Baseball craves Bryce Harper's personality

Bryce Harper will never be universally liked. Understand that first, and then we can begin the discussion. I could use the rest of this page describing why scouts have been drooling about Harper since he was taking pre-Algebra. But we know all of those reasons and we've seen them on display in his first four seasons, and certainly the past few weeks. The problem is that some will never accept the total package that accompanies Harper's ultra-talented skill set.

When you grace the cover of "Sports Illustrated" at 16 years old with a big, bold headline labeling you, "The Chosen One", it's hard to overcome. It still is for LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Anytime the media tells the world that you're supposed to be the "next great anything", you're almost in a no-win situation.

James has played the game like no one before him, possessing the rarest combination of speed, power and agility. He has actually backed up his play with two World Championships and maybe a third in a few weeks. But people can't get passed that he was labeled as "King James" before he went to junior prom. Immediately he was seen as arrogant. "The Decision" didn't help either.

For Woods, certainly he dealt with race issues early on in the predominately white world of golf, but it was his honesty, which was perceived as cockiness, that turned people off. When Woods would win a tournament by a significant margin, it didn't sit well with fellow competitors or the general public when he would go on to say that he accomplished the feat without his "A game".

Harper was aware of the expectations. He went after them, figuring out a way to finish his required studies in order to earn eligibility to play professional baseball as quickly as possible. And the Nationals were salivating at the opportunity to draft the coveted five-tool Harper.

All the fanfare surrounded Harper's arrival to the big leagues, which included an introduction plunking from the Phillies' Cole Hamels. Forty-two home runs and 169 runs scored in his first two seasons led to two All-Star Game selections. But then costly injuries set in, which ended up robbing him of over 100 games. Even Harper was blamed for being overly aggressive on the field, resulting in surgeries and time spent on the disabled list that could've been otherwise avoidable. You can basically expect Harper to be criticized for anything at this point.

Harper once again polarized the world of sports with his preseason "Where's my ring?" proclamation. Harper's fans in Washington ate it up while many around the game dismissed the words as just another example of the 22-year-old's unnecessary and unearned arrogance.

Shortly after the bold words, "ESPN The Magazine" released its annual poll from anonymous major leaguers voting Harper as baseball's most overrated player for the second consecutive year. Please.

Harper has done his best to prove his peers wrong by unleashing an offensive assault on pitchers the past three weeks that has simply been jaw-dropping. Three-homer games, dramatic walk-offs, you name it, and Harper has done it while leading the Nationals to first place in the National League East. Harper leads the majors with 38 RBIs and 37 runs scored while his 15 homers are just one behind the Mariners' Nelson Cruz.

So why was Harper ejected in the third inning on Wednesday night? His reputation. It seemed as if home plate umpire Marvin Hudson let his own personal opinions of Harper come into play when he gave the young phenom the quick hook. There was showmanship displayed from both men. Hudson was yelling at Harper to get back in the batter's box, and Harper responded by dancing up to toe his foot on the chalk. Hudson wasn't interested in being disrespected so he chose to disrespect a near-capacity crowd at Nationals Park by tossing their superstar. Never should an umpire become the show.

The Nationals have been good enough the past week to overcome both of Harper's fiery ejections. There is guarantee to be more in the future. Harper won't tone down the way he plays the game and won't change his attitude either. Maybe it will cause him problems along the line, but most would be wise to embrace his charisma and flashy style. In a game that's been criticized by Gen X as being dull and slow, Harper is exactly what's needed.