(By our unofficial count, Nyjer Morgan only got to wear the vaunted Silver Fox once this season. Screengrab of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer staff.)
So Nyjer Morgan has his hearing this morning at 10 with MLB officials to appeal his suspension(s): two of 'em, totaling 15 games.
Regardless of the outcome of the hearing, ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote yesterday that it is looking unlikely Nyjer Morgan returns to Washington in 2011, at least according to a couple of scouts Stark spoke with.
Two scouts whose coverage assignments include the Nationals say they've come away with the impression the team is determined to trade Morgan this winter after a series of aggravating decisions and actions, on-field and off, this season.
Asked what the chances were that the Nationals will keep Morgan, one scout summed it up in one word: "Nonexistent."
(via Jayson Stark/ESPN, 9/9/2010)
Sadly, the impression of a couple of scouts doesn't guarantee that Nyjer Morgan will be gone next season. But reading between the war of words between Nyjer Morgan and Jim Riggleman in this Bill Ladson piece on Nationals.com , it sure seems like Riggleman is fed up with Morgan. Morgan believes Riggleman contributed to the suspension because of his post-game comments after the collision with Bryan Anderson (!?). Riggles believes, correctly, that this is a load of crap. Let's lovingly copy and paste from Ladson:
"The play against the Cardinals, people don't see the fact that Pujols did a pump fake," Morgan said. "The fact that my skipper blasted me out in public, it kind of made stuff snowball, too. That was definitely not appreciated."
When told what Morgan said, Riggleman was not happy and said he has protected Morgan numerous times this season. ...
"I have defended his play," Riggleman said. "I've tried to stay positive, and I have never done anything to throw him under the bus. If you feel your manager threw you under the bus, how about the 50 statements defending your play? ... The incident itself, [you] cannot defend that action when you are asked [by the media], because as much as you want to find a way to defend it, you can't defend that action. So it's not throwing somebody under the bus; it's answering a question. The only other way to answer is a 'No comment.' Anything that defends it, it's disrespectful to the game, it's disrespectful to your opponent and your own teammates. If you condone that action, you lose your credibility in the game."
(via Bill Ladson/Nationals.com, 9/9/2010)
With that, here's hoping Nyjer has his hearing today, pleads his case, and the15 game suspension holds up. And maybe, just maybe, when Nyjer Morgan returns to action with just 3 or 4 games left in the season, Riggleman parks his ass on the bench. And then maybe if we're lucky, NatsTown has seen the last of Nyjer Morgan in a Nationals uniform.
But can we at least keep his Silver Elvis wig around? And is Nook Logan available?
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