Bryce Harper gets ESPN’s attention with pitch clock comment
The pitch clock shed about 26 minutes off the average length of games during spring training, but Harper remains apprehensive about its impact.
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The Phillies are off to a disappointing 0-3 start, but it’s slugger Bryce Harper’s comments on the pitch clock that are drawing attention.
During Sunday’s loss to the Texas Rangers, Harper was interviewed during the game by ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew, which features Karl Ravech, David Cone, and Eduardo Perez.
Among the topics that came up during the interview was the new pitch clock, which limits the time between pitches to 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on. The change certainly sped up the pace of play during spring training, shedding about 26 minutes off the average length of a game.
Harper hasn’t had the chance to adjust to the pitch clock as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. While discussing the rehab on his injured elbow, the two-time MVP threw some shade at the new rule.
“I know a lot of players that want our game back, right?” Harper said when asked about getting used to the pitch clock as he returns from injury. “As of right now, it is what it is.”
The announcers didn’t immediately ask a follow-up. But Ravech returned to the pitch clock hot take later in the interview, and let’s just say Harper lost interest in discussing the topic.
“Sorry if I misheard you, but you said the players want to get the game back. Is that what you had said?” Ravech asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not really sure,” Harper responded as the Sunday Night Baseball crew chuckled.
New 94.1 WIP morning show host Joe DeCamara had a problem with Harper’s disinterested response, comparing him to former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
“Bryce Harper knew exactly what he was doing,” DeCamara said Monday. “He sounded like McNabb. He sounded passive aggressive.”
Harper has a lengthy routine in the batter’s box, and signaled some apprehension about the pitch clock during spring training last month:
Phillies manager Rob Thomson sounded optimistic about Harper’s recovery Sunday, telling ESPN’s Buster Olney he expects the slugger to hit on the field next week when the team returns from its three-game series against the New York Yankees later this week.
“Then he’ll progress to some live arm, some at-bats in minor league games possibly,” Thomson said. “So I don’t know when it’s going to be, but he’s doing really well right now.”
» READ MORE: Phillies ready to ‘turn the page’ after being swept by Rangers in opening series
Larry Bowa probably regrets his word choice in praising A-Rod
Over on ESPN2 Sunday, it was the return of the A-Rod show (which the network calls the KayRod Cast), which features Alex Rodriguez and Yankees announcer Michael Kay in a Manning brothers-style alternate broadcast.
Among the guests the two welcomed during the game was Phillies adviser Larry Bowa, who served as the Yankees’ third base coach from 2006 to 2007.
During the interview, Bowa compared Rodriguez’s preparation during his playing days to Pete Rose, though Bowa might regret his choice of words.
“They knew exactly what the pitcher was trying to do to them,” Bowa said, “They knew what they had to do every at-bat, their pregame workout was unbelievable, they never cheated anybody.”
While A-Rod has successfully reinvented himself since leaving the game, he is one of baseball’s most notorious cheaters, having been suspended the entire 2014 season after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Quick hits
It looks like Comcast won’t be buying WWE after all. Endeavor Group, the parent company of UFC, is purchasing WWE and combining both into a new publicly traded company. WWE has a deal with NBCUniversal, which just streamed WrestleMania 39 on Peacock, and there were rumors the Philadelphia-based company was interested in purchasing WWE. When this deal goes through, Vince McMahon is set to pocket around $3.5 billion, according to The Action Network’s Darren Rovell.
Speaking of Peacock, New York Islanders play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke will succeed Jason Benetti as the main play-by-player on the streamer’s slate of Sunday morning baseball games, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. The Phillies have two games scheduled to stream on Peacock — April 28 against the Houston Astros and June 23 against the New York Mets.
» READ MORE: Rubén Amaro Jr. is back calling Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which is also adding a new face
Frank Thomas won’t be part of Fox’s MLB coverage this season as Hall of Famer Derek Jeter joins the network’s studio coverage. In a statement, Fox described Thomas as an “integral member” of the network’s studio crew for a decade. The New York Post reports that Jeter will debut in June on the London Series, work the All-Star Game in July, then cover the playoffs beginning in October.
The YES Network launched a direct-to-consumer plan that allows fans to stream Yankees games without needing a cable subscription for $24.99 a month (or an introductory price of $19.99 per month). So far, NBC Sports Philadelphia has not announced when it plans for its own direct-to-consumer product, which had been expected to roll out on Peacock at some point this year.
After winning the women’s national championship game Sunday night, LSU’s Angel Reese had a response to critics who thought her taunting of Iowa’ Caitlin Clark lacked class.