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08:26 AM ET 10.09 | How many different ways can Bryce Harper offend a traditionalist's sensibilities? What do you do when your kid center fielder, the new face of the franchise has smeared so much eye black on his cheeks that he looks like a zombie coal miner? What do you say when every swing in the most important games of his life is more violent than the one before? What do you think when none of those swings meet a baseball and the strikeouts pile up? Do you bench Bryce Harper? Do you tell him to wipe his face? Do you make him stop acting his age, which is only 19? Maybe you stand inside your office at Busch Stadium the way Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson did on Monday evening, shrug and say, "That's Bryce." And know this is exactly the right thing to do.

Bryce Harper, Icon Sports

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October 9, 2012 08:38 AM ET

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Growing pains.

THE BISHOP!

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October 9, 2012 08:47 AM ET

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That's clown makeup, bro.

Kenny_Powers

New York , NY

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October 9, 2012 08:57 AM ET

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How can they say it just Bryce when he made a base running blunder yesterday,he looks like he in a Tarzan movie, swings at anything close to the plate, and this could be a distraction to the team and as well as unity to the whole group going followed.

toad

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October 9, 2012 08:57 AM ET

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Good kid. Rookie of the Year in the NL. He'll be better next year........and the year after........and the year after ........and...........

Slapshot

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October 9, 2012 09:15 AM ET

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This kid has the potential to be great... He also has the potential to be an **** clown... If he checks his attitude at the clubhouse door and listens to his coaches he'll do just fine... Yes, he's only 19, but he is also a professional athlete... His current antics won't play well for very long, especially if the strikeouts start to pile up and he continues to make base running mistakes like the one he made yesterday...

Brutal

Ashburn , VA

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October 9, 2012 09:47 AM ET

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He's an immature 19 year-old, an adolescent trying to grow up in ful view of millions of people.
He was apparently so talented as a kid that his parents gave him too much free rein, rather than slapping him upside the head a few times to teach him his manners.
He'll learn in time, but it will be annoying to watch him mature in the meantime.

SportsFun

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October 9, 2012 09:48 AM ET

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He's looked pretty bad so far in the playoffs. Talent yes, but he's getting his MLB education this year. I don't think it matters one bit if the guy wants wear all that crap on his face. 19 year olds these days are called kids and they act like kids. He's normal for the world he's living in today.