Baseball players are creatures of habit.
When things are going well, they change nothing about their routine. When things are going poorly, they have to find the one thing holding them back. When Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper finds the one thing holding him back, he cuts it up into little pieces and throws it in the garbage.
That's precisely what he did after hitting a mammoth home run to the third deck of Nationals Park during Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Almost immediately after rounding the bases, Harper was spotted in the dugout cutting up his batting gloves.
Harper, who was hitting just .194 in May coming into the contest, apparently decided his batting gloves were part of the problem. After striking out with them during his first at-bat of the game, Harper ditched the batting gloves later on. Based on how far his sixth inning home run was hit, it's safe to say he correctly identified the problem.
As for cutting up his batting gloves, Harper had a reasonable explanation for destroying his uniform accessories, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
"It's just so people don't sell them on eBay, to tell you the truth," Harper said. "I always cut the batting gloves up. [The ones I had] ripped on the top of the hand, and I had the bat boy come in and give me another pair, and I put them on and ripped them again. I guess the baseball gods don't want me to wear the batting gloves right now.
"I went up and hit a homer and came back and cut 'em up just so guys don't come out of the trash can and grab 'em and sell 'em. It's happened before, so cut 'em up now."
Pumping up
Former NFL running back Ricky Williams is set to assume a key role in Power Plant Fitness, a marijuana friendly gym expected to open this fall in San Francisco.
Greg Rajan of MySanAntonio.com noted Friday that Williams is a partner in the operation and will serve as the company's spokesman. Jim McAlpine, 420 Games executive and co-founder of the business, told Trace William Cowen of Complex.com that he's excited to have the former football star on board.
"Having [Williams] as a partner is ... awesome because he exemplifies a successful and very athletic person who also uses cannabis," McAlpine said. "Ricky is as smart as he is a talented athlete. And that is a big statement."
Williams retired ahead of the 2004 season after learning he was getting a four-game suspension. He returned in 2005 and played 12 games, but another failed test banned him for the entire 2006 campaign.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported in 2007 that Williams violated the league's drug policy a total of four times -- three times for marijuana and once for another substance. He also had his reinstatement efforts delayed by another failed marijuana test.
"I had to take care of myself," Williams told Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports in February. "One of the ways I took care of myself was using cannabis. I'd go see the doctor, he'd wiggle my knee around and say here and give me some anti-inflammatories, some pain pills, and say, 'Just try to rest.' That's it. I think there's a better way."
Williams' new facility must receive local clearance before the use of marijuana will be allowed.
Sports on 05/28/2016