expected that he might hit the 15-Day DL, or at the least be held out of Monday’s games- I mean come on, the guy took a batted ball to the face!

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After taking a break from my “Best Baseball Commercials” series, I have decided that now is the perfect time to stage a comeback with Part 8, the Chicago White Sox.  After watching my boys do some work this past week, sweeping two crucial road series against Cleveland and Boston, I feel that it is necessary to post the best White Sox commercials both as a sign of my support, as well as with the hope that it keeps them rolling.

After beating the Tigers 5-4 in 10 innings on Monday afternoon, the surging White Sox have now won 7 in a row, all on the road.  As the series with the Minnesota Twins on September 14-16 edges a little closer every day, there’s really only one thing that must be said:

In the words of Hawk Harrelson, “Don’t stop now, boys!”

Carlos Quentin’s Swing:

[hdplay id=10 ]

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For anyone who has ever played serious baseball, it is common knowledge that when in the on-deck circle, it is important to always be paying close attention as a pitch is delivered.  As a hitter, not only should you be attempting to time the pitcher’s release point, but you also should be paying close attention to avoid serious injury on a sharp foul ball.

However, even when paying attention, an on-deck hitter is still susceptible to being drilled by a foul ball- just ask former Cardinals’ outfielder Juan Encarnacion.  In late August of 2007, Encarnacion was struck in the left-eye socket by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Aaron Miles- an injury that ultimately ended Encarnacion’s career and that has been described by Cardinals’ medical director Dr. George Paletta as, “The worst trauma I’ve seen. Absolutely.”

Fortunately for Florida Marlins’ rookie Logan Morrison, it appears that he will ok after taking a foul ball to left side of his face in the 10^th inning of Sunday’s victory against the Atlanta Braves.

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Fighting in organized sports is generally frowned upon. When football turns to blows the players are described as barbarians, out of control monsters with little or no self control. When basketball teams slug it out they’re deemed thugs and hoodlums. But Wednesday night’s Nationals-Marlins game included one of baseball’s most time-honored traditions, the bench clearing brawl.

Fighting holds a special place in baseball, a moral gray area that while officially outlawed is still accepted as an unspoken part of the game. Sometimes a scrap can be good for team chemistry, a team-building exercise spilling the enemy’s blood. In other sports players can physically confront each other through the course of play while boxing out for rebounds or making tackles. In baseball there is rarely such confrontation although the same agitation exists. Eventually it becomes too much and rather than a flagrant foul or late hit a player will launch an all-out assault. A bench-clearing baseball brawl is spontaneous, one player provoked to the point of attack and his team following into battle. Players, coaches, and fans know that at the highest level of competition this is sometimes unavoidable. That man pushed over the edge on Wednesday was Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

Continue Reading ‘Don’t Mess with Nyjer Morgan’>>

In the same sense that people say baseball is better with Josh Hamilton in it, the exact opposite can be said about Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals.  Baseball is worse with Nyjer Morgan in it.  On Wednesday night, Morgan continued his dip-shit ways by igniting a brawl with Chris Volstad and the Florida Marlins.  However it was not just the brawl itself that made Morgan appear completely despicable, it was how he handled the entire situation- for a second it even seemed like he might head into the crowd.

Now, considering that he hasn’t even served what was supposed to be a 7-game suspension for throwing a ball at a fan in Philadelphia, I think it’s safe to say that Morgan’s punishment is overdue.  The brawl is just the latest of his extra curricular activities on what has become a deep list of disconcerting outbursts by the center fielder.  Therefore, I think that it’s time that either the Nationals organization or Bud Selig lay down the law and suspend Nyjer Morgan for the remainder of the 2010 season.

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