Should Bryce Harper have been benched for not hustling?

Asked in Sports by a contributor
edited by Instigator

Yes

5 Yes Takes

Write Your Yes Take

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You must hustle all the time!!

Written by Corky

You wouldn't happen to be Corky from Life Goes On, would ya?

Commented by a contributor

No, I'm not. That hurt my feelings. As the superstar of his team he has the responsibility to show all the young players in the organization that hustling all the time is the way to play the game. What kind of message do you think it sends to the young players when he doesn't hustle?

Commented by Corky

Disagree. There's a time to hustle (and he goes ALL OUT at those times - wall crash is proof of that) and there's a time to be smart and know when it's a lost cause and focus on his next task at-hand... focus on preparing for the next at-bat. The young players see his hustle in the field and on the plays that matter and that inspires them to be their best. He must be doing something right because he's one of the best. So whatever he's been doing he should keep it up. If he was playing crappy and doing that maybe then we could say he was doing it wrong.

Commented by a contributor

You obviously don't know much about baseball!

Commented by Corky

Beg to differ dude. Everyone thinks the secret to being a great player is just hustle, hustle, hustle and you'll be the best. It's not. So much of excelling at a sport is MENTAL and that is what Harper is great at, doing whatever it takes to *psych himself up* mentally and focus mentally.

Commented by a contributor

You can't even comprehend what you read and idiot I never said the secret to being a better player was hustle. The more you talk the more it proves you don't know what you are talking about.

Commented by Corky

You're the idiot. You said he has a responsibility to hustle ALL THE TIME to show the young players that's how you play the game. He shows the young players how it's done by being one of the best in the game and mentoring them in the clubhouse as well as showing how it's done on the field. You're too fixed on this superficial ideal of running hard every play when we should be looking at the intangibles of what he does to make himself great and most of that's mental, the discipline (which I'm sure he teaches to his teammates). You completely ignore the 110% he gives in the outfield and bases when it counts. That motivates teammates a million times more than stupid routine grounders. They forget about that stuff when they see him tearing up the bases on a triple.

Commented by a contributor

MORON!!!!! MORON!!!!!

Commented by Corky

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Bench him? Yes. In the culture of baseball you carry yourself with respect in your actions and your attitude. If you don't have a good one of either then you're replaceable no matter how much skill you have. On top of that, they don't pay him to walk.

Written by WS

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Harper is a punk!

Written by DJW

Hatas gonna hate. That's what happens when you're great.

Commented by a contributor

I doubt it has anything to do with being great. It most definitely had to do with a disagrement between Harper and the coach and if the coach sees a potential leader on the team he's going to give him the hardest time, hopefully.

Commented by WS

They were just making an example of him, keeping all the other players in line and trying to keep them copping an attitude. Clubhouse politics. They better give him some respect or I bet he'll blow that joint when free agency comes. It's a double-edged sword.

Commented by a contributor

He is the most overrated player. There are so many young players who have passed him by -- Mike Trout, Will Myers, Jean Segura... He will always have trouble with umpires. They are already watching him.

Commented by EdwardG

As a coach your first priority is making your players the best they can be. If you're thinking about politics you're a manager and not a coach.

Commented by WS

I dislike that the public is doubting the decision of a seasoned coach who has his players success in mind before his own home life. These guys dedicate every fiber of their being to making great players legendary and bad players good.

Commented by WS

It's a good test for Williams early on. It may turn out to be a savvy decision if it motivates the other players but very weak to be hating on the best. If it was anyone else they wouldn't care! But being a target comes with the territory.

Commented by a contributor

It may be a test or a push and not a hate. How harper handles it will show if he is worthy of my respect, not his home runs or batting average.

Commented by WS

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Thank you Matt Williams for being a baseball manager. A good manager sometimes has to make it known exactly who is in charge and who runs the show. Well done Matt Williams.

Written by Joseph

But there are better ways to show you're in charge than benching your best player who obviously hustles. It's just a publicity stunt. The rest will do him good anyways. Just weak is all.

Commented by a contributor

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They make alot of money. I want full speed all the time.

Written by RKRoss

3 No Takes

Write Your No Take

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WEAK. Nobody hustles more in the outfield than Bryce or rounding the bases or anything! Really, when you know you're gonna be out at first who cares? That's just stupid. If in some one-in-a-ZILLION chance the ball gets by the first baseman, guess what, he's still gonna have time to turn it on and make it to 1st! Most players do this so why aren't most players benched?

Written by a contributor

The 2nd Charlie Hustle in baseball... The 1st was Pete Rose.

Commented by TonyCampbell

You want to discuss what's wrong in baseball? Take on something big! If you hustle as a player all your life you get banned from baseball for life for a mistake made AFTER playing! Is that fair or right? Or if you never fail a drug test and are the BEST HITTER to ever play the game you get pushed out the game because the pencil pushers and voiceovers don't like your "uppity" attitude! Is that right or fair? Let's answer some BIG QUESTIONS.

Commented by Ledet

110% agree on Rose. It's criminal he isn't in the Hall. So stupid. Hall of Shame without him. The guy with the most hustle gets benched and the best hitter ever gets kept out of the Hall. Isn't that always the way it goes?

Commented by a contributor

Another great topic to debate. Check this out... http://writeclub.com/f/should-pete-rose-be-in-the-hall-of-fame

Commented by Instigator

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This is a freakin clown question bro!

Written by K OS

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All of these guys should play like Rose did. If they didn't nobody would come to games anymore. Just let the manager give Harper a talk. He'll be back in the lineup tomorrow, maybe go 4 for 4 (but St. Louis will still kick their ass!). Rose should be in the Hall.

Written by FortKnox