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Earmuffs! Bryce Harper’s cold open in Syracuse
We hadn't considered that the start of Bryce Harper's first year in the big leagues would start off like "The Empire Strikes Back." Yet there was our young padawan at Triple-A Hoth Syracuse, using any means short of a hollowed-out Otto the Orange to seek warmth during an opening day game against Rochester. From a knit cap to a ski mask to a headband he surely must have borrowed from a sorority girl , Harper wasn't going to let frostbite land him on the DL.
The Las Vegas native should stick to whatever he's doing, too. Harper was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Syracuse's 7-4 loss to Rochester. Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post thinks Harper might eventually warm to the idea of playing in the working-mans' International League, but it certainly didn't look like it on Thursday.
From the Syracuse Post-Standard:
"We just tried to keep as warm as we could," Harper said in his post-game, post-shower press conference, held indoors, during which he chose to wear a kind of winter headband over his ears. "It was all you could do."
At any rate, that's a pretty good start to the season. Put together a few more of these and then it's really just a matter of looking at the service time clock and waiting for it to agree with GM Mike Rizzo's judgment. For Harper's sake, we hope that warmer climes await.
Make sure you're ready for the season ahead ...
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