At the risk of alienating myself from my audience, I have something to admit…
I don’t actually hate Bryce Harper.
I know it’s hard to show love to any player who has spent their entire adult life trying to destroy my favorite baseball team, but I’ve been practicing Metta…so consider this my act of loving-kindness for the week.
Bryce seems like a likable guy, which in itself is quite a remarkable feat considering he’s been in the baseball spotlight since he was 16-years-old. I think the way that he has endeared himself to the Philly fanbase (who I actually do hate) is admirable. When you sign a guy to a long-term deal, you hope they become part of the community in the way that Bryce has. I absolutely despise the Phillie Phanatic and think he should be put on trial for his various crimes against humanity, but Harper’s relationship with this weirdo is…fun (ugh, shoot me).All commendation aside, perhaps the biggest reason why I don’t hate Bryce is because he doesn’t scare me the way Met Killers do.
Recent(ish) Mets Killers1:
Chipper Jones (245 games): .309, 265 hits, 49 homers, 159 RBI
Freddie Freeman (214 games): .302, 240 hits, 31 home runs, 131 RBI
Chase Utley2 (194 games): .281, 197 hits, 39 home runs, 116 RBI
Christian Yelich (112 games): .280, 122 hits, 14 homers, 58 RBI
Jon Berti (48 Games): .288, 49 hits, 2 homers, 6 RBIs
Paul DeJong (33 games): .308, 40 hits, 11 home runs, 19 RBI
Bryce Harper (192 games): .261, 180 hits, 39 home runs, 113 RBI
Bryce’s career numbers against the Mets are GOOD, but I don’t think he’s on the Mount Rushmore of Met Killers. I know I’m tempting fate here, but I’d probably hate Harper more if he was better against the Mets…or if he actually tried to kill a New York Mets player like Chase Utley3 did.
Last week during the Mets-Phillies series at Citi Field, Bryce Harper was seen wearing spikes and batting gloves in the New York Mets’ colorway. Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t a sign of Harper’s waning allegiances. After all, he’s in the middle of a 13-year/$330 million dollar contract that will keep him in Philly until the age of 38.
The orange and blue cleats and batting gloves are part of the Rivalry Series, which Harper teased way back in May in an interview with Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Rivalry Series consists of sets of Under Armor spikes and batting gloves that Bryce will wear when the Phillies visit NL East opponents during the last few months of the season.
The Three Line set of kicks and gloves are primarily black with patches of blue and orange accents. I always preferred New Balance (Shouts out to our Big Beautiful Shortstop Francisco Lindor) to Under Armor during my playing days, but these are some really nice looking spikes.
Fans of the Mets and Phillies have plenty to be divided over, but they seem more or less united in how they feel about the Rivalry Series gear. Mets fans are against an opponent wearing their colors at Citi Field, while Philly fans don't want to see their superstar wearing opponent colors anywhere.Personally, I think this is a really cool idea. Of the 4 major American sports, Major League Baseball leaves the least room for player personalities to shine. If Bryce wants to pay tribute to division rivals or rile division fans up or whatever the motivation is here, good for him. The only thing I ask is that he leaves those repugnant Phillie Phanatic cleats at Citizens Bank Park.
My only gripe with The Three Line themed set is the name. Obviously, The Three Line incorporates Harper’s jersey number while paying tribute to the 7 Line, the subway line that brings fans out to Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. The issue is the 3 Line is a real subway line that runs from Harlem, through Midtown, and out to Brooklyn, stopping exactly NOWHERE near Queens. Having said that, we can’t really blame a guy who has played his entire career in D.C. and Philly to understand the intricacies of the New York City subway system.
