Ths guy is trying to unseat Embid as King of Philly

[dev_32]

https://twitter.com/PHLSportsNation/...89649640763392

[JuTMSY4]

Excuse me for going conspiracy theory, but the concerted effort by Harper feels a little contrived at times. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

[EaglesphaninMD]

Excuse me for going conspiracy theory, but the concerted effort by Harper feels a little contrived at times. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

Even if it is a little contrived, what do you want him to do? Ignore the elephant in the room which is the fact he wanted to play elsewhere?

He is mormon, I believe, and they are very service oriented. I live in MD just outside DC, and he was plenty active in the community. He was out hitting softballs with the general public on the Washington mall when Embiid was still in Kansas.

Dude wants the fans to like him. Nothing wrong with that.

And he's no supplanting Embiid and Wentz as the Kings of Philly. He'd have to hit a walk off HR in game 7 of WS to do that.

[McCarthy12]

I'm guilty of this thinking, too. There was so much talk out there that he didn't want to play in Philly - probably put out by his own reps to get the price up. He probably feels like he has to walk that back now but it does feel overboard at times.

But then again, maybe not. The reality is, Philly is an awesome place to play and it is a particularly exciting place to play sports right now. They should win and everything is great when you're winning.

[Susquehanna Birder]

I've got no problem with it at all. We'll see how the soundbites change if/when a downturn happens. You learn more about people - and organizations - when they struggle. (Not that I'm hoping for that.)

[JuTMSY4]

I don't know if it's Harper or trying to win over Philly - I just feel like sometimes it's like a giant instagram campaign to sell more of Harper's own merch/endorsements. Nothing wrong with that, but just feels weird.

He's certainly embracing the City and that shit sells. I'm not complaining, I'm having fun watching.

[1960]

This thread is a perfect example of why Philadelphia sports fans can never have nice things.

[06hawkalum]

This thread is a perfect example of why Philadelphia sports fans can never have nice things.

Yup, there is such an ingrained inferiority complex in this town. It's like a guy with average looks asking himself "does she really love me or is she using me for the money? I thought she was into that stud with the washboard abs."

Get this through your heads folks...if Harper really wanted to play in LA, he would have signed the shorter term deal there at nearly double the AAV and become a free agent again at 31. Quite frankly, it would have been the smarter financial decision for him to make.

[JuTMSY4]

that's not really what I said. I'm not really intimating he doesn't want to be here or that he never wanted to.

[TerpEagle]

Excuse me for going conspiracy theory, but the concerted effort by Harper feels a little contrived at times. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

I think it's cultivated for sure. I watched the ESPN interview after the game last night and Harper seems to have certain phrases he goes to. I don't think it's a big deal - not all of these guys are able to just riff easily and he wants to make a good impression.

Like most athletes, their media performances tend to be different from reality. "Nice guys" can turn out to be assholes and vice versa.

So far the results on the field are panning out.

[JuTMSY4]

Ha, right, it certainly could be more benign. It just feels like someone gave him a "how to fit in Philadelphia" guidebook and he's nailing it. For 330 mil that makes sense. If he does this for 13 years, he'll have a statue outside the ballpark.

[art vandelay]

I think that's exactly what he's doing. But the guy is gonna be here until he's almost 40. He's being smart.

Let's be real, the Phillies 07-11 bandwagon is full again, and not necessarily with people who understand the frequency of failure in baseball. Might as well endear himself to the fans so that the rocky patches over the next 13 years are smoother.

[Susquehanna Birder]

I watched the ESPN interview after the game last night and Harper seems to have certain phrases he goes to.

Probably due to the fact that he's done like 5,000 interviews containing the same 12 questions.

[McCarthy12]

You guys are missing the point. I have no doubt that he wanted to play in Philly - otherwise, as you pointed out, he would have signed elsewhere. That said, his reps put a lot of stuff out there about him not wanting to play in Philly. That's part of the game, and it's just the agent, but it doesn't matter. The agent is an extension of the player when it comes to that type of stuff.

It's obvious that he is cognizant of that and doing everything in his power to be Captain Philadelphia. Which is great, if not a bit contrived. Not a criticism, just an observation.

[rothdawg]

Let's be real, the Phillies 07-11 bandwagon is full again, and not necessarily with people who understand the frequency of failure in baseball. Might as well endear himself to the fans so that the rocky patches over the next 13 years are smoother.

This is true. Let’s hope that the Nitrous mafia stays away for this era, as I would like to take my nephews to some games in peace.