April 04, 2024
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 13: A photo from the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Atlanta Braves on September 13, 2023 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. (Photo by Kate Frese/PhillyVoice)
Not many pro athletes relate to us like Bryce Harper.
I write this with Jason Kelce’s retirement still fresh and our undying love for the future Hall of Fame center still burning strong. Bryce Harper is a World Series win away from supplanting Kelce as the most beloved Philadelphia athlete of all-time.
This is a hard concept for some because Kelce hits so many checkmarks on the relatability meter to Philadelphia sports fans. He could easily just be one of us doing something completely different from playing in the NFL, all the while still relating with his personality.
While we always had love for Kelce, his personality and longevity ultimately rose to the top and he became a face and voice of the Philadelphia Eagles. Harper arrived here on a massive deal with even larger expectations to win. He started off his Delaware Valley pandering tour with a t-shirt sporting a couple mascots and hasn’t looked back since.
I’ve always said, it’s as if Harper hired a PR firm in Philly to point him in the right direction of what to wear, say, and just how to be. It had to be manufactured, right? Nobody is this into the city where they play unless they are either from here – or they are Jason Kelce. But what if this isn’t an act?
He takes losses personally, just like Kelce. He speaks on issues both with his team and sports around the city, much like Kelce. It may sound counterintuitive to what you hear from the majority of the media, but we absolutely would die for another World Series run – even in this “Eagles town."
We have other key players who will turn in a massive or masterful performance when the time is needed, but not even Joel Embiid in an ultra-individualized sport like the NBA can make this claim. Neither can Jalen Hurts or anyone who played before him. Nobody was just this large of a figure and universally loved more than Kelce.
Everything Phillies revolves around Harper. From what he’s wearing on the field to how hard he runs around the base path to falling over a railing trying to grab a foul ball. He’s Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth all in one. He’s a superstar. He’s the multi-million-dollar guy who ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.
It’s wild, because we just haven’t had one person stand out like this in recent times. The fanfare surrounding one player, it’s equal – or greater- than Terrell Owens' arrival at Lehigh. Harper is still recognized as one of the most dangerous and outspoken players in the sport. He’s a massive pain in the ass on multiple levels, killing a team at the plate then telling them how awful they are in a fight.
He simply can’t be stopped. Neither can the Phillies when he’s rolling. Baseball doesn’t have singular position, like a quarterback or a goalie. The only true position that can stand out on an island would be an ace, and neither Zack Wheeler nor Aaron Nola take a front seat to Harper.
He panders, but so what. He means it. Nobody is this invested in a team like Harper, and he responds to wins and losses, talks through the struggles — just like Kelce did.
The Phillies are built around Harper and starting pitching. Trea Turner… any day now, kid! The outfield platoon, even Nola look a bit off. We’ve seen everything at once. But much like Harper smashed out of his 0 for 11 slump with three home runs, this team too will snap out of it.
Here is the absolute best thing going for the Phillies: besides the Braves, the division is terrible. The Marlins and Mets are a disgrace to the sport. Neither of these teams did much to work around losses this offseason. Neither of these teams will wake up, they are exactly what their records will indicate – hopeless. The Nationals are not much better.
This gives the Phillies time. They need it. The bats will come around, “hittin’ season” isn’t too far out — as the great Charlie Manuel used to remind us. The pitching will be there, Wheeler and Nola are fine, we will see Ranger Suarez continue to step up to pressure. Even the bullpen will come around. This team is a post-season nightmare, not just for the Braves.
These are the ingredients to another power season and a Red October. A lot of us were initially taken aback by just how much and how hard Harper would pander. It’s impossible at this point to think he’s not dialed in – to his team, winning, this city, and everyone inside it.
Eytan Shander is a long time radio and TV personality in Philadelphia. In addition to his weekly column, you can currently listen and watch him on Fox29’s Good Day and other sports shows. He’s giving betting advice on OddsShopper. A lifetime Eagles fan, Eytan lives just outside the city with his wife.
Follow Eytan on Twitter: @shandershow
