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kairos12

(12,858 posts)
Fri Dec 23, 2022, 01:03 PM Dec 2022

Joe Morgan was my all time favorite ballplayer.

I love this story about him.

When he was playing for the Astros he returned to the dugout having struck out badly. A player approached him, in jest, using a bat handle as play microphone to "interview" him about what happened on that pitch. Here's the "interview."

Player: Hey Joe, you looked pretty bad on that pitch, can you tell the viewers what happened."

Morgan: (grabs the bat like it's a microphone):" I sure can tell you what happened. Do you know the difference between a curveball and a motherfucking curveball? Well, let me tell you. A curveball is a pitch you can pick up the spin on, seeing it clearly, and nail it for a hit. Now, your motherfucking curveball looks just like a fastball, you can't see the spin, and when it crosses the plate the ball drops off the table and it's a motherfucking strike three."

RIP Joe (2020). An all time great. Made the Big Red Machine go.

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Joe Morgan was my all time favorite ballplayer. (Original Post) kairos12 Dec 2022 OP
I'm assuming that interview didn't make the evening news... Wounded Bear Dec 2022 #1
I wonder who the pitcher was. patphil Dec 2022 #2
He was a wonder. My all-time favorite will always be Roberto Clemente. twodogsbarking Dec 2022 #3
As a young Pirates fan, Clemente was always my favorite. YDogg Dec 2022 #7
Living players from the 60 series team. twodogsbarking Dec 2022 #8
I can visualize most as young players. YDogg Dec 2022 #9
I was a huge Reds fan in the early 70s MichMan Dec 2022 #4
Being a Pirate fan I knew the Reds well. Great players. twodogsbarking Dec 2022 #11
Al Kaline for me. gibraltar72 Dec 2022 #5
My brother's favorite player MichMan Dec 2022 #6
Hayooo!!!!!!! Probatim Dec 2022 #10
I was at Candlestick Park 9/30/82 when he hit the HR to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs. ificandream Dec 2022 #12

twodogsbarking

(9,739 posts)
3. He was a wonder. My all-time favorite will always be Roberto Clemente.
Fri Dec 23, 2022, 01:50 PM
Dec 2022

In eight days it will be 50 years since his death.

twodogsbarking

(9,739 posts)
8. Living players from the 60 series team.
Fri Dec 23, 2022, 02:51 PM
Dec 2022

Joe Christopher
Bennie Daniels
ElRoy Face
Dick Groat
Vern Law
Bill Mazeroski
Roman Mejias
Bob Oldis
Bob Skinner

YDogg

(6,682 posts)
9. I can visualize most as young players.
Fri Dec 23, 2022, 02:55 PM
Dec 2022

I became a fan a few years later, but that was a heck of a team.

MichMan

(11,915 posts)
4. I was a huge Reds fan in the early 70s
Fri Dec 23, 2022, 02:25 PM
Dec 2022

Went to a handful of games back then at Riverfront Stadium.

What a team; Rose, Bench, Morgan, Perez, Foster, Concepcion, Gullett, Bellingham, Borbon, Carroll, Grimsley, Geronimo, Griffey. List goes on and on.

Looked up the 73 season on wikipedia and they mentioned a doubleheader that I went to with my dad.

"The Reds were still in a slump when they met the Dodgers for a July 1, doubleheader in Cincinnati. The Reds were 39–37 and trailed the Dodgers (51–27) by 11 games. Just as they had done 12 years earlier, the Reds swept the Dodgers in a doubleheader to jumpstart their pennant hopes. In Game 1, Cincinnati's third-string catcher, Hal King, belted a game-winning, three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Don Sutton to give the Reds a 4–3 victory. In Game 2, Tony Pérez singled in the game-winner off knuckleball specialist Charlie Hough in the bottom of the 10th as the Reds won 3–2. The doubleheader sweep was part of a stretch where Cincinnati won 10 of 11 games and by July 10, had cut the Dodgers' lead to 4½ games".

Now I have zero interest in baseball.

twodogsbarking

(9,739 posts)
11. Being a Pirate fan I knew the Reds well. Great players.
Sat Dec 24, 2022, 07:44 AM
Dec 2022

I loved the competition regardless of the teams. Lots of respect for the opposing teams. No interest now.

ificandream

(9,372 posts)
12. I was at Candlestick Park 9/30/82 when he hit the HR to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs.
Sat Dec 24, 2022, 11:40 AM
Dec 2022

The Dodgers and Giants were tied when Morgan came to the plate. I remember Dodgers fans being really loud all game. But Morgan's three-run home run was the blow that won the game and shut them up. I would have loved to have seen Tommy Lasorda when he hit that.

Here's the call by the great Vin Skully.

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