Bryce Harper disrespecting the "A"

[Squirrel]

Okay ... this thread has reached a point of 'Agree to disagree.'  Keep it respectful or warnings will be issued and the thread locked.  

[biggentleben]

Well, this got off topic.  Too bad.  But regardless I think we can safely agree that it added another page to a pretty good rivalry in baseball - something I feel is missing.  The A's just beat the Twins 12 straight times and I don't think anyone - either A's or Twins fans - felt much about it.  But had it been the White Sox, it would've been a lot worse/better. 

 

Rivalries, IMHO, make sports better and rivalries are born b/c of things like this - players disrespecting another team, bad comments in the press, controversial plays, important wins/losses.  Regardless of how you feel about Harper, he's added something big to this for the fans of those teams. 

 

I love the Braves/Nationals rivalry.  Great, young teams that should be beating up on one another for at least the next 3-5 years.  That's what makes a rivalry great.  The Braves and Mets had that in the late 90s, but those Mets teams were created through the almighty dollar and couldn't sustain.  I'm not so sure that will be an issue with the Nats/Braves.

[USAFChief]

I think in the old days, he would've gotten one in the ribs.  

 

Which is why, in the old days, he prolly doesn't pull a bush move like this.

 

YMMV.

[TheLeviathan]

I think in the old days, he would've gotten one in the ribs.  

 

Which is why, in the old days, he prolly doesn't pull a bush move like this.

 

YMMV.

 

Wouldn't decades of "getting one in the ribs" have long eliminated all these problems that seem to keep necessitating someone "getting one in the ribs" if your claim was true?

[twinsfan34]

I think if you get one in the ribs, you won't do it again. Would have to check if the any player got one in the ribs, did he also try the same act again.

 

I don't mind the Harper thing. If it riles you up to do better as a Braves player, all the more. If it gives some 'cohesive us vs them' to the Nationals, go for it.

 

I do find it funny though that if this is sort of 'a surprise' as Harper has tussled with a lot of people, including his manager (Matt Williams, and maybe Davey Johnson?) on occasions, including telling him how to set his lineup and who should play. He said Span should sit, ironically, Span has outplayed and outslugged Harper (Span's .412 to Harper's atrocious .363 SLG%).

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2014/06/30/bryce-harper-says-matt-williams-should-keep-ryan-zimmerman-in-left-field/

 

I kind of wonder if Harper wouldn't be better off spending some time at AAA, for development. Maybe he's just hurt. But then again, either way...he does already have 1322 PA and is a .268/.350/.460 in those MLB PAs. So he's still a good player, but definitely seems to be falling short of the annually predicted 40+ HR seasons he was to have and that he'd likely be better than Mike Trout.

[DaveW]

I like it, its harmless and is a fun way to mess with your big rival. I'd take 20 Bryce Harper types on my team any day, can he act a bit like a punk at times? I guess he can come off like that, but the guy plays 110% all the time (just see the videos of him taking extra bases due to hustle that no other player would even attempt) if the byproduct is that once in a while he does a "clown" move, give me that trade off any day. Regardless I think people are making way to big a deal over what he did, it's not like he stopped at the A, spit on it etc, it was subtle trolling. Good job on him.

[kab21]

I kind of wonder if Harper wouldn't be better off spending some time at AAA, for development. Maybe he's just hurt. But then again, either way...he does already have 1322 PA and is a .268/.350/.460 in those MLB PAs. So he's still a good player, but definitely seems to be falling short of the annually predicted 40+ HR seasons he was to have and that he'd likely be better than Mike Trout.

Harper is having a poor season this year.  Something is clearly off but let's not forget that he's still just 21.  A lot of top prospects are still in AA ball at that age.  For example Buxton is one year younger than him and just made it to AA.  Taveras is a couple of months older.  Baez a month younger.  The point is that I wouldn't discount 30-40 HR seasons just because he is struggling at age 21 during an injury plagued year.

 

Perhaps I should be trading for him this offseason in fantasy.

[Paul Pleiss]

To paraphrase noted patriot, and Atlanta Braves fan, Patrick Henry who was calling for Bryce's head "Give me Bryce Harper, or give me death."

[Mike Sixel]

I am all over Levi's comments.....violence in the face of non-violence is what is killing this planet and its people. 

[gunnarthor]

I am all over Levi's comments.....violence in the face of non-violence is what is killing this planet and its people. 

 

I assume you and Levi will be as strong in your anti-violence campaign when you see football players hit after the whistle and hockey players drop gloves and fight.  I mean, those things have actually caused real injuries as opposed to the dreaded baseball HBP.

[Mike Sixel]

Hockey players fighting is the dumb. Yes, I rip that all the time. About the definition of barbaric and immature, imo.

 

Football players being hit after a play is over is penalized, properly. The small difference there is that hitting is part of the game, and sometimes it happens in the course of the game. One of the happiest days of my life was when my youngest son quit football.......

[TheLeviathan]

I assume you and Levi will be as strong in your anti-violence campaign when you see football players hit after the whistle and hockey players drop gloves and fight.  I mean, those things have actually caused real injuries as opposed to the dreaded baseball HBP.

I think the "let the players police themselves" nonsense is stupid regardless of sport. It does nothing to cut down buffoonery or disrespect and only indulges the worst offenders. So that goes for hockey fighting or targeting players for sure. It does not, however, count normal physical play that extends beyond whistles in football or hockey.

 

Those sports are very different from baseball and those actions are penalized when they go beyond typical physicality. When those sports indulge in similar behavior (bounties on injuries, fighting, etc) as baseball does I'm 100% consistent in my dislike.

 

I assume you are then cheering the goons of the sports world as you are here?

[gunnarthor]

And here's Jason Turbow's short article on Harper/Atlanta.  http://thebaseballcodes.com/2014/08/11/scuff-the-dirt-bryce-but-make-sure-to-watch-where-you-walk/

 

He gets it right when he says "Ultimately, the gesture was so minor that it should serve as fuel for Braves fans, but not the Braves themselves."  Looks like the fans (here and in Atlanta) cared a lot more about it than the players.