Morgan's Suspension Excessive Compared to Others, but Not All

It began like any other baseball game that day, but it ended with all players in a huge pile on the mound, fists flailing, feet kicking, coaches and managers trying desperately to pull the Major League pile of testosterone apart and umpires scratching their heads.

Gene Wang of the Washington Post reported that the Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan tried to steal some bases and pitcher, Chris Volstad, of the Florida Marlins took it personally. Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan at bat and Morgan charged the mound, and then everyone else did also. Many suspensions were handed out with the most missed games going to Morgan, eight so far.

Some bloggers, sports reporters and critics have said that Morgan deserved the excessive suspension because he is placing himself and other players in danger. His first suspension was because he plowed into St. Louis Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson who didn't even have the baseball in his vicinity. Shortly before the catcher incident, Morgan threw a baseball, hitting a fan, at a Philadelphia game.

The suspension of eight games, which Morgan is appealing, is the second set of suspensions in as many months. This latest incident, the bench clearing, could have injured several players and this would have cost them, and the league, millions of dollars. It's as if Morgan no longer cares. He was the 'kid having a stellar season' at the start of spring and then suddenly, something snapped.

Back in December 2008, as reported by ESPN NHL, the National Hockey League's team the Dallas Stars had a forward, Sean Avery who was suspended for six games after he made a rude comment about one of his opponents before a game. Many believe the verbal battering deserved some type of punishment but not such a large one, a six game suspension.

Avery said he loved Canada and didn't understand why so many of the hockey players there were interested in his 'sloppy seconds' when it came to their dating habits. Avery was referring to Calgary Flames defensemen Dion Phaneuf and the fact that he was dating his ex-girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert, an actress. He was also alluding to the fact that she had been linked romantically to the Montreal Canadian's Mike Komisarek. It's also a known fact that Avery dated Rachel Hunter, a supermodel who was at the time the girlfriend of Jarrett Stoll, centre from the Los Angels Kings. Avery played for the Kings for a time.

Many critics of Avery's six game suspension says it was too much because there were players on the ice that were hitting with the intent to injure and only receiving a one or two game suspension. This practice still goes on all over the leagues.

Today Avery is back at the New York Rangers where he was the year before his suspension. As for Morgan, only time will tell if he is traded back down to the minors or if he can straighten up and be the player he was earlier this season.

Reference:

Melrose, B. (2008) Melrose Comments On Avery Suspension. ESPN NHL. Retrived on Sept 4, 2010 from http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3748208

Wang, G. (2010) Nyger Morgan Out of Todays Lineup. The Washington Post. Retrieved on Sept 4, 2010 from
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2010/08/nyjer_morgan_out_of_todays_lin.html