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MILWAUKEE -- It always took a yearbook to track Nyjer Morgan¡¯s alter egos. The original was Tony Plush, whose confidence helped Morgan, an undersized outfielder from San Jose, Calif., who wasn¡¯t drafted until the 33rd round in 2002, make it for parts of seven seasons in the big leagues. But that was just the start.

There was Tony Gumbo, a play on sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, when Morgan needed to be buttoned up for TV. He conjured Tony Hush when tempers flared and a calming influence was called for. Tony Tombstone dressed in western wear for a Brewers trip to Houston. Tony Clutch was a moniker bestowed by 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 victory in 29 years. And there was Antonio Picante, just because.

Now there¡¯s a new man in the mind of Morgan: Coach Plush. Although, when reached by telephone last week, Coach Plush was busy.

¡°Can I call you right back?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m in Office Max right now.¡±

Who could have pictured Morgan, whose many personalities equally delighted fans and irritated opponents, printing flyers in an office supply store? But that¡¯s exactly where we found him as he begins to build Tony Plush¡¯s Elite Baseball, with the hope of impacting kids through the game that has given him so much.

Morgan is so serious about the venture that he even has a logo and a cartoon version of Tony Plush that he uses in marketing materials, and envisions someday appearing in a children¡¯s book. This Thanksgiving, Morgan¡¯s blessings are right at the front of his mind.

¡°I¡¯m not going to let the old man in,¡± said Morgan, 44. ¡°I wanted to figure out, what can I do for the inner [city] community? How can I be an ambassador? It¡¯s all positive, man.

¡°And it brought me back to this cartoon character, Tony Plush. I cannot just let this name kind of die off into the wind. These other guys are retired and want to go golfing, and I¡¯m like, ¡®Shoot, man, I can¡¯t do that.¡¯ I¡¯ve got too much energy."

In some ways, Morgan¡¯s story is common for professional athletes. He played parts of seven Major League seasons between 2007-14, then stretched his pro career through 2018 with stints in Korea, Mexico and Venezuela before the game told him it was time to go. Morgan shifted into a career in real estate, managing several properties in the Miami area as vacation rentals.

His family kept him busy -- his wife, Marcie, and two young children, son Niko and daughter Valentina. But as the years have gone by, he¡¯s felt a hole in his heart that baseball used to fill.

¡°I was mad at the game for a while,¡± Morgan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do. I was at a crossroad and I was upset at myself and my life was kind of in shambles, man. So I found Jesus and started going to church and I even took some anger management classes and then I thought, ¡®OK, what is it that I can do to give back to the community? Where is my calling?¡¯¡±

The answer came rather easily: Baseball.

¡°I can¡¯t get away from this game no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try,¡± Morgan said. ¡°I had this six-year hiatus, but with my son being in sports programs, the itch and that love came bouncing back stronger than ever.¡±

Now that Niko is 7 and Valentina is 4, Morgan spends a lot of time at the park with his kids, striking up conversations with other dads at the playground, or with coaches at baseball practice. Some of those connections led to volunteer opportunities. Morgan has met with the Coral Gables High School baseball team, and he¡¯s worked with the Howard Palmetto Baseball & Softball Association, which has been operating in South Florida since 1962 and has an association with the Marlins.

The Brewers, incidentally, have a similar connection to the Beckum Stapleton Little League in Milwaukee, whose founder, former Negro Leagues player James Beckum, passed away this month. Morgan took part in Brewers events with kids from that league, and now is coming full circle in Florida. He¡¯ll be in contact with the Brewers and MLB in the coming months to see where his venture can go.

¡°I really want to take this thing to the inner community, to people who really don¡¯t have a chance to play baseball,¡± Morgan said. ¡°I would love to find a facility where I can lock in and do this full time. I have my Airbnbs, but baseball is what I know. It¡¯s where my heart is, where my passion is. It took having a family for me to open my dad eyes and see everything with love, instead of the egotistical way you look at things as a baseball player, like, ¡®I¡¯m in The Show.¡¯ I think it just took some time away to realize my life calling.

¡°So, I¡¯m down for wherever this takes me. Miami, Milwaukee, wherever. I have my little mascot, Tony Plush, and he¡¯s for everybody. It¡¯s Coach Plush now.¡±