Joe Morgan of ESPN likes to say that the Wrigley Field basket was installed to give Ernie Banks cheap home runs. Statements like that have led Cub fans to really hate Joe (that and his campaign to keep Santo out of the Hall of Fame, and his disparaging remarks about Ryne Sandberg before he got in the Hall).

The truth is much different than Joe Morgan's alternate reality. It wasn't installed at Wrigley to help out the home run hitters—-the home run distance was shortened by a whopping three feet.

It was installed in 1970 to control the unruly fans in the bleachers, and prevent them from jumping onto the field. The Cubs also installed video cameras at the same time as a security precaution—-the first ballpark in the majors to do that.

The Bleacher Bums used to try to tightrope the walls -- and, depending on their alcohol consumption, had a tendency to fall...hard. The reason the baskets are still up is that they have been incredibly successful at achieving their main goal: keeping inebriated fans from falling onto the playing field.

Don't let it bother you, Joe Morgan, that Ernie retired in 1971--just one year after the basket was installed. Keep on saying he has a bunch of fake home runs.