Earlier this week, Philadelphia Phillies superstar outfielder and former National League most valuable player Bryce Harper dedicated a home run to a Philadelphia sports radio caller. Chuck from Mt. Airy called into Marks & Reese on SportsRadio 94WIP and expressed his thoughts on Harper and the Phillies without the knowledge that Harper was listening as he spoke. When he walked into the training center at Citizens Bank Park, Harper felt fired up and said that he was going to hit a home run for the caller. Sure enough, the outfielder came through with his 14th of the season, continuing his torrid stretch over the last 15 games where he has slashed a .400 average with 8 home runs and a 1.449 OPS.
Once Harper revealed his inspiration for the home run during his postgame remarks, Chuck was asked to return to WIP to give his perspective of how the events unfolded. In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, the caller shared how he felt when he was mentioned by one of the most eminent sports figures in the locale.
“I was just stunned and puzzled the whole time,” the caller said on Wednesday. “I didn’t go to sleep last night until probably about 1. My wife said, ‘Are you going to bed?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ I just kept listening to the audio because I was just in awe.”
Jon Jansen and fill-in host Jim Costa expressed how it was refreshing to see Harper endear himself to the fans. During the morning program on 97.1 The Ticket, they conveyed how no matter how much they want to deny it, professional athletes and team personnel listen to sports talk radio and consume sports media content.
“There are times that I listen and I’m like, ‘I can’t listen to this anymore,’ and then you turn it off for about 15 minutes,” Jansen said. “You turn it back on and you’re like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to see where this went.’”
“Think about that,” Costa implored. “Any time you call into this radio station, you could potentially be fueling a Tigers home run [or] a Lions touchdown.”
As a former offensive tackle, Jansen understands what it is like to listen to criticism from media members and fans throughout the year. Certain sports radio callers make names for themselves because of their opinions or the style of interaction they have with the host. There are moments where players and teams receive praise, but also those of splenetic conversation where callers have a place to vent their frustrations. Jansen urged Harper to realize, if he has not already, that the pendulum swings in both directions.
“There are people that are going to be Bryce Harper fans,” Jansen said, “and next time Bryce Harper strikes out, there’s going to be people that are going to call in [and go], ‘I know he’s listening. Why did he swing at that slider!?’”
