Bryce Harper | Larry Brown Sports

Daniel Murphy made incredible between-the-legs throw to rob Bryce Harper (Video)

March 24, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy returned to spring training action on Sunday after missing the last week with a minor calf injury. The 28-year-old must have been feeling pretty healthy, because he made one of the best defensive plays you will see all season.

With the game tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning, Bryce Harper tried to bunt for a base hit. He placed the ball perfectly between first base and the pitcher’s mound where only Murphy had a play on it, and it looked like Harper was going to beat the throw with ease. Instead, Murphy threw the ball between his legs on the run and got Harper at first.

“It was a really good bunt by Bryce,” Murphy told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “I just felt like it was the only way I could get it over to first from the angle I was going to have to take. I could probably do it another 15 times, and throw all 15 of them in the fourth row of the stands.”

Murphy added that he had only attempted a throw like that before while messing around in practice. I think Bryce Harper’s “WOW” reaction said it all. Between Murphy’s throw and Josh Reddick’s home-run robbing catches last month, we have seem some truly jaw-dropping plays in games that don’t count this year.

Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, web gems

Bryce Harper explains why his upper body is so jacked

March 11, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

Bryce Harper showed up to Washington Nationals spring training this year looking like he spent all of his free time bench pressing during the offseason. Harper, who hit 42 home runs during his first two seasons in the majors, is looking jacked. The 21-year-old provided a logical explanation for his bulkiness.

For starters, Harper is a workout freak. He gets up before 5:00 a.m. to begin training for the day and said he spends hours each day lifting weights in the gym. On Tuesday, Harper told 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier why he is looking so top-heavy. It has to do with his knee surgery.

“I didn’t really have a lower body for two months,” Harper said. “It was like I was in a wheelchair trying to just do the upper body. So I’d go to the gym and only be able to work my upper body. I’d get bored during the day, go to the gym. That’s what I like to do, I like to lift. I work my ever-loving tail off in the gym.”

Harper has trouble keeping his weight on during the season, so he has to make sure he comes into April as filled out as possible.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Baseball, Viral Greatness Tagged With: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper wonders if Robinson Cano will wear Ken Griffey Jr.’s No. 24

December 6, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Robinson Cano has worn No. 24 throughout his last nine seasons of smashing the cover off the ball with the New York Yankees. On Friday, Cano signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. Now, it will be interesting to see if the slugger wears No. 24 in 2014. Why? Because some guy named Ken Griffey Jr. wore it for 11 incredible seasons in the 1990s with Seattle.

Shortly after Cano reportedly signed his massive deal with the Mariners, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper was one of the first people to address the No. 24 issue. He deleted his first tweet, but not before it was retweeted:

THATS A CLOWN QUESTION BRO! RT @Bharper3407: Biggest question is Cano going to be able to wear #24? Congrats to him! He deserves it! #M's

— Levi like the jeans (@Levi_V24) December 6, 2013

I think 24 should be retired in Seattle no doubt about it! #TheKid

— Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) December 6, 2013

I agree with Harper. If Cano wants to arrive in Seattle with class, he won’t even allow there to be a debate. He should just pick another number and start a new legacy with his new team.

Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Bryce Harper, Ken Griffey Jr., Robinson Cano

Bryce Harper accidentally tweets picture wearing Nike shorts, replaces it with Under Armour

November 9, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Bryce Harper is a proud endorser of Under Armour. The Washington Nationals phenom is one of the most important athletes the sports apparel company has on its roster. Earlier this week, Harper accidentally betrayed them.

On Thursday, Harper posted a photo on Twitter to show his followers that he has successful undergone knee surgery to repair a bursa sac and is back to exercising. He originally posted the photo you see above of himself riding an exercise bike, but then deleted it. Fortunately, DC Sports Bog was able to capture the tweet first. Can anyone guess why Harper deleted it?

The Under Armour man accidentally showed his 350,000-plus followers that he was working out in Nike shorts. Tisk, tisk. Harper later posted another photo of him on the exercise bike, this time proudly wearing Under Armour shorts and a hoodie.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Baseball, Sports Business, Viral Greatness Tagged With: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper on his religious beliefs: ‘I’m not going to be Mr. Tim Tebow’

September 27, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

We all know that Tim Tebow is a very, very religious man. He has always gone out of his way to spread the Christian faith and thank God for all the good that has happened in his life. Less people know about Bryce Harper’s religious faith, although he takes it just as seriously.

Harper is a devout Mormon. He writes “Luke 1:37″ on every autograph he signs, which is a bible verse that reads, “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” According to The Washington Times, Harper also attended seminary classes at 5 a.m. every weekday during high school. However, he said he tries not to share his religious beliefs with anyone unless they ask.

“If somebody asks me about it, I’ll tell them about it, but I’m not going to be Mr. Tim Tebow,” he said, noting that he meant no offense toward Tebow.

Other religious NFL players have accused Tebow of talking about his faith too much. Unlike other Mormons, Harper decided not to go on a Mormon mission but instead pursue a career in professional baseball. He said that decision was driven by his mother’s advice.

“My mom always told me, ‘You can touch a lot more lives playing baseball and doing good things than you would on a mission,’” Harper said. “It’s very true. Shoot, I’ll tweet about God and get 1,500 retweets and it’s like, that just went to 1,500 people or more.

“I’m going to try to be the best person I can off the field [and promote my faith that way]. What I say is, ‘I try to be the best walking Book of Mormon as I can.’”

Instead of preaching, Harper simply turns reporters into a punchline if they ask a “clown” question about him doing something that would go against his religious beliefs. As they say, to each his own.

Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Bryce Harper, Tim Tebow

Bryce Harper admits body has hurt since slamming into wall

September 6, 2013 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Bryce Harper has been battling injuries for most of the season and even said he might need knee surgery in the coming months. He missed about five weeks with a knee injury, and he’s missed some time lately with a hip injury. Harper told CSN Washington in an interview that he traces a lot of his health problems back to when he slammed into the right field wall at Dodger Stadium on May 13.

“Ever since I hit the wall, pretty much every day I feel something different,” Harper told CSN Washington. “When something else feels better, the next thing hurts. It’s pretty much just the left side of my whole body. That’s the only thing that hurts me, really. Everything on the right side of my body feels great. If the right side of my body felt like the left side of my body, I’d probably be screwed.”

There was a huge debate about the way Harper plays the game following that play. Harper left the game after bloodying his face, but no major injuries were reported. He missed the Nationals’ next game and pinch hit in the following game before returning to the lineup regularly.

Harper was unapologetic for knocking himself out of the game on the play, while the world’s most notorious hustler said Harper played the game “recklessly.”

Harper later admitted he was scared to crash into a wall again. After hearing his recent comments, maybe now we know that he is scared of that because he wants to preserve his long-term health.

Harper is batting .275/.378/.507 this season. He’s played in 100 games this season and will end up seeing less action this year than last despite not opening the season with the club.

via DC Sports Bog

Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper loses track of outs, starts jogging toward dugout (Video)

September 4, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper had a brain fart on Tuesday night that his teammates won’t soon let him forget. In the bottom of the eighth with the Nats leading 8-6, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder John Mayberry Jr. flew out to left for the second out of the inning. And Harper started jogging toward the dugout.

Harper clearly thought he had secured the third out before quickly realizing no one else was moving and trying to play it off. Unfortunately for him, everyone from the fans in attendance to his teammates noticed. Fellow outfielders Denard Span and Jayson Werth covered their mouths with their gloves and burst out laughing.

The good news is there were no runners on base, so Harper’s mental lapse didn’t cost the team. Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro probably wishes he could have said the same a few weeks back.

Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: Bryce Harper