Vintage Joe

Wow, Joe Morgan was in rare form today during his ESPN chat (full transcript here- Insider subscription required). So many of his responses were either self-contradicting, avoiding the question, or just plain stupid. Here's a sampling:

Bobby (VA Beach,VA): Who do you think will be this years NL MVP?

Joe Morgan: That's tough. We're not there yet. Pujols has led his team. The Mets have the best record, so you have to look at their best players. We're not there yet where you can name the MVP yet.

I hate when any analyst does this. It's part of your job to speculate on the future. Of course we're not there yet, that's why the question included the phrase "will be." You can use the caveat, "If the season were to end today..." if it will make you feel more comfortable, but don't just avoid the question because you're uncertain of the answer. This is even more annoying because later Joe has this exchange with a reader.

Jack (NH): Morning Joe. Why doesn't major league baseball extend the trading deadline to Aug. 15th or 31st so it's easier to determine the buyers and sellers?

Joe Morgan: You sound like a GM. They've been pushing to get the deadline back. If they pushed it back that far, then they would want to push it back even farther. They get paid to make the decisions, so make the decisions.

And you get paid to make uncertain, erratic predictions about the future, so make predictions! Also, while I'm personally not in favor of pushing the deadline back any further, it's because I think teams should go to the playoffs with players that have been with the organization for a majority of the season. It's not because I think that if you were to extend the deadline to Aug 15, you're somehow opening the door for the deadline to be extended to Oct 1.

Chad (NY): Do the Mets need to make a move in order to make it to the WS?

Joe Morgan: They need a fourth and fifth starter. They need a veteran pitcher. That's why they acquired El Duque. They need one more pitcher that can fill that role.

The Mets have the NL East on lockdown, so we know they're going to the playoffs. Since when do you need a fifth starter once the playoffs start?

Tony Martos Boston, Mass: Given David Ortiz's offensive proweless this year and Boston's current lead in the AL East. Do you feel Ortiz is a legitimate clear choice this year for AL MVP as long as the Red Sox win the division?

Joe Morgan: I don't think he's a clear choice. Last year, if I would have had a vote last year, I would have split it with him and A-Rod. He's a DH. Guys that play every day, make no doubt about it, help the team more. I think Ortiz is different than any other DH, because he's also the leader of the team. Guys rally around him. Normal DHs, I say no. I think what seperates him is that he's the leader of that team.

David Ortiz *does* play every day, as do most DHs. He got his DH/defense argument confused with his pitcher/every day player argument. It's amazing that he hasn't yet confused his mouthwash with Liquid Drano.

Jeff (Texas): Would Prior or Woods benefit from a shift to the bullpen? It should be less stress on their arms only throwing 70 innings a year.

Joe Morgan: They tried to do that with Wood and they sent him to the bullpen. It's very difficult to throw every day with him. It sounds like a good idea for him, to be honest with you. Just use him for a while, and then go back to starting.
I have no idea what he said or was trying to say.

The Fire Joe Morgan blog is going to have a field day with this one. In fact, I think they already have. I see that "Ken Tremendous," a regular contributor to the blog has gotten a question in today.

I can't believe this guy is the lead commentator for ESPN baseball while Harold Reynolds has been fired. Unreal. When is Deadspin going to get that MLB contract?