8) Shoeless Joe Hardy...Roy Hobbs...aka Bryce Harper made his major league debut tonight against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He is the chosen one...the "can't miss, phenom, wunderkind, prodigy" of all-time. He lives in a fantasy sports world beyond Lebron James or even Rudy Kazootie... and now HE has come to the Big Leagues... Baseball fans have heard tall tales, and Paul Bunyon stories about this kid since he was 12 years-old. Like the time he hit the 500 ft home run when he was only 15; then he hit another one that went 600ft when he was 16; or the time he went 12-for-12 in a tournament with 11 HRs and a double; or the time.... Let's take a break. Here's Rudy: <object><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZzcyyW76kg?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZzcyyW76kg?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object> I saw a lot of things that I'd never seen before tonight, but Harper wasn't one of them. Make no mistake: Bryce Harper is a very good baseball player. If ever there was a phenom, it's him. He's 6"3' 200lbs of wild fighting fury. Although he's only 19 years-old, he wasn't intimidated by the surroundings, which can be very scary indeed in front of 54,000 howling drunks on "Don Drysdale Bobblehead Night" at Chavez Ravine. He plays the game pissed-off: throwing equipment and batting helmets around when he makes an out and acting like he owns the world as he runs to his defensive position. Dodger Dogs booed him all night long and I've never seen them boo a major league debut before either... He's been compared to both Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle and there's a wee bit of truth in the comparison to Mantle. I see a country rube...a real "babe" who doesn't know anything about the real world or real baseball, but he has all the tools to be special if he can get control of himself. He's a Mormon, so drugs and alcohol shouldn't be a problem. His parents were there too and they looked like sane people; so maybe he will get a grip on that temper eventually. In the meantime, the baseball world will just have to put up with his antics, which haven't been seen since Rose left......and maybe not since Ty Cobb. BTW- this TV clip was the talk of the local radio shows after the game. A drunk behind home plate mooned the camera just as Harper hit the ball. Does this mean that a picture of his arse is on the way to Cooperstown? <object><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/if6s7JypELc?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/if6s7JypELc?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object>