Bryce Harper: Hilarious or Unsportsmanlike?

[deanemj]

So Bryce Harper hit a home run yesterday evening and blew a kiss to the pitcher. ESPN lost their mind and called him immature and a whole lot of other nonsense. I find him to be entertaining. He dropped out of high school and got a GED and yet he still was the first overall pick in last year's draft. Doesn't that give him the right to be a little arrogant?

Here's the article on ESPN.com: Bryce Harper of Washington Nationals blows kiss at opposing pitcher in minors - ESPN

Discuss.

[Nuff Said]

He's way too full of himself. He has to realize that he's not a superstar just yet.

[ry1220]

This:

“Just hit your home runs and hit 'em like you're used to hitting 'em, not like you're surprised when you hit one. ”
-- Mike Schmidt, on his advice
to Nationals prospect Bryce Harper

Also, it was Single A ball.

[RchW]

He'd be wearing a baseball where it hurt, if I had anything to do with it.

[David Watts]

Seems like a great way to get one of your teammates drilled.

[TGH-Adfabre]

Beer league softball at it's finest.

[Skipaway]

I think this is considered immature in the sense of not knowing the unwritten codes. In cliques there are often specific ways people would like you to behave, and they are scolding Harper for being a clueless new guy. These things usually don't make much sense if you just look by themselves. People in the clique consider it a form of respect.

[Cryomaniac]

I don't see a problem with it to be honest, yeah, maybe it's a bit disrespectful, but it's hardly the worst thing he could have done.

[Skipaway]

If you really think about it, the kind of behavior we should consider childish in this case are:

1. The pitcher who retaliated by aiming the ball at the hitter.

On Harper's next trip to the plate, with Hagerstown trailing 3-2 in the eighth, Greensboro relief pitcher Grant Dayton backed Harper off the plate with a high and inside first pitch.

2. People who believe it's OK to start a fight.

Asked what would happen if Harper had behaved in similar fashion in the majors, Schmidt said the benches would have likely cleared.
"I hate to bring this into it, but I would think at some point the game itself, the competition on the field, is going to have to figure out a way to police this young man," Schmidt said. "If indeed his manager won't, the game will end up taking care of it."

Why would grown man consider it justifiable to do dangerous things against others or start fights simply because he's being "showed up"? How childish is that? That's way more childish than not being able to contain one's emotion after doing something great.

Yes, Harper was being impolite and it'd be better if he's more modest. And yes he should have been more mature. However, people's reaction to him are worse.

Of course, when traditions are involved, things work in strange ways.

[Rizon]

9 out of 10 on the lameness scale.

[Carplos]

If pitchers don't want to be shown up by a dude way more talented than him, here's an idea: Get him out.

Until then, I hope he continues to embrace the villain. Pull down his pants and wag his junk at ****ty ass pitchers when he hits a HR.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Skipaway

If you really think about it, the kind of behavior we should consider childish in this case are:

1. The pitcher who retaliated by aiming the ball at the hitter.


2. People who believe it's OK to start a fight.


Why would grown man consider it justifiable to do dangerous things against others or start fights simply because he's being "showed up"? How childish is that? That's way more childish than not being able to contain one's emotion after doing something great.

Yes, Harper was being impolite and it'd be better if he's more modest. And yes he should have been more mature. However, people's reaction to him are worse.

Of course, when traditions are involved, things work in strange ways.

Wow! Just wondering, have you ever played baseball? Oh and please, never use impolite when discussing baseball ever again.

[Chicagofan76]

I like on the yahoo article mentions his Jeff Kent like mustache....as for the kiss to the pitcher, I dont mind it but I am sure he will be hit more often the rest of the season as a result.

Video: Bryce Harper hits home run, blows kiss to pitcher - Big League Stew - MLB*Blog - Yahoo! Sports

[CONN CHRIS]

I agree that the pitcher was immature. A more seasoned guy would have found the small of Harper's back.

Originally Posted by Skipaway

If you really think about it, the kind of behavior we should consider childish in this case are:

1. The pitcher who retaliated by aiming the ball at the hitter.


2. People who believe it's OK to start a fight.


Why would grown man consider it justifiable to do dangerous things against others or start fights simply because he's being "showed up"? How childish is that? That's way more childish than not being able to contain one's emotion after doing something great.

Yes, Harper was being impolite and it'd be better if he's more modest. And yes he should have been more mature. However, people's reaction to him are worse.

Of course, when traditions are involved, things work in strange ways.

[kevrock]

He needs to grow up. It was a bush league move, and he's going to get himself or his teammates thrown at. Further, now other teams will try to get under his skin knowing they'll get a reaction. Everything this kid does makes the news.

At the same time, I was super immature when I was that age. I can't imagine having everyone criticizing my every move on the baseball field when I was 18.

I hope Rizzo calls him and tells him his promotions will be tied not only to performance, but composure.

Note: I actually really like aspects of Harper's attitude. He plays the game hard, and just a couple weeks ago he was asked why he runs the bases so quickly after hitting a home run -- he answered that he didn't like to show opposing pitchers up. Then this. So, hopefully he'll be there in a couple of years. A class attitude with his skill set would be great to watch in DC.

[Faroo6]

I dunno. It almost looks like the pitcher said something to him the way he turned his head coming down the line. If that's the case then who cares. That wasn't that big of a deal. I was expecting him to kiss his hand and blow it at the pitcher the way this thread was going. And yes I have played baseball and did so through JuCo. I've also been the recipient of a bean ball after a teammate did something stupid. I don't condone his action there but I don't think it was that big of a deal.

[Goody]

Why?!? Disappointing.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Wow! Just wondering, have you ever played baseball? Oh and please, never use impolite when discussing baseball ever again.

Actually, it's not about if a person has played baseball or not. It's about if a person is well-versed on the specific unwritten rules of some groups of American baseball players.

It's pretty common for Asian players in the US or American players in Asia to get these kind of things totally wrong, even though they've been playing baseball since childhood. These kind of things are totally regional and, as I said, don't really make sense other than the fact that people choose to adhere to them.

Not that Harper is an Asian player, but I do think a lot of baseball "traditions" are simply stupid and I wouldn't mind if those things die out with older generations.

[Skipaway]

Lost In Translation by Robert Whiting - Japanese Baseball

Japanese also look askance at such long-standing American baseball customs as chewing tobacco and spitting it on the dugout floor-"disgusting" is how cleanliness-conscious Japanese players commonly describe it. They find confusing the myriad unwritten rules of behavior that major leaguers have concocted to protect their all-important pride: No bunting or stealing with a big lead is one; no crowd-pleasing fist in the air (gattsu pozu) is another. The Japanese cannot understand why opposing players took offense when outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo touched home plate with his hand after his first home run of spring training or why American players in the Hawaiian Winter League took exception to Kazuo Matsui's celebratory gestures when he played there in 1995. To fans in Japan, such behavior is reminiscent of that of former Seibu Lions star Koji Akiyama, who would do a cartwheel and a backflip whenever he hit a game-ending blast. Why is such conduct viewed in the majors as "showing up the opposition" and an invitation to reprisal in the form of a fastball to the ribs, when players get away with similar behavior in the NFL and the NBA? Then there is the puerile tendency of U.S. big leaguers to play practical jokes, like putting itching powder in a teammate's talcum container. This is simply not done in Japan, where wa (group harmony) is so important.

[hfield007]

he hit a homerun (not special) in single A (not special)...


Come talk to me when you do it for a pennant leading team in october off of a name pitcher Harper.. then blow all the kisses you want.