Knobler: Bryce Harper is Hard to Hate

A lot of people hate on me for liking Bryce Harper so much. I was a little undecided on the guy until I read a book about his only amateur season. And then I wanted to immediately learn more about the guy. Then I saw him play. From his first big league at-bat, I saw that he wasn’t a fraud. I always believed in his ability, and then I decided that when you watch him play; this is the way every guy should play. I knew I was watching a player that would raise the stakes of veterans he called teammates with his grit and all-out hustle.

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports wrote an article today with some glowing quotes about Harper being hard to hate. Also, Danny Knobler looks mysteriously like my college coach. This is enough to scare the living shit out of anyone who played for the man when they read a Danny Knobler article.

Drew Storen, on Harper’s style of play:

“It’s not just eyewash,” Nationals reliever Drew Storen said. “It’s a Tuesday getaway day game. Every day, he brings it. He’s got fire.”

Torrii Hunter:

“Because he plays so hard, you think it’s fake,” Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter said. “It’s not. Watch him when he strikes out. It’s like, ‘urrhhhh.’ He hates it, even in spring training.

“I’ll bet you most of the veteran guys will tell you they respect the way he plays.”

Beloved Bobby Cox:

“You have to like him,” former Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “Every single, he’s thinking second right out of the box. If that makes them mad, they’re in the wrong business.

“Everybody should watch him play.”

Finally the Houston Astros new manager Bo Porter, who served as a coach of Harper’s last season in Washington:

“He’s determined to be one of the best players in the history of the game,” said Astros manager Bo Porter, who coached Harper with the Nationals last year. “The best guys have ‘it,’ and he has ‘it.’

So when people wonder why Harper gets so much run-time on this blog, why I’m a fan of Harper, why the love-fest is everlasting for the guy; don’t wonder. I wish every guy played like that and backed it up, even on getaway days.

I think Harper is legit not for just his ability, but he is the embodiment of how the game should be played. And we should all be a little more like Bryce Harper. Can you imagine if you hustled at your job like Harper does at his? And it’s important to remember that–it’s a job for Harper. Baseball is his job.

Let his play serve as a reminder that you can answer a few more e-mails or go the extra mile at your profession. If you do, you just might capture excellence; and the respect of your teammates.