Ozzie Guillen vs Bryce Harper
On Sunday, July 15th 2012, the Washington Nationals faced off against the Miami Marlins in an afternoon game at Marlins Park. The game exploded into a national story when Ozzie Guillen began screaming at Bryce Harper while the rookie was up at the plate to lead off the 4th inning.
Earlier in the game, during Bryce Harper's at bat in the first inning, Ozzie Guillen took exception to the amount of pine tar that was on Bryce's bat. Instead of taking it up with the umpire during the at bat, Ozzie waited for the inning to end before letting the umpire know his feelings about the pine tar.
The Nationals were told about the complaint and they sent Bryce Harper up to the plate in the 4th inning with a different bat. That is when things got interesting.
Harper came up to the batters box, and for a brief moment it appeared he was pointing his bat towards Ozzie Guillen in a way as if to say "check out my bat, you happy?".
And that is when Ozzie went crazy...
Guillen began screaming at the Nationals dugout and at Bryce Harper, showing the Nats the bat point that he believed Harper had done to him out of disrespect.
Ozzie was yelling so much that the umpire had to go over to the dugout and speak with the irate manager. Guillen didn't slow down and screamed obscenities over the ump in the direction of Bryce Harper as you can see in the following GIF. (Lip reading may or may not be official)
The Miami manager eventually calmed down and the game continued ending with a 4-0 Nationals victory.
When asked about what he was screaming at Bryce Harper, Guillen responded by saying he was just commenting on Bryce's youthful good looks.
Bryce Harper tried to distance himself from controversy and stay classy, repeatedly talking about how Ozzie Guillen was a great competitor and was a manager that "you want to play for".
Ozzie refused to admit what Bryce actually did, reiterated how great a player Harper was, and then flat out called him "unprofessional".
The story died down the next day after the Nationals and Marlins got through their game without incident. Bryce Harper went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year while Ozzie Guillen went on to be fired by the Marlins after a terrible season.
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Here are some of our blog posts from the actual time of the event:
- GIFS: Ozzie Guillen Says F You Kid To Bryce
- PICS: Ozzie Guillen "Say Hello To My Little Friend"
- NEWS: Ozzie Guillen Calls Bryce Harper "Unprofessional"
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Stay Tuned For More Of Our 2012 Washington Nationals Memories! And Read The Current Ones!
Quotes to the media referenced from the Washington Post
Quotes to the media referenced from the Washington Post
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