1) there is an unwritten rule about not stealing in that situation
2) Morgan was stealing specifically to break that rule
3) Morgan wasn't breaking the rule as any sort of protest that the rule was stupid; he was doing it to be a jackass because he got drilled

Look, you can't drill someone and expect them to just take it, and you can't expect to throw behind someone and expect them to just accept it. What'd you expect him to do? "Aww, shucks, you were right and I was wrong, and I'll just take my base like a good little boy"? I understand that these unwritten rules are terribly precious to some people, but the Marlins already drilled him once and still felt the need to throw behind him, so maybe Morgan's not the only one who has trouble letting things go.

Real current and former MLB players disagree with you.

And of course, other real current and former MLB players disagree with you. Sort of like the A-Rod invasion of Dallas Braden's mound. Interestingly, that unwritten rule has been broken by several other players this season with nary a peep from the peanut gallery. I'm quite confident that in a couple of weeks someone else will steal second and third when his team is trailing by a bunch and we won't have a thread about it.

Anyway, as has been pointed out, Morgan took the first plunking like a man and quietly walked down to first base. The stolen bases were not an act of provocation, they were an act of revenge. If the Marlins are going to decide that the right way to put this guy in his place is to put him on first base, then they don't have a right to make a new federal case of it when he decides to show them that putting him on first means putting him on third.

I don't agree that there is a distinction. The idea -- that it is uncool to steal bases when you're up by a great amount of runs -- is based on the understanding that the game is effectively over. De facto, not de jure. Well, it is the same thing when you are down by a great amount of runs -- that the game is effectively over.

To paraphrase Jim Riggleman, it's up to the Nationals to decide when the game is effectively over. As a paying customer, I'm not sure why I would admire the cited practices in other sports.

I've got a bridge to sell anyone who thinks Morgan stealing 2 bases was him trying to help his team catch up.

As long as the act of steealing bases itself was fine - and it was - I couldn't possibly care less what was going through Morgan's head. Whether was was stealing bases to try to come back, to show up the other team, to impress the blonde in the third row, to feed his ego, for his next contract or whatever, just doesn't make any difference at all.

Why does the first baseman get to run over and hit Morgan? He appeared to be quite a bit smaller than the pitcher who threw behind him.If he wants to take on the pitcher for throwing at him, it has nothing to do with the first base guy.Fine/suspension?

It would be interesting if the rule was that any player who interfered with a fight was fined and/or suspended. In a pitcher-batter confrontation, the batter who runs after the pitcher really has to take on the whole team until his guys run out of the dugout. It can be fun to watch but I imagine guys get hurt (see Cincinnati Reds pitcher/ kicker).

i can't believe that ANY ML baseball player would actually say with a straight face that if your team is down by 10 runs in the top of the 4th that you shouldn't bother to do anything you can to win.

it is TOTALLY little league to basically forfeit the game. IN THE FOURTH EFFING INNING!!!!

maybe the nationals shoulda just like stood there and not swung the bat to just get the game over even faster, right?
what (explecative dee-leeted)

and yeh, the marlins had a good reason for plunking morgan the FIRST time
and maybe they think he should have also stood off 1B and not moved so that the pitcher could pick him off too, right? or cried crocodile tears and "apologised"

morgan is a really small man for a baseball player and is damm lucky that he didn't get his head broke clean off when gaby sanchez hit him in the neck - what, gaby thinks that volstead, a man who is a foot taller and 100 lbs heavier than his "attacker" can't take care of himself? nyjer morgan "punching" volstead looked like a 6 year old trying to punch out any ordinary size adult man. and nyjer is DAMM lucky he even survived being at the bottom of that pile of a dozen huge men all trying to hurt him badly

and so much for nyjer being (giggle) 6' tall - i TOLD youse guys that teams LIE about players' real height/weight