Harper's 'clown question' retort takes off
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Bryce Harper's comebacks look ready for the big leagues, too.
The 19-year-old Washington Nationals outfielder quipped "That's a clown question, bro" to a Toronto TV reporter who asked if he planned to take advantage of Canada's lower drinking age after belting a long home run in a win over the Blue Jays.
For a brief time, the highest trending topic on Twitter was Harper's response: "That's a clown question, bro." The outfielder's name was also among the site's most popular subjects.
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Twitter users have been reformulating the phrase to fit different contexts, too.
In Ontario, the drinking age is 19, not 21 as in the United States. Following the game, a reporter asked Harper whether he planned to celebrate his huge homer with a beer, and what his preferred brand would be.
Harper is a Mormon, a religion that forbids alcohol. A Nationals PR staffer suggested the reporter try a different line of questioning, but Harper was ready.
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"I'm not answering that," Harper said. "That's a clown question, bro."
Sure enough, by Wednesday morning, online retailers were offering T-shirts emblazoned with Harper's comment, while fans far and wide were posting tweets about the latest baseball catchphrase.