Leaving the batter’s box, Harper didn’t do anything that any other player doesn’t do. The bigger problem was that upon reaching home, he threw a kiss towards the sky (was listening to the game on the radio, so I didn’t see it, but that is how it was described).
What the Braves didn’t realize was the reason that he did that. He had been spending time with a young cancer patient, who died, and it was for them that Harper did that. A nice tribute from a good-hearted young man.
When it comes to Harper, people are looking so hard for something negative that it must be due to jealousy. Harper’s reaction to being hit by the punk Braves pitcher (apologies for any redundancy) was also well measured and classy. He didn’t rush the mound, but he also didn’t take it lying down.
I haven’t seen anything but hardnosed baseball from Harper. But I didn’t like the slow start of his trot last night, I hope that doesn’t become a habit with him. I hate showboating, I’m glad there is a way to express displeasure with it within the game. Something should have happened after Upton’s homer the night before, he showboated twice as long as Harper.
Freegards
A lot of players do things like this --- giving thanks to the Almighty for their talent. That was why the broo-haha over Tim Tebow taking a moment to give thanks was so funny to me. Obviously none of these people have ever watched a baseball game.
As for A-Rod; I live in the Seattle area and when he left for the Rangers people were very upset. The first time he came back to Safeco Field, people had brought Monopoly money and were throwing it out on the field when he came up to bat. The stuff was fluttering from the upper decks down to the field.
Perhaps it would have been easier if Harper had simply run the bases and then paid his respectful tribute by other means. That's the problem with hidden signals. They aren't always understood, because they're hidden.