Nyjer Morgan, suspended last year for starting fights with everyone but the ball girl and the guy in the Abe Lincoln costume at Nationals Park, is successfully rehabbing his image in Milwaukee thanks in part to an alter-ego called Tony Plush, reports the NY Times.
Nicknamed T-Plush, Morgan's seemingly better half is "a fun-loving personality who creates words and nicknames," according to the Times. When he was a kid, little Nyjer and some pals invented swaggering pseudonyms for themselves. Since Bono Vox, The Edge and Johnny Rotten were taken, they settled upon Frankie Sleaze, James Dot Dean and Tony Plush.
Morgan...er, T-Plush...has created a baseball term as well. Writes Pat Borzi:
Morgan calls the fundamentals of his game, like bunting and moving up runners, Plushdamentals. Morgan’s teammates often salute T-Plush by forming a timeout signal with their hands.
“It’s a legend, man,” Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun said. “The guy’s brilliant.”
It's the second variation of "fundamentals" covered in these cyber-pages; Mets announcer Keith Hernandez often talks about "fundies"--or, as is increasingly the case out in Flushing, the lack thereof.
Full disclosure: Morgan had a short and unmemorable run on my Loisaida Luckless Pedestrians fantasy team last year.
This year, he's hitting .320.
T-Plush's surreal post-game appearances have become something of a YouTube sensation, and he's a Twitter star as well.
As Plush tweeted yesterday, "Throw up yo T, Nation!!! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh".
These days are all happy and free for the schizophrenic centerfielder.
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2 comments:
Schitzophrenic is the word. I know it's an act (it is isn't it?) but he is plush-whacked. That utube video is just weird. It's amazing how little sometime the game is about baseball and how much it is about PR.
Great piece, Mike.
Unbelievably funny, Mike. And not only because of the Mets and Fantasy references. But I guess you can't argue if it works for the guy.
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