Joe Morgan Insults Ernie Banks

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst and baseball Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan isn't exactly the most beloved figure in baseball or the blogosphere. I mean, the man has a blog dedicated to rooting out the idiocy in the sports media coverage of the game named after him (I live for the day I write something stupid enough for FJM to attack me).

The reason for this is that Joe says a lot of things that are poorly-informed or just outright incorrect. The latest instance took place on Sunday night while Joe was working the Cubs/White Sox game.

In the fifth inning, when Eric Patterson hit a two-run homer into the wire basket that overhangs the right field wall, Morgan referred to the basket as "Banks Boulevard," and then went on to talk about how many Ernie Banks homers ended up in the Wrigley bleacher baskets back in the day - the implication being, of course, that many of Ernie's 512 career homers were cheapies, and that he would have hit considerably fewer without the help of those right- and left-field baskets.

It turns out that "Banks Boulevard" is a phrase that Joe has been using for a while when describing the nets at Wrigley Field, and that he maintains that's what "everybody" referred to them as while he played.

Just one slight problem: the baskets weren't put in at Wrigley Field until 1970, and Banks retired after the 1971 season. How many of Ernie's 512 career homers came at Wrigley during that span? Seven, including his 500th which was hit well into the seats.

This discrepancy has caused Cubs blogs and fans to threaten boycotting ESPN until Morgan issues an apology, and though I find that to be incredibly idiotic, I still offer my full support for the movement. I'll do anything that could possibly lead to not having to deal with Joe anymore.

(Arm bash to Walkoff Walk)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-24-2008 @ 3:04PM

paulaber said...

Joe Morgan may be the most retarded announcer in the history of sports. He is so blunder prone that you continue to listen only to see how he can top his previous misstatements. How does ESPN not get this.

6-24-2008 @ 5:53PM

tphilippians413 said...

That's Joe being Joe. The little engine that wishes he still could. If Joe could freeze the world at the hight of the Big Red Machine's hay day, Joe would be the happiest man alive. However,that can't be done so Joe goes on bitterly degrading anyone or any team not associated with TBRM! He's a sorry little charachter these days. He needs to withdraw himself from baseball's public eye before he gives it another black eye. Ernie Banks was a great player and even a better human being. Hey Joe, stay silent until the Yankees come back again another year to challenge for the ring. Then you can start bashing them as you LOVE to do.

6-24-2008 @ 5:02PM

dick said...

say good night joe!has anyone saved any of JOE'S JEWELS,maybe we can put it in a book form & send it to ESPN.(WE MIGHT HAVE TO READ TO THEM)

6-24-2008 @ 7:37PM

steph3221 said...

Put JOE in the basket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6-24-2008 @ 7:40PM

Ernie you were great!!!!!!!!!!!

6-24-2008 @ 7:49PM

petejayhawk said...

Did Iracane start crying when you bashed his little arm?

6-24-2008 @ 8:40PM

bigflyer said...

Mprgan is a moron. He simply fractures facts, slings faulty stats, and is rapidly becoming the Johnny Miller of baseball commentating.

6-25-2008 @ 12:28AM

ciniellowc said...

Say it ain't so Joe.

Admit it your under the influence so we can have faith that your return from rehab will give us a smarter and truthful Joe Morgan

Cut the crap Joe and get your facts straight, kids depend on you for the truth.

Quoting George Patton "Don't bull**** the troops, IKE."

6-25-2008 @ 1:19AM

Tom Fornelli said...

Pete: No, but he did work in a cup check with his knee, the sneaky bastard.

6-30-2008 @ 10:19PM

Hydrantman said...

Morgan is a complete tool! The first thing he brought up about the "rivalry" between the Cubs and Sox was the stupid Barret v. Pierzynski brawl whcih was what... 3 years ago??? For God's sake, LET IT GO ALREADY! Not too mention the fact that he said if the fight had happened in the Sox park the results would have been different, well hey doofus, better check that replay yet again, IT WAS AT COMISKY YOU MORON! I hate when the Cubs games are on ESPN.

7-29-2008 @ 11:39AM

SphereSeer said...

We have Euclidean geometry, and then we have various non-Euclidean geometries. And then there is "Joe's Geometry."

Joe has developed his own brand of geometry, where spherical objects (baseballs) take on weird properties, depending upon the level of the incoming pitch as seen by the batter.

"When it's up [a high ball] you see the entire sphere itself...when it's down you're actually looking at the only the top half of the ball."

Now, most people would argue that a sphere---a ball---would have the appearance of sphere, or as Joe says, a circle, no matter what the view. I have heard Joe, on several different occasions, propound his theory. It seems, in Joe's world, that you see only part of the sphere if the ball is coming in low. I suppose, by exptrapolation, that, if the ball came in directly over your head, it would be invisible.

Wow! What a theory!