He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated... as a high-schooler. He dropped out of high-school in 10th grade, attained his GED, and fast-tracked his way to the big time. His name is Bryce Harper and according to most baseball fans out there, he's the best dang thing since sliced bread.
Orginially from Las Vegas, Nevada, Harper is now an outfielder for the Hagerstown (or recently nicknamed Harpertown) Suns, a minor league team from Hagerstown, Maryland. He will compete in his first home game with the Suns tonight. Harper was recently selected by the Nationals as the first pick of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. At 6'3", 225 pounds, swinging a 36" long bat that weighs 47 oz, Harper is the dream child of baseball.
I was walking through the YMCA (my second home, unfortunately) when I spotted a new face on the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine. I'm a HUGE fan of college baseball-no team in particular-and I also love high school baseball. This kid, and I mean kid, was on the diamond, holding a baseball bat. So I picked it up and started reading. I found out that Harper was all the rage in the baseball community. I was so enthralled by him and his story (his older brother Bryan also plays in the Major League) that I couldn't put it down. I have never read a Sports Illustrated article, but this one was awesome. I'm a big fan of Mr. Harper and I try to keep track of all of his goals, aspirations, and achievements.
Every time I happen to come across an article about him, I have to read it. There's just something about him. Maybe it's his story: the prodigy that quits high school at 15 years old, gets a GED, and goes straight to the big time. Talk about a Cinderella story. I love it. I'm eating it up; I'm sure a million other people are too. It's thrilling and joyous all at the same time. He's living his dream by playing America's favorite pasttime. Now that's the American spirit.
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