Take a lesson-even Harper has to hustle every play

Isn't it ironic because he's also one who has been criticizing for "over hustling." I've got no problem sitting him for the day and moving on tomorrow...

Good move. Williams did what he had to do. Harper should watch how Trout goes about his business.

The same Harper that has been nursing a tight quad, and was lauded by the same manager for his extreme hustle in the past? Something doesn't add up to me. 

Stupid move by Williams. It was a one hopper to the pitcher. Harper quit running after the firstbaseman caught the throw. The Nats missed him in the lineup later in the game when they tried to rally. Harper is also recovering from a quad injury. Paul Molitor used to run through a brick wall at every chance, and it cost him so many games. Don't want to see it happen again.

Matt Williams was right. And if Harper is nursing a quad injury. then he shouldn't be playing. Your either hurt or your not. 

And just as he praises him for extreme hustle, he has the right to bench him for not hustling. Seems pretty straightforward. 

And I am an absolute huge Harper fan. 

You're either hurt or you're not. I disagree. Remember Isiah Thomas playing with a badly sprained ankle and putting up 25 in one quarter against the Lakers, Curt Schilling pitching on a bad ankle, Jack Youngblood playing with a broken fibula, etc. Some of the greatest performances were from injured superstars (Kirk Gibson '88). Harper's replacement, Frandsen, is nowhere near as talented as Harper. It was a dumb move by Williams.

There's nothing worse in baseball than to watch spoiled millionaires dog it on the field. People like this need to work a real job so that maybe they can appreciate what they have. I don't buy the injury excuse. Don't play if it hurts and run it out all the time. It's lame that this is even a story. Williams sat a slacker and maybe he won't do it again. Then it will be lesson learned. Wish Girardi done this with Cano when he dogged it all the time with Yanks. Glad he's in Seattle.

Matt Williams is my hero. 

Yesterday, my 13U (#34!) son hit a dribbler in front of plate off the end of the bat...started jogging up 1B line until I told him to GO! Pitcher couldn't get a handle and he reached on error, extending inning (we got our doors blown off BTW). 

People killed Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Cano, etc. for this kind of stuff. You hustle down the line always. 

"We made an agreement,” Williams said. “He and I made an agreement. This team made an agreement that when we play the game, that we hustle at all times, that we play the game with intensity and the willingness to win. As it turned out, his spot came up. Kevin Frandsen put on a nice at-bat against [Trevor] Rosenthal. But his spot came up with the ability to win the game. That’s a shame for his teammates.”

Sometime a manager has to make a point, not only to (star) player but to everybody in uniform. 

Stupid move.  He stopped running when play was over.  One hopper to pitcher who quickly threw over.  If he was "benched" for that, that is hurting your own team.  What is the point of continuing to run when play is over?  Would he not have been benched if he continued to jog and touch the base?

Here's Harper's play,

Here's Frandsen "hustling" while batting in Harper's spot in the 9th.

http://tinypic.com/r/1zq53qf/8 (don't know why I can't inline this one).

Notice where both Harper and Frandsen are when the ball is caught by the first baseman.  Notice how far each ball went when hit.  Let me know who you think is dogging it.

Sept. 28th, 2014

Nats miss playoffs by one game.  Matt Williams fired.  Bryce Harper resigns for 6 yrs, 170M.  "We love Matt, he just couldn't motivate our younger players.  We wish him the best in his future endeavors."  says Matt Rizzo.

Hopefully this turns out well.

You always touch first base...

Had a Coach many years ago who preached hustle. His favorite motto was, any team can beat you, but no team should ever outhustle you. Hustle is easy.

If that's the rule, fine, but that's not hustle.  Harper and Frandsen both hustled enough (that is, not all that much) to be safe on a throw that sailed the first baseman, and benching Harper for not touching first is an over-reaction that potentially cost the Nationals the game.

Poorly run (or poorly performing) teams have a tendency to lay the blame for their failures at the feat of someone other than those who are truly responsible, and often at the pro level it's stars who are perceived in some way to not be "respecting the game".  Those same guys are "colorful" when the team is doing well. Harper's play isn't the Nats biggest problem, Puig's isn't the Dodger's, and Manny's wasn't, generally, any of his team's.

Don't know all the dynamics of this, BUT if he is nursing a hurt quad then why on earth would you get mad if he didn't bust it down the line on that play? Great, he busts it down the line on that play and is done for 2 weeks if the quad goes. How many here have played with an injury of that type? Discretion is the better part of valor. Rather he not go all out on that one and be there in the late innings to help.And for all of you who say, if your hurt don't play, have never , ever , really played the game at a high or highest level or have that kind of competitive drive. And lets get this straight, I am not a Harper fan or apologist. But there are times when you know why someone is not HUSTLING the way fans think they need to do on every play. If that quad is truly hurting then it is totally understandable why the play went the way it did. So much better for the Nats in this case to have him back off on that play and be there for that last at bat to try and do some damage.