Ernie Banks: 290 Home HRs, 222 Road HRs
only one 500 Homer guy had fewer road home runs (Ott)

I was wonderin' if it wasn't time for a new Joe thread.

Actually, the more people take umbrage at the slightest bit of whatever from Morgan, the more sympathetic I become towards Morgan.

In the fifth inning, when Eric Patterson hit a two-run homer into the wire basket that overhangs the right field wall, Morgan referred to the basket as “Banks Boulevard,” and then went on to talk about how many Ernie Banks homers ended up in the Wrigley bleacher baskets back in the day—the implication being, of course, that many of Ernie’s 512 career homers were cheapies, and that he would have hit considerably fewer without the help of those right- and left-field baskets.

Does anyone have a transcript of what Morgan said? I'd love to judge for myself on the severity of his crime here.

He definitely wasn't trying to besmirch Banks. The guy who took offense to it is obviously a complete tool. Has there ever been an old timer that Morgan has had anything bad to say about?

The Morgan comment that got my attention in that game was claiming that DeRosa feels more comfortable this season because he's been able to settle in as a second baseman rather than bouncing around the field. Take a look at his games played by position at BB-Ref.

I will never get tired of this.

Joe Morgan says something entirely incorrect and is way off-base.

Person X shows how Joe Morgan is wrong and off-base.

BBTF gets mad at Person X.

Hilarious.

I will never get tired of this.

Joe Morgan says something entirely incorrect and is way off-base.

Person X shows how Joe Morgan is wrong and off-base.

BBTF gets mad at Person X.

Hilarious.

Wake me when we get to the backlash against the backlash against the backlash.

Of course he was incorrect, and it's annoying that Morgan runs his mouth with inaccuracies game after game.

But this Person X is retarded if he thinks Morgan was inferring that Banks benefited from cheapies in the screen. If that was his motivation to check, which it apparently was, he's a douche.

Joe Morgan is an incredible ass.

Discuss.

What color is Banks?

What color is Morgan?

There you go. Now we know.

Well, did Morgan refer to the baskets as "Banks Boulevard"? If so, what else could he have meant than that Banks hit a lot of HRs into the basket?

Now of course I'm quite open to the possibility that Ernie told him he did and it's Ernie who either doesn't remember things right or was just joking around and Morgan took him seriously.

Anyway, having been a Cub fan since, whaddya know, 1970, I don't recall ever having heard them referred to as Banks Boulevard.

Ernie Banks: 290 Home HRs, 222 Road HRs
only one 500 Homer guy had fewer road home runs (Ott)

Of course a lot of the 500 HR guys have more home HRs than Ernie too. This of course is not the right way to look at it. Either go with H/R splits as of the 500th HR or go for home HR as % of total HR. The latter's a lot easier so:

Bonds 379/762
Aaron 370/715 (what's available at b-r splits)
Mays 278/544
Sosa 321/609
Griffey 314/601
Robinson 321/586
McGwire 285/583
Killer 288/569
Palmeiro 311/569
Jackson 280/563
Schmidt 265/548
Mantle 207/415
AROD 269/532
McCovey 264/521
Thome 287/521
Thomas 312/520
Mathews 174/359
Manny 255/505
Murray 242/504

So your info is a little out of date as Frank Thomas has fewer road HR than Ernie. Also note that 6 (plus Ott and presumably Ruth, Mays and eventually Thome) have more home HR than Banks by raw count.

Anyway, Ernie hit 56.6%. Ott and Thomas (60%) are higher. Thome (55.1%), Palmeiro (54.7%), and Robinson (54.8%) are close.

Of course most relevantly for Banks, here's the ranking of 500 HR hitters by HRs hit while playing SS (approximately):

AROD 344
Banks 266
Schmidt 1
everybody else 0

I can only say that when I heard Joe say it, I immediately said to my wife "That's completely unfair to Banks. That basket wasn't installed until the end of Banks' career." I don't have a transcript, but I am confident that Joe said that the basket was called Banks Boulevard "because Banks hit so many home runs in there." I find Joe's many inaccuracies annoying, but this one offended me right away, because the implication certainly was that Banks hit lots of cheap home runs. I can believe that Joe may not have realized that the comment would be that offensive (in addition to being really wrong), but it was to this Ernie Banks fan.

Wake me when we get to the backlash against the backlash against the backlash.

I thought that was you?

Okay, here is the transcript, which I got from the fellows at awfulannouncing.blogspot.com:

"Well, this is a pretty small ballpark, it's 366 to straight away right field, and he hit it over in that area. And the basket was put there so that fans could not reach over and interfere with balls, and if it hit in the basket you knew it was a home run.... (Jon Miller says something about the next batter) That basket was actually put there when Ernie Banks played,because a lot of balls were hit that way and fans would reach up, and umpires had a problem with it. They actually started calling that Banks Boulevard 'cuz he hit a lot of balls into that basket."

Sounds like Joe pretty much had it right, and then he felt like he needed to add a little bit more, at which point he screwed it all up.

I'm young (well not really but in comparison to joe morgan) and as a Cardinal fan, and a subscriber to WGN, I have to state that this is the first time in my life I've ever heard of Banks Blvd.

Reading that transcript it actually reads to me like Morgan was trying to be complimentary (implying that Banks hit a lot of homeruns, period.) That's how I read it anyway, so I take it back.

But YMMV

Dagnabbit, my bifocals if foggin up agin. I thought you said Joe Morgan has an incredible ass. Whew.

then went on to talk about how many Ernie Banks homers ended up in the Wrigley bleacher baskets back in the day—the implication being, of course, that many of Ernie’s 512 career homers were cheapies,

It's always a good idea to be skeptical of inference claims when someone inserts of course into the statement. It almost universally a tip-off that the inference is anything but obvious, and that the writer is trying to elide a debatable point.

I don't see why he couldn't just be saying that Banks hit a lot of home runs. Now Morgan got it wrong, and you have to wonder how a mind works that would just invent something that no other Cubs fan seems to remember, but this is a pretty silly thing to boycott over.

That basket was actually put there when Ernie Banks played,because a lot of balls were hit that way and fans would reach up, and umpires had a problem with it.

That basket was actually put there after Ernie Banks' career was almost over, because drunk fans used to run along the top of the wall and would sometimes fall on the field. They also put a sloped cap on the top of the wall at the same time. That's what they told me when I took the Wrigley Field tour a few years ago.

That basket was actually put there after Ernie Banks' career was almost over

And that differs from "when Ernie Banks played" how?

You know there's also the possibility that in batting practice Banks hit a ton of balls into that basket and it became a running joke among the players that were there to witness it. Of course, he could also just be wrong. Nevertheless, this remains an extremely silly thing to take offense over on behalf of Ernie Banks' legacy.

Just wait until all the Yankee fans are enraged when Joe brings up the Brien Taylor Boulevard of Broken Dreams at Yankee Stadium.

Life long Cubs fan and I never heard of "Banks Blvd." Joe as made this assertion before and should stop. I don't know if he is trying to imply Ernie hit cheapies or not, but I can see how someone would infer this. Ernie hit a lot of wicked line drives out of Wrigley, mostly to left--this may be why he has more homers at home than on the road. Wrigley does have shorter distances to the walls, but has pretty high walls and is really only a "band box" when the wind is blowing out (usually in the summer) and can be nearly impossible to hit a mile high homer out of in colder weather. Hitting liners is a great way to neutralize the wind blowing in,

To Person X

I always find it funny that people take umbrage to what announcers say. Oh gosh Joe Morgan said something you don't like about a player you do like, oh golly, golly. So what? Wow, somebody said something you consider retarded, well gee, like that has never happened before. How do you guys actually get through a day? It has to be hard to always stop and complain about somebody elses opinion or words.

McCoy, master of the unintentional ironic post...

Google News shows no hits for "Banks Boulevard," in reference to Ernie Banks. Although there is apparently a "Banks Boulevard" in Lake County, MN.

McCoy, master of the unintentional ironic post...

Ha! I was thinking the same thing.

Even "Banks' Basket" would make more sense, for Pete's sake.

Anyone who thinks Morgan wasn't diminishing the accomplishment of a fellow HOFer is just being perverse. Morgan is kind of a dick, and this is just more evidence. That he was wrong is just the icing on the cake.

When I went to see to Cincy to see a game there was an ugly prostitute sitting outside the park pointing to an area in the lower part of her torso saying "Joe Morgan Boulevard."

As has been said a few times before, the basket was put in around 1970. Ernie's big years were earlier. They were not put in because of drunks running on the wall, the wall is still there, but to eliminate the possibility of someone reaching down and touching a ball in play. (Something not needed in New York.)

And, yes, Joe Morgan is a dick. Whatever happened to Moe Jorgan?

This is not the first time Morgan has talked about Banks hitting a bunch of cheapies. If this was an isolated incident, I could see the, woe is Joe Morgan sentiment, but he's been going on about this for as long as I can remember.

And, yes, Joe Morgan is a dick. Whatever happened to Moe Jorgan?

'Ernie Banks never should have written that book, that book known as "Banks Boulevard." It completely disrespects the memories of his teammates.'

Sorry, I don't know what happened to him either.

The transcript posted in #14 pretty clearly shows Morgan was NOT being complimentary, and that Epstein was NOT reaching for an implication that wasn't there. Morgan said the park was "pretty small" and that Bank's hit "a lot of balls into that basket." If the park is small and you're (supposedly) getting homeruns off balls that don't even make it as far as the wall, you're getting away with cheapies.

The notion that Morgan should get a pass on this because he's wrong so often seems a little off...would you fire the guy who makes 1 mistake a decade, but keep the guy who effs up every other minute? ["At least he's consistent!"]

What's Morgan got against Banks? Did Ernie convince the umps to play 2 on a day when Joe had a hot date?

The notion that Morgan should get a pass on this because he's wrong so often seems a little off...would you fire the guy who makes 1 mistake a decade, but keep the guy who effs up every other minute? ["At least he's consistent!"]

Have you ever read one of Joe's chats? He thinks consistency is the highest virtue a human being can possess. So yes, a consistent emphasis on consistency would be consistent here.

What's Morgan got against Banks?

and against Sandberg...

Doesn't like Cubbie Middle infielders?

The transcript posted in #14 pretty clearly shows Morgan was NOT being complimentary, and that Epstein was NOT reaching for an implication that wasn't there. Morgan said the park was "pretty small" and that Bank's hit "a lot of balls into that basket." If the park is small and you're (supposedly) getting homeruns off balls that don't even make it as far as the wall, you're getting away with cheapies.

Well, Wrigley Field is pretty small. Obviously the last line in #14 is wrong. Maybe it came off differently live, but it doesn't read as some enormous dig. Fact is that Banks did benefit from Wrigley Field, although not because of the baskets.

Anyway, having been a Cub fan since, whaddya know, 1970, I don't recall ever having heard them referred to as Banks Boulevard.

Ditto. This is like the third reference recently to some supposedly widely known Cubs related nickname from the 70's that I (born in 1963) have never heard of. What's next, a claim that Jack Brickhouse invented the phrase "Holy Cow!" or that Billy Williams was widely known as the "Iron Horse of Waveland"?

What's Morgan got against Banks?


and against Sandberg...

Doesn't like Cubbie Middle infielders?

The Reds influence dies hard.