Welcome, chat analysis enthusiasts! Things are heating up over at FremIns, so I'm covering for KT this week. Joe's not particularly crazy this session, but let's give him a once over anyway.

Joe Morgan: Welcome to the show, looking forward to chatting with you today!

Junior: Apparently, Joe is under the impression that this Internet chat is a "show" of some kind. Perhaps this is the only way his handlers can convince him to do something computer-related. How many handlers do you think work Joe through these chats? The best bet is only one, of course, but how fun is it to imagine twelve serious-faced business-suited gentlemen consulting with Joe on every answer?

Brent S. (fhr): Joe, are you surprised by mike hargroves desicion to resign?

Joe Morgan: Very much so. The team was playing well. If they were losing, I wouldn't be surprised, but his team had the best record in June. It's going to be tough for the team to keep going.

Junior: Good job, Joe! Answered the question immediately. Joe also believes it will be "tough for the team to keep going" without Hargrove. Remember that as this chat highlight package continues to roll.

Dave, Detroit (Granderson The Next Mays?): Hey Joe, Sports Talk Radio in Detroit were discussing All-Star Snubs when Curtis Granderson's name was discussed... He's 3rd in the AL in Slugging % and is on pace to do something that hasn't been done since Willie Mays which is Hit .300, 20 Doubles, 20 Triples, 20 Home Runs, and 20 Steals along with playing Gold Glove caliber defense... How's Granderson not an All-Star???

SportsNation Joe Morgan: A lot of the problems are created when you have to put one player from each team on the All-Star team. The two guys who were added, Carl Crawford and Alex Rios, kept Granderson and Sheffield off the team. Numbers are not what is important. He plays the game the right way, and we don't know he's going to set that record. I definitely think Granderson was an All-Star, but there were other guys left off as well, such as Sheffield. If you look at Granderson and Grady Sizemore's numbers, you wonder how Sizemore is there and Granderson is not. Remember the players vote for the reserves, and the players chose Sizemore over Granderson.

Junior: Long answer, there, Joseph! And quite terrible. Let's see if you can figure this out, Dave from Detroit:

Numbers are not what is important.

Get it, Dave? You shouldn't be upset.

If you look at Granderson and Grady Sizemore's numbers, you wonder how Sizemore is there and Granderson is not.

Except you really should be upset. Based on numbers.

He plays the game the right way,

And presumably, Alex Rios and Carl Crawford are assholes who disrespect the game. The other day I saw Rios make two plate appearances swinging a Fender Stratocaster instead of a bat. It was incredible. Fouled out both times.

Paddy (St. Louis, MO): Hey Joe, I love to hear you talk about hitting. How would you alter your approach to hitting if you were batting 8th as opposed to 2nd?

Joe Morgan: That's a good question. every place in the lineup has a job to do. Leadoff hitters are supposed to get on, second-place hitters need to move them along, third-place hitters should be the best overall, and so on. In the eighth spot, if you're in the National League, your job is to get on basre so the pitcher can bunt you over. The eight spot is one of the most difficult places to bat in the NL, because you need to deal with the pitcher after you. In the AL, your 8th hitter is just there to drive in runs and hit the ball out every once in a while, because the ninth-hitter is usually a second leadoff man.

Junior: Now look, I've never played professional baseball, or any baseball, or watched any baseball, or looked up baseball in the dictionary, but it seems like Joe is overdramatizing the differences between your hitting approach in each spot in the lineup. Batting order doesn't matter all that much, if at all, and your leadoff guy is only guaranteed to actually bat leadoff once in the game. The point that the eighth spot in the NL is difficult because the pitcher's batting behind you is valid, but really, in most situations the best thing to do is get on base. Moving the runner over while giving up an out is typically counterproductive if your goal is to score the maximum amount of runs.

But again, keep in mind that I believe a "baseball" is a species of North Atlantic salmon.

Hilal (Boston, MA): How much influence does a manager really have on a team? What ways are there to grade a manager's performance other than win-loss record (which is exceedingly dilute)? Thanks.

Joe Morgan: We have all the smart baseball people out here today! Another great question. A manager doesn't have as much effect on the team as you might think, but it's moreso now than when I played. You have to keep players pointing toward the same goal and keep everybody happy. In the old days, the player had to make the manager happy so he could play. Nowadays, the manager has to make the player happy, because he'll play anyways. The manager is more important today than ever before. He has more effect on winning and losing than when I came into the big leagues.

Junior: I really like the "manager doesn't have as much effect on the team as you might think" answer. Although if you'll recall from several inches higher in this chat recap, Joe also said "It's going to be tough for the team to keep going" about the Mariners in the wake of Mike Hargrove's departure. If you want to be charitable, you could argue that Joe was saying the Mariners were playing over their heads regardless of the Hargrove situation, but this website isn't here to be charitable. I'll leave the charity to the other organization I founded a while ago.

That's it for now, kids. I gotta go to a real, physical baseball game! Never been to one before -- I hope the number-generating machines defeat the other number-generating machines! Ha ha. Who am I kidding? All machines are equal in this robot's view.