Inside Phillies star Bryce Harper's bond with Philadelphia

routine is no different than many Philadelphia sports fans. On his drive into the city from his home in the suburb of Haddonfield, New Jersey, he listens to local sports talk radio. Often, he walks into Citizens Bank Park wearing gear of a Philadelphia sports team. Then Harper changes into his uniform, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

Harper began endearing himself to a fan base known for its rough edges from the moment he signed a 13-year, $330 million contract before the 2019 season. He famously overruled agent Scott Boras' insistence to include an opt-out, wanting to show loyalty to the place he planned to spend the rest of his career. He also turned down an opportunity to don No. 34 -- his number with the-- declaring that Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay"should be the last to wear it.

He took that mindset onto the field with him, quickly outpacing ballplayers his age and playing against players four or five years older on Las Vegas' best travel teams. At 16, he decided to leave high school, earn his GED and enroll at the College of Southern Nevada. He continued to dominate there, winning college baseball's Golden Spikes Award, an honor that's been given to a junior college player just twice in nearly a half-century, in 2010.

"That's the first thing our infield coach, Bobby Dickerson, said to me: 'If you're all-in, we're going to do this. If you're not, we're not going to,'" Harper recalled."From that point on, I told him, 'Whatever you want to do.'The undertaking meant Harper would need to spend hours this spring learning the nuances of a new position, often putting in extra time before batting practice taking ground balls.

"It's still a transition," Harper said."I'm still learning where I need to be on the field. When a guy hits a ball down the line or in the gap, you can't get caught watching paint dry. I sit there sometimes and watch Bryson make a great play and I'm like, 'Holy crap, I have to cover first base.'" "On my first day I punched out against Julio Teheran, and I'm walking back to the dugout and they booed me on my first at-bat," Harper said."I totally understand and get it.

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