“From the hair to the kind of swagger to his power, he is one of those guys that kind of jumps off the TV set,” Cowherd said of Harper on Monday.

“I think Bryce Harper has that marquee value — that when Bryce Harper is hitting and there’s a TV on, I see people stop,” Cowherd said.

“I think he is the LeBron James of the sport,” Cowherd said. “And I think from his hair to his attitude to his youthfulness, I think he’s absolutely pivotal to the sport.”

AD

AD

The hair? Remember that thought. Cowherd also praised Harper’s new Under Armour ad, and then Harper appeared on Cowherd’s program, in part to discuss his new Under Armour cleats, also giving Cowherd the chance to endorse Make Baseball Fun Again.

“Bryce, we have supported you on the baseball campaign about being able to show flair and be dramatic,” Cowherd said. “… Reggie Jackson — people called him a showboat, but he was just a great, dynamic player. When players gave you grief, my callers came on the show and totally supported you and said Bryce Harper’s the way you should play baseball.”

And then, eventually, Cowherd asked about Harper’s hair.

AD

“You have magnificent hair, you really do,” Cowherd began. “You’re like a modern-day Elvis with home run power. His hair is fantastic.”

This turns out to be a timely observation, since Harper showed up to San Diego with typically fabulous hair, if you don’t mind my saying so.

Also, if you search for Harper’s name on Instagram (long story), you’ll come up with lots of pictures of little boys with fresh cuts, purportedly modeled after Harper. Did this just get weird? This just got weird, didn’t it?

AD

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHm_93zAyJ7/

No, I haven’t been looking at help-wanted ads, why? Anyhow … Cowherd went on to ask Harper whether teammates give him a hard time about his hair.

AD

“No, actually guys in my clubhouse know that I do my hair,” Harper said. “I do it before the game. I just try to look good before I go on the field. I had this coach growing up, he always told me you look good, you feel good, you play good. That’s just how I’ve always felt about going on the field and stuff like that. I play with a guy named Jayson Werth, as you know, and he’s got his hair, he’s got his huge beard, but he puts it up when we go out to dinner and stuff after game. He puts it up into a top knot.

“I mean, I think a lot of guys are starting to do stuff that is different, and I think for the game of baseball, it’s great,” Harper went on. “I think guys are starting to really show their personalities, really show what they’re like, and I love that. So I mean, I try to do my hair the best I can each day, every time I go out on the field. But I think a lot of people, they’re always like, ‘Well, how do you take your hat off or take your helmet off and your hair is still there, it doesn’t move.’ I mean, I don’t know. I spend like two minutes doing it before the game.”

That’s a good answer about hair. And yes, it raises some more questions, but maybe for another day.

“Congratulations, man,” Cowherd said to wrap things up. “Love watching you play. You’re a credit to the sport.”