* And Rob Neyer's gonna getcha if ya don't watch out

I culled this entry from an article on Sportingnews.com about “The Biggest Liars in Sports History”:

9. JOE MORGAN
Joe’s Truth: ESPN’s top baseball talking head gave us some baseball history when he beat Philadelphia with a RBI single in his 1964 Major League Baseball debut. His hit (he told us) extended the Colt 45’s historic 10-game losing streak, wiping out their 6½-game lead in the season’s final 12 games. What a great start for a rookie!
Was It A Lie?: YES! Where do I begin with this one? Hmm, Let me just say that he didn’t record a single RBI in 1964. Let me just say that Joe Morgans rookie season was i n 1963 NOT 1964. And let me just say that Morgan’s 45’s didn’t even play the Phillys during that win streak! SCARY!

Three of the other top ten include Rafael Palmeiro’s appearance before Congress (#6), Pete Rose lying about his gambling on the Reds (#2), and Roger Clemens and his (non)use of PFDs in the No. 1 spot.

So, taking a page from Rob Neyer’s myth-busting book, I looked Morgan up.

According to Retrosheet, the second baseman made his debut for the Colt .45s on Sept. 21, 1963 (not 1964 as the writer says Morgan said.) The game was against the Phillies, so he was right there. However, he appeared as a pinch hitter in the third inning for pitcher Don Nottebart, who had given up seven hits and three runs in three innings. Morgan popped out to second baseman Tony Taylor after Houston catcher John Bateman’s lead-off single. So the SN writer was correct again. The .45s lost the game, 4-3. A simple few minutes on Retrosheet confirms that Morgan had it all wrong. To call him a “liar” might seem harsh, but you have to wonder since Morgan got it soooo wrong. Over the course of a long career, it’s understandable to mis-remember a pitcher or two, or a set of specific circumstances. But it’s difficult to believe anyone would forget their debut or misrepresent it so badly.