SportsCrack Blog

Monday, September 28, 2015

Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon Show Their Natitudes By Getting Into Dugout Fight



It was just a matter of time before things boiled over for the 2015 Preseason World Series Champs. Displaying their "Natitude" teammates Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon got into a heated argument and then fight after Papelbon bitched about Harper not running hard to first base on a lazy fly ball to left field. It's not uncommon to see a star player dog it to first on a routine out but it's definitely not the norm for the "closer" to challenge the star player on his hustle. Papelbon rubbed a bunch of his teammates wrong last week when he plunked Manny Machado near his head after Machado went yard earlier in the game. Harper was one of the more vocal teammates to say he would be the target for retaliation for a brush back because of Papelbon being an idiot. Clearly the Washington Nationals are a giant clusterfuck this season. They were picked by everybody to win the NL East. They won't even make the playoffs. Manager Matt Williams is dead man walking and he even let Papelbon pitch after getting in the fight yesterday claiming he "didn't see it." Harper is the 22-year-old superstar who has played like a MVP this year but tends to rub some people the wrong way by his brashness. If the Nats are smart they can Williams today and release Papelbon. While Harper may not hustle all the time it's still no excuse for a teammate to go after your throat in the dugout. You handle that shit behind closed doors. Now it's up to the Nationals management to clean up the mess.