Play in the major leagues long enough and the song that you walk up/run out to the mound to can be become as synonymous with you as the band that made it famous.
When you hear Metallica's "Enter Sandman," you know that New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is headed to the mound to close out a game. Same with former San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman and AC/DC's "Hells Bells." Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones apparently caused such an uproar when he decided to move away from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" that he immediately switched it back.
With all of that in mind, you would think that Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who is already forging his own path as one of the most impactful rookies in recent -- if not all of -- MLB history, would want to pick the right song to take with him. Well...
Yes, recently Harper has been using Justin Bieber's latest single, "Boyfriend," as his walk-up music. Visual/auditory proof below:
To say that it came as a slight surprise might be an understatement (here are some Twitter reactions), but perhaps it is not as weird as it seems.
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Both Harper and Bieber are teenage phenoms. Both have had awful haircuts. But it still begs the question: Is Harper's use of "Boyfriend" one of the oddest pairings in MLB history?
Some possible contenders: former National Nick Johnson once used Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A.," but he later explained that it was for his young daughter.
Meanwhile, recently released outfielder Manny Ramirez used Afroman's "Because I Got High" at one point, but that's just Manny being Manny. So what's Harper's excuse?
Harper has Bieber Fever. And the only prescription is more, well, manly music.
What do you think about Harper's use of "Boyfriend"? And what song would you pick as Harper's walk-up music?
Adam Vingan is co-founder and editor of Kings Of Leonsis, a Caps-centric blog. Follow him on Twitter @AdamVingan and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.
