“One of the coolest memories of my baseball career happened at Spring Training in ’18,” Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart wrote on Twitter. “I asked him to sign a bat for me. He had a ‘Joe’ model and unprompted he signed it ‘from one gold glover to another.’ He always made you smile and his wealth of knowledge was incredible. RIP!”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also paid tribute to Morgan on Twitter.
“Fran and I, along with our children, extend our deepest sympathy to the family of Joe Morgan — the greatest second baseman of all time, a great base runner and hitter, and a gracious and genuinely nice person,” DeWine wrote. “He was a player who mastered every detail of the game. We saw him play many times with our older children: Pat, Jill, Becky, and John. It was a thrill to watch him! To Brian, Alice, Mark, and Anna, he was the voice of Sunday night baseball, when later he was an announcer. He had a unique ability to explain what was happening on the field to the average fan. He was a master at explaining the “why” of baseball. In both business and charity, even after his playing days were over, he continued to be involved in the Cincinnati-area community.”
Here’s what more players, fans and media members had to say on Twitter:
Love you joe. You meant a lot to me. You’ve done so much for me throughout my career. RIP Joe https://t.co/vgpJRDChcL
— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) October 12, 2020
Extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Joe. He was such a wonderful man to be around and brought such a joy to our clubhouse. I’ll forever cherish our conversations! RIP to the greatest 2nd baseman of all time. Praying for the Morgan’s and all of the @Reds organization. 🙏🏻
— Tucker Barnhart (@Tucker_Barnhart) October 12, 2020
RIP to an absolute legend. It was an honor to get to know you and talk baseball with you! You will be missed! https://t.co/FU57VfaFVf
— Brandon Finnegan (@bfinny29) October 12, 2020
RIP HOFer Joe Morgan!!! Always kind, always pleasant. Gonna miss you in Cooperstown! Man, imagine the convo in heaven today tween Gibby, Whitey and Joe.
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) October 12, 2020
So sorry to hear the news of the passing of one of my beloved heroes Joe Morgan. He was one of the most clutch hitters I have ever seen. We all use to imitate his “flipper” swing that was so epic in its time.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 12, 2020
The little engine to The Big Red Machine.
RIP Joe #8 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/jfzdJUMYvN
RIP Joe Morgan. Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Whitey Ford and now Joe. The loss of each is absolutely crushing.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 12, 2020
The Reds' blockbuster trade for Joe Morgan was one of the greatest in the sport's history. In eight years with Cincinnati, he had an Adjusted OPS+ of 147 - a .415 OBP, 816 runs, 406 SB, 2 MVP Awards, 5 Gold Glove Awards. What an amazing player he was.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 12, 2020
Our faces say it all.... pic.twitter.com/oC4BMs2K7t
— Taylor Trammell (@Taytram24) October 12, 2020
2020 continues to suck.
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) October 12, 2020
Hall of Famer Joe Morgan has passed away at age 77.
One of my first idols in sports.
Rest, Joe. Rest, sir.💔 pic.twitter.com/sHQq7tXE6B
I truly have no words to express the sorrow Jeannine & I have of the news that our friend Joe has passed away. Our thoughts are with Teresa and the kids. #RIP You are Missed! The best 2nd basemen in my opinion period! @MLB @Reds #JoeMorgan #TheGreatEight @espn
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) October 12, 2020
@MLB @baseballhall SIMPLY THE BEST pic.twitter.com/KoR9J7oFnp
— Johnny Bench (@JohnnyBench_5) October 12, 2020
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