Continuing the downward spiral that is Nyjer Morgan's 2010 season, a benches clearing brawl ensued between the Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Front and center of the fracas was none other than Morgan himself who charged the mound after being thrown at by Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad for the second time in the game. The first bean ball was in retaliation for what took place the night before when the Nats' center-fielder collided at home plate with Florida's catcher Brett Hayes in what many believed could have been a more sportsmanlike manor and more importantly avoided if Morgan had slid. After the unnecessary collision that resulted in a separated shoulder for Hayes, Morgan was called out, failing to score the go-ahead run.
Before the dust-up occurred, Morgan took the first bean without glancing to the pitchers mound and trotted to first base, knowing it was only a matter of time before he was hit. It was then that Morgan did the unthinkable, breaking one of baseball's unwritten rules. Down 11-runs in a 14-3 ball game, Morgan stole both second and third base. The Marlins felt the move was disrespectful which caused for a second bean ball, this time sailing behind the back of Morgan. Morgan, who spent his earlier years on a Hockey rink playing in the Western Hockey League, rolled up his sleeves upon rushing the mound and threw a punch at the head of Volstad which eventually missed. Marlins first-baseman Gaby Sanchez then clotheslined Morgan, causing both teams' benches and bullpens to clear. Once the dust settled, Morgan walked away with his jersey open and his arms held high shouting at the Florida crowd as some several thousand fans watched from the stands.
This all comes after a series of events that has stained Morgan's 2010 season. First the incident during Interleague play in May when Morgan failed to catch a ball in centerfield at the wall, slamming his glove to the ground and throwing a temper tantrum in the process. Morgan mistakenly thought the ball had skipped off his glove and bounced over the fence for a home run. Instead the mishap was shown on highlight reels across the sporting world and resulted in an inside the park home run for Baltimore's Adam Jones. And just a week prior to the melee that took place at Florida's Sun Life Stadium, Morgan threw a baseball into the stands at a crowd of heckling fans in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, hitting a fan in the head...The wrong fan. Morgan was given a seven game suspension for the incident, which he is currently appealing.
However, the episodes don't end there. Less than a few days later in a series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Morgan ran into catcher Bryan Anderson at the plate, despite not having the ball. Morgan missed home plate and was called out. The following day, Nats manager Jim Riggleman sat Morgan to avoid an incident similar to the one that recently took place, saying "If he [Morgan] was out there, they would've thrown at him." Morgan now finds himself in even hotter water with the most recent situation. "I'm a hard-nosed player, I'm grimy and if it happened again, I'll do it again." Said Morgan in an interview after the game in the visiting clubhouse. If Morgan does decide to "do it again", it'll cost him big. Sources say an undisclosed fine is expected to hit Morgan along with the eight-game suspension he was issued earlier today for his actions.
In my opinion, it was a relief to see the league step in and regulate given the circumstance that it was almost obvious Morgan was out there playing to hurt someone. The guy clearly has problems and hopefully the punishment issued will serve as much more than a slap on the wrist, or it's back to the hockey rink for Morgan where he'll be able to drop the gloves and fight whenever and whoever he feels like.
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