Nyger Morgan's Tony Plush-Baseball's Mr Cool
71Nyger Morgan's Tony Plush - Baseball's Mr Cool
Maybe Nyger Morgan is this year's 'personality'? His alter-ego, Tony Plush has got the media scratching their heads - should they laugh, should they take Tony Plush seriously? Or should they all just enjoy the spectacle in the way its intended by Nyger? It's all fun! Tony Plush is fun.
The Milwaukee Brewers' centerfielder is a breath of fresh air for those watching at home. Some of us are happy to sit in a chair watching a game with a beer in hand and just take it all in. Tony Plush has kept us entertained in that respect.
But baseball is a prideful game; it’s just bad manners to run around the bases whoopin’ and hollerin’, it’s bad manners to stand and stare as the home run ball lands in the bleachers, the batter should start running (and only running, no showboating) around the bases immediately.
It’s bad form to cross home plate and hoist your arms aloft. Maybe all of these historical (but unwritten) rules are the reason the media are struggling with Nyger Morgan’s Tony Plush.
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Nyger Morgan is fun!
There, I’ve said it and baseball fans can enjoy both types of baseball player; I can admire Jeter and his hit count or Verlander with his 24 wins this season.
I can still get a thrill from watching a no hitter or seeing the highlight reels of the Diamondback’s overturning the Yankees in 2001.
But Tony Plush is the best thing to happen to baseball on TV for many years, especially when over the last few years we’ve had the disgrace of players like Bonds, Clemens, Rodriguez, Canseco and Maguire gaining a lot of the media’s attention.
And baseball needs personalities – it needs Sean Casey laughing so much as a TV baseball anchor, it needs Mark Grace with his wonderful commentary and his amusing anecdotes of his former playing days with the Cubs and Diamondbacks.
So who is ‘Tony Plush’?
"I guess Beyonce has her Sasha Fierce, and so he's got his thing, his Tony Plush," said veteran Jerry Hairston Jr., who had a locker next to Nyger Morgan when both were in Spring Training with the Washington Nationals. "And so far it's worked."
Morgan said he's having more fun than ever this season, and it shows.
Lost in between pretending to shoot arrows onto the field from the dugout (a la Usian Bolt) and his contagious laugh, he has been the Brewers sparkplug. Morgan is batting .328, has turned in several clutch at-bats to set up big hitters like Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, and he has also had a successful year fielding at Center Field.
Morgan is making a difference for the team this year and now the Brewers have made the playoffs, he may still be the guy in the clutch. We'll have to wait and see.
And Nyger has waited for his chance. He’s no quick turnaround from the minors. "I've had my ups and I've had my downs in this game," said Morgan, a Pirates 33rd-round Draft pick in 2002. "I've been buried, chewed up and spit out, and I know how to handle it. But that's what's going to make you a better person and a better player. Just being able to handle all the people's opinions and not paying attention to it, and just understanding yourself. I mean, shoot, I know I'm not crazy. I just have fun."
Milwaukee Brewers have so far made plenty of room for Morgan, Plush, T Dot, @TheRealTPlush (his alter egos and his twitter address) and the player who runs out to center field.
The names are plenty and his words are witty, but the combination has been perfect.
“All of my haters out there that hated on me tough last year, I just wanted to kind of tell them to shut up and basically just do it with my stick," he said. "Now I'm doing it with my stick and I just want to continue it. Eventually they're going to give me the love that I need, and you know I gotta get that respect.
(http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110804&content_id=22732230&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb)
The Brewers have embraced Tony Plush and the fans love him too.
He’s become their best player in the clutch, fans chant his name and the power of twitter as a social networking tool has had Brewers (and fans like me) follow him in their droves.
He is especially good during post-match interviews (a baseball player with a personality-people aren’t used to it, Jeter has class but he’s dull) when Nyger appears with Brewers’ broadcaster, Bob Uecker, he is a class act. He knows how to be spontaneous, he’s funny, he plays tricks.
He keeps fans watching because he’s not just a bench player, someone capable of lifting his team but not really able to match their talents; he has it all at the moment.
He has also created a rich seam of merchandising gold for Brewers’ merchandising manager, Jill Aronoff; everyone wants to wear Tony Plush teeshirts and caps, they’re flying off the shelves.
But the bigger media is not sure what to make of him.
He’s okay for a 20 second insert during SportsCentre doing something goofy but when Morgan threw his well-chewed tobacco wad at Cardinal’s pitcher Chris Carpenter on Wednesday, the big media guys turned on him immediately – they were ready to write Tony Plush’s obituary.
Morgan had lost the plot they said – because he’d lost his focus; Tony Plush was too much now, time for Morgan to get rid of him.
I disagree with them.
Wednesday was just one game. Carpenter pitched an almost flawless game – Tony Plush wasn’t there on a night like that, only Nyger Morgan was there and he got frustrated. The benches cleared (because of those unwritten rules) and baseball reverted to its usual macho stance. So I hope ESPN, Fox, SportsCentre et al get a grip here and stop trying to stifle Nyger Morgan’s personality because he was ‘naughty’ on Wednesday.
Long live Tony Plush….long live baseball….long live entertainment! After their NLDS win over the Diamondback's, he got the winning hit! "F***, yeah!" he said afterwards. You can't keep Tony Plush down.
The Brewers won their series today! Can Nyger take Tony Plush to greatness in the playoffs?
Will Nyger live to regret his 'Alberta' comments about Albert Pujols -you know the Cardinals...he's gonna get drilled!
Tony Turns Reporter......
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Thanks cooldad - I love Tony Plush, he's a breath of fresh air in baseball at the moment.
I agree with most of your hub, but when it comes to Morgan's latest antics of calling Albert Pujols Alberta... well, that may have gone too far. It is one thing to talk smack, but to cross the line by calling one of the game's ALL TIME greatest hitters a girl, such behavior will eventually work its way out on the field. True, Morgan is a breath of fun and entertainment, yet baseball does have its unwritten code of conduct. All Morgan fans must hope he figures them out. If not, his teammates will intervene, along with a few high and tight heaters. When the Brewers get into the playoffs, and they WILL, I'll be rooting for them, Morgan and all.
Rob
I enjoyed your hub, and as a avid follower of the game, it simply is a sign of the times for me. Thanks for your perspective on the game of Baseball and Nyger Morgan.
Voted ^ & interesting & shared
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gjfalcone, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I am in a minority on this side of the Atlantic in being a baseball fan - it has a small but devoted following. I love everything the game has to offer and I think, as you say, Plush is just a sign of the times but it was fun while it lasted. Maybe he'll be someone else next year, we'll see.
Interesting hub...glad to see that I am not the only person to like Mr. Morgan....granted he had some bad days as a National....but I thought he was one of the main reasons the Brewers did so well last year. It will be really interesting to see how the Brewers do with out Fielder and Braun(unless he has a miracle appeal) for 50 games. It is refreshing to read a baseball hub from a UK person....I hope you do some more baseball hubs as the 2012 season starts.
The whole Braun situation is a strange one isn't it? Difficult to imagine him in the same light as say, Manny Ramirez or Roger Clemens? Time will tell. I think Nyger must be a difficult person to fit into a team, he's quite 'out there' in baseball terms but he seems like a good fit at Brewers (under their current manager anyway)and he was the clutch player for them in the stretch. Prince Fielder will be a success at Tigers but I think Cabrera won't enjoy 3rd base, Prince may be getting evil stares across the diamond - better move Cabrera to left field.
I'm not a fan of Morgan just as I was not a fan of Milton Bradley. Sure they are talented players, there is no doubting that, but their anticts distract from their play on the field.
Yes I know what you mean. when Bradley had his fantastic season with the Rangers I thought maybe he had finally turned things around but he brings his personal life onto the field of play and that can't be a good thing for his phsyche - he is undoubtedly talented but has not done well at the Cubs or Mariners. I hope he managed to get back on form this season.
cooldad Level 4 Commenter 8 months ago
Great hub, Plush is hilarious, baseball needs more people like him.