Bryce Harper on Phillies fans: “Hopefully they don’t throw batteries at me”

Before we get to Bryce Harper’s quote, something Cole Hamels said to Bob Nightengale of USA Today regarding the Nationals and Harper is wroth some scrutiny:

“Yeah, I accidentally stirred the pot,” Hamels told USA TODAY Sports. “It was unintentional. But that’s just the way it happens sometimes.”

OK, now it’s unintentional? So ... you weren’t practicing Old School, Prestigious Baseball after all? Whatever, dude. For what it’s worth, Hamels does admit that his aim of plunking Harper backfired and that Harper showed him what he was made of, so I guess there’s peace on that front.

But maybe not with the fans, as Harper is stirring the pot himself:

Harper, 19, seems to know, and relish, what might await him in Philly. “Hopefully I get a couple boos,” he said. “I’m excited to get up there and play. Hopefully they don’t throw any batteries at me.”

I wish someone would tell Harper how this works. How it’s wrong, wrong, wrong to stereotype Philly fans like that. Yes, they’ve thrown batteries at people and have committed all manner of fan asshattery one can think of, but when they do it, you’re not supposed to say anything about it. You’re supposed to say “hey, that’s an unfair stereotype,” and then note how sometimes fans of other teams do bad things too. Oh, and when fans of other teams do things you’re supposed to jump out of your skin to say “Can you imagine what would happen if that happened in Philly? The haters would be all over us!”

But under no circumstances are you to suggest that Philly fans may behave in ways they have behaved in the past and, if they do, you should never ever point it out, because that makes you a hater.