Nyjer Morgan has taken Major League Baseball and the city of Milwaukee by storm this year. He has run away with the 2011 Brian Wilson Craziest Man in Baseball Award. His ability on the field is one thing, but what is going on inside his head is like entering a whole new world.
Morgan came up in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system. Making his debut in 2007, his energy instantly brought new life to the team. The 2009 season was when Morgan really began to make his mark as many avid baseball fans may remember. The Pirates decided to trade the speedy Morgan to the Washington Nationals mid-way through the 2009 season. Morgan went on to steal 42 bases that year. During his brief tenure with the Nationals, Morgan’s contributions may have been highlighted more by an incident where he charged the mound than by his play on the field. The biggest move of Morgan’s career was when he was traded from the Nationals to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2011 season. He has made his presence felt ever since.
If you had to describe Nyjer Morgan’s play on the field this season, you probably would have called it solid. If you had to describe Nyjer Morgan as a person this season, then one word definitely will not be enough. Morgan is a man with not one, but two explosive personalities, if you count his alter ego Tony Plush of course. Morgan’s post-game interviews have become so unpredictable and so wild that you almost root for him to be the player of the game just so you get to hear what’s on his mind. Whether he is talking about keeping it “real professional” or “tickling the ball into the outfield” or self-proclaiming himself Tony Plush or talking about his “plushdamentals” or running post-game interviews of Prince Fielder for the local TV station or dropping the f-bomb as a TBS reporter attempts to get an interview, you have to admit that the man adds great entertainment value. I mean, come on, we are talking about a man who had a walk-off double this year, and was confused when his team was rushing toward him because he thought it was the eighth inning. If that isn’t living in your own world, then I don’t know what is.
Nyjer Morgan has brought new life to the Milwaukee Brewers and has also brought media attention that the Brewers have never gotten from simply playing baseball. Recently Morgan has brought the “bear claws” to the Brewers. Basically after a big play, everybody on the team does bear claws (pictured above). Sound stupid to you? Well it shouldn’t because the Texas Rangers rode a similar campaign to the World Series last year. Whether you love Nyjer Morgan or hate Nyjer Morgan, he brings swagger to a team and teams ride swagger deep into the playoffs. Don’t believe me? The San Francisco Giants rode the Brian Wilson swagger train to a ring last year. The teams that you would expect to be in the World Series don’t have silly celebrations and they don’t have a single player with enough swagger to encapsulate an entire city. Name me a player on the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees or the Philadelphia Phillies that can do that. You can’t because there aren’t any. There is no coincidence that Nyjer Morgan and the Brewers are in the National League Championship Series and I wouldn’t be surprised if they rode him to the World Series. AHHHHHHH!
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Written by Kevin Rossi
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