Joe Morgan just never impressed me. I realized he won back to back MVPs on the World Champion Reds. I know he took walks before all the On-Base Analysis took place. But I lived in the 1970s and I never considered him one of the best players. I can rattle off names Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Pete Rose, George Foster, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, Jim Rice etc... who I considered better. I am suprised he made it to the Hall of Fame. I remember when he would get on first against the Pirates and Willie Stargell (a boyhood friend) would have great fun with him. This is an average card on a nice blue sky day.
That's interesting to me. I always wonder... How did you guys not consider Morgan a star in the 70's, when he won back-to-back MVP's & was an ALl-Star 8 straight times during the decade? I didn't really get into baseball 'til '82, so it's hard for me to grasp the sense that Morgan wasn't a star. The kids in my neighborhood always treated his cards as important by the time I was into the game. I didn't understand OBP, bt I did get the sense that Morgan was a great base stealer & could drive in runs when he got the opportunity.
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