This story was taken from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here. AND subscribe to receive them regularly in your inbox.
MILWAUKEE: Tracking down Nyjer Morgan’s alter ego has always occupied an entire year. The original was Tony Plush, whose confidence helped Morgan, an undersized outfielder from San Jose, California who was drafted only in the 33rd round of the 2002 draft, survive parts of seven seasons in the huge leagues. But that was just the beginning.
There was Tony Gumbo, the play of sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, when Morgan had to be buttoned up in front of the television. He invoked Tony Hush when tempers flared and a calming influence was needed. Tony Tombstone dressed in Western attire during the Brewers’ trip to Houston. Tony Clutch was the nickname given to Ryan Braun after Morgan’s base hit in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the 2011 NL Division Series gave the Brewers their first postseason series win in 29 years. And there was Antonio Picante, just like that.
Now there’s a recent man in Morgan’s mind: Coach Plush. Although Coach Plush was busy last week.
“Can I call you right away?” he said. “I’m on Office Max now.”
Who could have imagined Morgan, whose multiple personalities delighted fans and irritated detractors in equal measure, printing out flyers at an office supply store? But that’s where we found him, as he began building Tony Plush’s Elite Baseball, hoping to make an impact on kids through the game that had given him so much.
Morgan takes this endeavor so seriously that he even has a logo and a cartoon version of Tony Plush that he uses in marketing materials and also hopes to one day appear in a children’s book. On Thanksgiving Day, Morgan’s blessings are right in front of his mind.
“I won’t let the old man in,” said Morgan (44). “I wanted to find out what I could do for the inner one [city] community? How can I become an ambassador? It’s all positive, man.
“And that brought me back to this cartoon character, Tony Plush. I can’t let that name die in the wind. These other guys are retired and want to play golf, and I’m like, “Shoot, man, I can’t do it.” I have too much energy.”
In some ways, Morgan’s story is typical of professional athletes. He played a few seasons in the Major League from 2007 to 2014, then extended his professional career through 2018, playing in Korea, Mexico and Venezuela before the game told him it was time to go. Morgan began his career in real estate, managing several properties in the Miami area as vacation rentals.
The family was occupied with it – wife Marcie and two miniature children, son Niko and daughter Valentina. However, as the years passed, he felt a void in his heart that was filled by baseball.
“I was mad at this game for a while,” Morgan said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was at a crossroads and I was mad at myself and my life was falling apart, man. So I found Jesus and started going to church and even took some anger management classes and then I thought, “OK, what can I do to give back to the community?” Where is my calling?”
The answer came easily enough: baseball.
“I can’t escape this game, no matter what I do or how hard I try,” Morgan said. “I took a six-year break, but when my son participated in sports programs, the itch and the love came back stronger than ever.”
Now that Niko is 7 and Valentina is 4, Morgan spends a lot of time with her children at the park, striking up conversations with other dads on the playground or with coaches at baseball practice. Some of these contacts led to volunteer opportunities. Morgan met with the Coral Gables High School baseball team and worked with the Howard Palmetto Baseball & Softball Association, which has been in South Florida since 1962 and is affiliated with the Marlins.
The Brewers, incidentally, have similar ties to the Beckum Stapleton Little League in Milwaukee, whose founder, former Negro Leagues player James Beckum, died this month. Morgan has been involved in Brewers events with kids in the league, and now he’s coming full circle to Florida. He will be reaching out to the Brewers and MLB in the coming months to see where his venture might go.
“I really want to take this issue to the internal community, to people who don’t really get a chance to play baseball,” Morgan said. “I would like to find a facility where I could lock myself in and do this full time. I have my Airbnbs, but I know baseball. Here is my heart, there is my passion. I needed my family to open my dad’s eyes and look at everything with love and not the selfish way you look at everything as a baseball player, like, “I’m in the program.” I think it took me a while to realize my calling in life.
“So I’m ready for wherever it takes me. Miami, Milwaukee, wherever. I have my little mascot, Tony Plush, and he is for everyone. It’s now Coach Plush.
