Author Topic: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up  (Read 11629 times)

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Offline Kevrock

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #150: August 30, 2012, 08:39:18 AM »
When I was 19, I was not slamming batting helmets down after hitting in to a double play. I wasn't destroying helmets in the dugout. I didn't smash a bat in to the wall only to have the splinters injury me. I learned how to control my anger and vent in an acceptable manner at an acceptable time. Bryce has not.

Passion is fine. Letting it completely control you is not.

Were you playing highly competitive professional baseball at 19?


I swear certain posters here would defend any Nats player killing an ump just because they have an intense hatred for umps. Have the Nats ever lost a legit non-umps aided game before?

I'm on the fence about whether he should have been tossed. He is a target for umpires as he is a target for opposing teams, fans, and the media. He definitely pushed his luck and got rung for it.

But stop acting like it wasn't a questionable call.

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #151: August 30, 2012, 08:51:00 AM »
I swear certain posters here would defend any Nats player killing an ump just because they have an intense hatred for umps. Have the Nats ever lost a legit non-umps aided game before?

I despise showboating umps, but it's still not an excuse for behaving like a child. And for everyone talking about what should be expected of a 19 year old, remember that this is in the context of employment, and behaving to certain standards is a reasonable expectation of any employee at any age

Offline blue911

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #152: August 30, 2012, 08:51:54 AM »
Acting like an ass is a time honored baseball tradition. George Brett was a notorious "red ass". As were Kevin Brown,Paul O'Neil,Kevin Youkilis, Hal McRae, Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox and the list goes on and on. There is a huge difference between acting like a jerk on the field/dugout/locker room and acting like an ass in real life.

Harper, like most of us, doesn't carry the jerk-off mentality into his off field behavior. So he is exactly like all of the other "adult" members of society.

Offline mitlen

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #153: August 30, 2012, 08:55:06 AM »
When I was 19/20, I was playing video games and yelling at those little freakers on Modern Warfare 2

I was avoiding the draft.   :)

Offline WhiteWhale

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #154: August 30, 2012, 08:59:08 AM »
Acting like an ass is a time honored baseball tradition. George Brett was a notorious "red ass". As were Kevin Brown,Paul O'Neil,Kevin Youkilis, Hal McRae, Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox and the list goes on and on. There is a huge difference between acting like a jerk on the field/dugout/locker room and acting like an ass in real life.

Harper, like most of us, doesn't carry the jerk-off mentality into his off field behavior. So he is exactly like all of the other "adult" members of society.

While I'd like him to tone it down as a personal preference, The above is entirely accurate. He HAS SHOWN that he is different from anthem to fireworks than he is the rest of the time. Until he pushes a camera man on a sidewalk, gets in a teamates face in the club house, or his on field behavior morphs from passion to vulgarity like spitting on the ump, we may have a red ass we can respect, not one we can't

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #155: August 30, 2012, 09:30:19 AM »
I'm surprised no one else has put it this bluntly, but I'm glad Buckner tossed him.  I hope he gets tossed in a few games we have in hand over the next month.  anything that could remotely be seen as directed at an ump over the next month should get him tossed (again, when we have a big lead).  It is one of the things you have to learn, and I'd rather have it now than in the playoffs. 

As far as Youk / O'Neil etc... types go, I get more pissed at the grimacing and stepping out, looking away, showing up the ump that hitters do now than I do at a guy who takes out the occasional water cooler or tosses a helmet BACK TOWARDS THE DUGOUT.  There's a huge difference between that and breaking multiple bats slamming them down at home plate after a K (thankfully, he does not do that after called third strikes).  Toss a helmet at the foot of an ump and you get run.  Period.  Even the notorious hard edge guys did not do that.

He has a rep as a hot head.  That's OK, but you have to know that you are being watched and steer clear of doing anything directed at the umps.

Offline Smithian

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #156: August 30, 2012, 09:40:01 AM »
He's 19 our expectations have been unrealistic.. just let the kid play and grow while the team wins.

Hw will develop and prosper in the next 18 months

You are lumping this to JUST 19 year old baseball players.  I think you have some unrealistic expectations of late teenagers but that is just my own opinion.  I'm 24 now and I realize what 19 meant to me.  From my experience, myself and others at 19 were going off to college and getting away from home for the first time.  No parents.  No rules.  I sure as hell thought I was still invincible from high school were nothing could hold me back and hadn't experienced the real world at all.  I had friends that acted way worse than Bryce and have settled in quite nicely and mellowed out.  Emotions are something we learn to deal with over time so I wouldn't be so pessimistic and short sighted on Harper.
I'll add this to the Bryce maturity argument;

I watch a lot of SEC baseball. SEC baseball is high quality, the stands often are full, and there is definite pressure. Lots of freshman have laced up on SEC teams past few years, and I'm pretty sure no coaches would put up with half of Bryce's antics.

I like him, but you can tell his high school and JUCO coaches never drew a line in the sand with him. I hope that Zimmerman or Davey Johnson has a sit down with him and tells him to chill out. You can play hard and go 100% while not breaking bats every strikeout, throwing your helmet down, and throwing tantrums in the tunnel.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #157: August 30, 2012, 09:55:29 AM »
I don't want to say what he really needs is a girlfriend, but what he really needs is a girlfriend. :)

Offline mitlen

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #158: August 30, 2012, 10:00:15 AM »
I'll paraphrase John Thompson (again) about athletes in general,  "Ever since he was 6 years people found he could hit a baseball and be a meal ticket, no one ever told him to shut up and sit down."

"Meal ticket" can mean a ride along the winning lines that Smithian refers to in his comments above or even the financial "meal ticket" of some friends and maybe family.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #159: August 30, 2012, 10:06:04 AM »
Never said anything to the contrary. We're not talking about any of his talents or skills. We're talking about his inability to handle failure with even a bit of maturity and udnerstanding. You simply can't go busting up things in the clubhouse because you struck out.

I'd rather see him show anger and frustration from not getting the job done rather than just accepting it meekly. That said, he should tone it down a bit, but he is who he is. Get used to it.

Offline The Chief

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #160: August 30, 2012, 10:17:12 AM »
RABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLERAB BLE!!!!

Some people need to make an appointment with their proctologist.  Not every player can be Ryan Zimmerman or Manny Acta.  Some human beings get angry and show their emotions.  What Bryce did was stupid, and he'll no doubt learn from it with the assistance of the players and coaches.  Anyone here claiming they've never had a blowup at work is a liar or a serial killer in the making.

special :lmao: at comparing any other level of ball to the kind of exposure and pressure Bryce experiences 24/7.

Offline wpa2629

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #161: August 30, 2012, 10:20:11 AM »
I'm voting serial killer

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #162: August 30, 2012, 10:28:50 AM »
Chief - i'm not saying be unemotional or placid.  I like that he brings enthusiasm and fire when he plays.  What I am emphasizing is that you don't do it in a way an umpire can take it as directed at him.  Break a bat on home plate and shards can go at the catcher or the ump. That should be an automatic ejection.  Toss a helmet or a bat at an umps feet and you are begging for tolerance.  It's a lot different than digging hard down the line, forcing outfielders to pick balls up cleanly or else getting singles turned into doubles, etc... It's even a lot different than trash talking (which he does not do).  If you have a reputation for blow ups, you have to be very careful around umps. 

Offline The Chief

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #163: August 30, 2012, 10:32:36 AM »
And I'm sure he's learning that lesson.  My post wasn't really directed at anyone in particular, I only skimmed the thread.  Yeah, I'm that guy now :lol:

Offline zimm_da_kid

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #164: August 30, 2012, 10:53:53 AM »
I don't want to say what he really needs is a girlfriend, but what he really needs is a girlfriend. :)


he's already married to baseball

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #165: August 30, 2012, 10:58:08 AM »
Baseball can't... well. You know what it can't do.
he's already married to baseball


Offline mitlen

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #166: August 30, 2012, 10:58:31 AM »
Anyone here claiming they've never had a blowup at work is a liar or a serial killer in the making.


Reminds me of the time I threw the chair   ...

Offline cmdterps44

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #167: August 30, 2012, 11:02:58 AM »
And I'm sure he's learning that lesson.  My post wasn't really directed at anyone in particular, I only skimmed the thread.  Yeah, I'm that guy now :lol:

I've been that guy for 5 years.

Offline blue911

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #168: August 30, 2012, 11:05:38 AM »
Reminds me of the time I threw the chair   ...

I'm more of a "freak off ya piss-ant" type myself.

Offline mitlen

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #169: August 30, 2012, 11:06:30 AM »
I'm more of a "freak off ya piss-ant" type myself.

Me too but there was no one in the office to direct it to.   :)

Offline Ray D

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #170: August 30, 2012, 11:06:36 AM »
Baseball can't... well. You know what it can't do.


Neither can he.  (Mormon, remember?)

Offline Ray D

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #171: August 30, 2012, 11:09:53 AM »
Someone on XM-89 MLB this morning put it very succinctly: 

"When you throw a helmet, you can't control where it goes." 

And he went on to explain that thrown helmets have a way of ending up near the umpire, and that's going to get you tossed.   Throw a glove, no problem.  Helmet, no.   

It was an ex-player, I'm sorry, I never found out who it was. Maybe someone else was listening?

Online 1995hoo

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #172: August 30, 2012, 11:30:05 AM »
Neither can he.  (Mormon, remember?)

That means he doesn't have to be married just to baseball and can add football, basketball, and hockey if he wishes?

Offline Ray D

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #173: August 30, 2012, 11:32:26 AM »
That means he doesn't have to be married just to baseball and can add football, basketball, and hockey if he wishes?

I don't think he belongs to that branch.  But then, I don't really know.

Offline GSW

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Re: Send Bryce Down Until He Grows Up
« Reply #174: August 30, 2012, 11:42:49 AM »
Since Rizzo has shown he doesn't care if we make it into OCTOBER....

They should send Bryce down and let him grow up!