Bryce Harper

Washington's Bryce Harper was ejected from Sunday's game against Pittsburgh for arguing with - and showing up - third base umpire John Hirschbeck. It happened in the first inning. Harper tried to hold up on a 2-2 pitch and home plate umpire Bob Davidson pointed to Hirschbeck for help. Hirschbeck signaled strike, at which point Harper stood outside the batter's box, eyeballed the ump, dropped his bat, and got the boot. Didn't matter, as the Nationals won, 6-2. Harper was also tossed Aug. 29, when he spiked his helmet after grounding into a double play against the Mets.

Billy Rowell's last at-bat for Bishop Eustace Prep was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in high school sports. Mike Trout's last at-bat for Millville High School wasn't close in terms of theatrical flourish. Which just goes to show how much one at-bat - and any amount of theatrical flourish - means when it comes to projecting professional success for high school baseball players. The last two South Jersey players to be selected in the first round of the major-league draft were in the news for drastically different reasons this week.

THE MOST important day of the Nationals' season was April 27, when general manager Mike Rizzo ignored all of the reasons why he should not have called up Bryce Harper and instead summoned the 19-year-old super prospect to the major leagues. Six weeks later, Harper is hitting .282 with six home runs and an .889 OPS, helping the first-place Nationals overcome a litany of injuries to their veteran stars. The most important day of the Angels' season was also April 27, when general manager Jerry DiPoto ignored all of the reasons why he should not have called up South Jersey's Mike Trout and instead summoned the 20-year-old super prospect to the major leagues.

Time to revive this urban myth The juiced ball is baseball's favorite straw man, a bogey so pervasive that you want to believe he's real just so you can knock him down, or at least brush him back. This year is no different, reports Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan . After opening weekend yielded a home-run bonanza, many in baseball began speculating. What's behind the home-run frenzy? Could the ball be juiced? Could it? All it took to confirm the suspicions was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's quoting an unnamed bullpen catcher who said, yep, the balls feel harder this year.

WASHINGTON - For Bryce Harper, two homers in his first two at-bats - making him the youngest ever to go yard twice on opening day. For Stephen Strasburg, 19 consecutive outs during one stretch of his seven scoreless innings. And for the defending NL East champion Washington Nationals, a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday in the first game of a season that lame-duck manager Davey Johnson has declared should be defined as "World Series or Bust. " Harper, the 20-year-old leftfielder coming off NL rookie-of-the-year honors, hit solo shots over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field off Ricky Nolasco in both the first and fourth innings.

He was born Salvatore Anthony Maglie, but he was best known as Sal the Barber - in honor of his high, hard one that gave hitters a close shave. He had a dark five o'clock shadow and a menacing glower that could melt steel, and he turned the knockdown pitch into an art. In the 1950s he pitched for all three New York teams, and over his career had a 23-win season and a no-hitter, and pitched in three World Series. "If you try to dig in on him," one batter said, "there goes your Adam's apple.

This is how we do it. We get back to living, while remembering those who can't. We continue to strive, and no bombs or bullets can deter us for long. The Red Sox made an emotional and defiant return to Fenway Park on Saturday - their first home game since the Boston Marathon attack - and they brought Big Papi as an exclamation point. David Ortiz, who had played just once since July 17 after an Achilles tendon injury, made his debut and gave the crowd a passionate, if Utleyesque, speech, dropping an obscenity but getting the message across: "Nobody is going to dictate our freedom.

WASHINGTON Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was penalized by Major League Baseball following his remarks about Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. MLB said Tuesday that Rizzo was disciplined, without providing specifics. In general, penalties for non-uniformed personnel involve a fine. Rizzo was upset that Hamels hit Nationals rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch on Sunday night and then said he deliberately tried to plunk him. Hamels was suspended for five games by MLB on Monday and fined.

Bryce Harper arrived at Dodger Stadium Tuesday a little bit smarter. Less than 24 hours earlier, the 20-year-old Washington Nationals slugger ran headfirst into the right-field wall while chasing a fly ball. The violent collision left him with 11 stitches in his chin, a sore body and a lesson learned. Harper vows to keep playing hard, but says he will learn how to avoid crashing into the wall with such force. He sat Tuesday night and is due to sit out the remaining two games of Washington's series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

More problems for the injury-decimated Yankees, who are already missing Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira. Catcher Francisco Cervelli will be out at least six weeks after breaking his right hand on a foul ball Friday against the Blue Jays; righthander Ivan Nova left Friday's game with pain in his right elbow that could be troublesome, and Kevin Youkilis, who was signed to fill in for Rodriguez, is facing a stint on...

This is how we do it. We get back to living, while remembering those who can't. We continue to strive, and no bombs or bullets can deter us for long. The Red Sox made an emotional and defiant return to Fenway Park on Saturday - their first home game since the Boston Marathon attack - and they brought Big Papi as an exclamation point. David Ortiz, who had played just once since July 17 after an Achilles tendon injury, made his debut and gave the crowd a passionate, if Utleyesque, speech, dropping an obscenity but getting the message across: "Nobody is going to dictate our freedom.

RYAN ZIMMERMAN delivered a two-run double after Bryce Harper was intentionally walked in the fourth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the visiting Chicago White Sox, 7-4, on a windy Thursday night to cap a three-game sweep. Dan Haren (1-1) got the win despite allowing 10 hits in five innings. With the score tied at three in the fourth, Haren helped himself by doubling off Dylan Axelrod (0-1) and eventually scoring on a wild pitch with two outs. Chicago then put Harper on base on purpose, but the move didn't work: Cleanup hitter Zimmerman lined a double to right on Axelrod's 103rd - and final - pitch of the evening.

FOR BRYCE Harper, two homers in his first two at-bats, and even some "M-V-P!" chants. For Stephen Strasburg, 19 consecutive outs during one stretch of seven scoreless innings. And for the defending NL East champion Washington Nationals, a 2-0 victory over the visiting Miami Marlins on Monday in Game 1 of a season lame-duck manager Davey Johnson declared months ago should be defined as "World Series or bust. " "You couldn't draw it up any better. No question. And to have the two youngsters go out, do what they did?

WASHINGTON - For Bryce Harper, two homers in his first two at-bats - making him the youngest ever to go yard twice on opening day. For Stephen Strasburg, 19 consecutive outs during one stretch of his seven scoreless innings. And for the defending NL East champion Washington Nationals, a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday in the first game of a season that lame-duck manager Davey Johnson has declared should be defined as "World Series or Bust. " Harper, the 20-year-old leftfielder coming off NL rookie-of-the-year honors, hit solo shots over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field off Ricky Nolasco in both the first and fourth innings.

BRYCE HARPER started the season with a bang, belting two home runs Monday in the Nationals' 2-0 win over the Marlins. As if that wasn't enough, his first dinger was caught by a Jayson Werth look-alike dressed in a Nats uniform and sporting a beard and sunglasses. The real Werth, of course, was in the dugout waiting to congratulate Harper.   April's fool Apparently, Mike Tyson has a sense of humor. On Monday, he sent out a tweet saying he was having the tattoo on his face removed.

Uh, oh. Atlanta rookie Julio Teheran, who will be the Braves' fifth starter, struck out 10 in six no-hit innings in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros in Kissimmee, Fla., on Saturday. (OK, it's spring, but it's still scary.) The 22-year-old righthander walked three while lowering his ERA to 1.04 in six spring starts - in which he's given up just seven hits over 26 innings. "That's a really good arm," said Astros manager Bo Porter, a sharp-eyed baseball man. (Easy for him to say - his team is headed to the AL West.)

The Miami Marlins' spending spree a year ago didn't work, so now they're trying another payroll purge, swapping stars for prospects Tuesday. Miami traded shortstop Jose Reyes, lefthander Mark Buehrle, and righthander Josh Johnson to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a blockbuster deal, a person familiar with the agreement said. The person confirmed the trade to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams weren't officially commenting. The person said the trade sent several of the Blue Jays' top prospects to Miami.