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Surprise, surprise: Anonymous players side with Jonathan Papelbon over Bryce Harper

Big League Stew

The dugout altercation that took place Sunday between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper has sparked a larger discussion about the dysfunctional state of the Washington Nationals, and how these kind of disagreements should be handled.

Fox Sports analyst C.J. Nitkowski — who played 10 years in the big leagues — sourced opinions from current and former players on what went down in D.C., and get this, the responses he received were all slanted in favor of Papelbon.

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Here are just a few of the pro-Papelbon takes sent Nitkowski's way:

●  Pap did what should have been done three years ago. Veteran players should be doing this across the league.

●  Bryce is a great player. He's a true superstar. But he's not above playing the game the right way. I'm glad someone finally told him that.

●  I would have done the same thing if I were Papelbon.

Veteran Toronto Blue Jays reliever LaTroy Hawkins was even willing to publicly state his support for Papelbon, via Twitter:

Papelbon took exception with Harper not running out a fly ball in the eighth inning of Sunday's game. After a heated verbal exchange, Papelbon grabbed Harper's throat and shoved him against the back of the dugout.

This wasn't just about Harper not hustling down to first base, though. A few days earlier, Harper made some comments critical of Papelbon after the Nationals' closer drilled Manny Machado with a pitch last week and was handed a three-game suspension.

[Related: Nats fans will donate thousands to charity if team cuts Papelbon.]

The reaction from other players on Sunday's incident probably has more to do with Harper's reputation around baseball as a cocky kid who thinks he can do what he wants on the field, than anything else. Especially since Papelbon's reputation isn't exactly a positive one, either. Harper was voted MLB's "most overrated player" by his peers in a preseason poll conducted by ESPN The Magazine back in March.

It shows that even Harper's incredible season – the best we've seen by a 22-year-old since Ted Williams – hasn't changed how he's perceived by many who play or played the game at the highest level.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.