Bryce Harper has some new bat decals that celebrate his next homer
The next home run hit by Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper will be the 100th of his young career. Reaching that milestone would be a tremendous accomplishment for any player, but is made more impressive by the fact that Harper is just 23 years old.
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Like most players, Harper wants to celebrate the occasion appropriately. And since he’s been the poster boy for the “Make Baseball Fun Again” campaign, he’s thought up a fun, and fitting, way to get ready for the upcoming event.
That is, as Harper calls it in the post, his favorite emoji. For those of you who aren’t hip with Millennials, it carries two meanings in this case. The obvious is that it’s the number 100 and Harper’s next career home run will be No. 100.
The less obvious, at least for those not up on their emojis, is that the symbol in question means “keep it 100.” That phrase means “to keep yourself real and true, to be honest and stick to the way you are, no matter what any one else thinks,” according to Urban Dictionary.
Hey, that sounds a lot like Harper. He’s not afraid to speak his mind, and he’s willing to do things his own way. It makes perfect sense that the “100” symbol is his favorite emoji.
[Elsewhere: This Tigers fan managed to snag five foul balls at one game]
While we think it’s a fun nod toward his upcoming accomplishment, it also might be illegal. Major League Baseball implemented new rules just prior to the start of the season stating that bat decals could only contain a team logo or the player’s number. This appears to be in violation of that rule.
Harper might have been able to get away with the new decals had he only used the bats during batting practice, but that wasn’t the case. Television cameras captured Harper using the “100” emoji bat decal during Monday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.
We’re not here to snitch, but we’re guessing Harper might receive a letter, and a possible fine from the league. Given what the emoji means, though, we’re guessing he’s willing to pay that fine until he reaches the milestone. That seems like the perfect way for Harper to “keep it 100.”
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
