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Bryce Harper: The Incredibly Cool and Fun Guy Making Rooting for the Phillies Easy

Bryce Harper's rebellious play in the MLB playoffs has made him a viral sensation, showcasing his cool and carefree attitude.

Welcome to The Morning Win, For The Win's daily newsletter! If you received this from a friend or colleague, make sure to subscribe here. We value your feedback, so please take a moment to complete our brief reader survey. Now, let's dive into today's edition with Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! As the MLB playoffs kick off, many of us are choosing a team to root for. After the first day of games on Tuesday, the decision seems clear to me.

For me, it's the Phillies all the way, and there's no competition. I have no allegiance to any other team at this point.

The reason? Bryce Harper is simply too cool, man.

Harper does things his own way, and you have to admire that. He's a seasoned player now, and he's changed a lot. He seems more human than ever before – he's not winning MVP awards anymore and his batting power has diminished.

But one thing remains constant – he does whatever he wants on the field, and it works.

The proof is in his decision to ignore his coach's stop sign and go from first to third base, ultimately helping his team secure a win in their first postseason game.

Harper is unreal. Just look at this moment.

Everything about it was incredible. It wasn't just about ignoring the sign – it was the drama. His helmet flies off, he sprints with all his might, his hair flowing in the wind as he rounds third base and enters dangerous territory. The ball hurtles down the line towards the catcher's glove, and it's a nail-biter until the very end.

This was the absolute best. It's what makes baseball so enjoyable, and it's what makes Harper so cool. Our writer Charles Curtis perfectly captured why it was such a great moment:

"Ignore the third base coach at your own peril in a playoff game, right? If you're right, you look like a hero. If you're wrong, it's a 'told ya so' moment that will make headlines everywhere (given that I'm writing about this, I guess it's making a headline no matter what!)."

But Harper doesn't care, man. He's out there playing his heart out. He shows up to games wearing vintage Allen Iverson tees and does whatever he pleases. Most importantly, as he told Johan Rojas, he's having a blast.

I can't stop watching.

Calling all football junkies!

Fall is the perfect time for football lovers, and starting today, you're in for a non-stop treat. And by non-stop, I mean literally non-stop.

Fifty days of football begin today. Well, technically it's 48 days, but we like those round numbers, don't we?

From now until Wednesday, November 22, ESPN will be broadcasting either a college football game or an NFL game. The Sun Belt Conference and the MAC will have games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until Week 13 of the College Football season.

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This is heaven for football fans. Enjoy every moment.

WNBA expansion is on the horizon

Things move quickly in the WNBA, don't they? Just last week, we were discussing how Joe Lacob and the Warriors' ownership group want to bring a team to the Bay Area.

Now, the league's Twitter account seems to be teasing an expansion announcement. They posted a video featuring tweets calling for expansion, with the caption "10.5."

Watch the video here.

Clearly, a big announcement is on the way. And it's happening before the WNBA Finals, giving us time to dissect and analyze it.

League commissioner Cathy Engelbert has a press conference scheduled before the Finals on October 8, so we can expect some major news then.

Perhaps this announcement is about the Bay Area team that Lacob and his group are working on. But it feels like there's more to it. In August, Engelbert mentioned wanting to expand the league by "one or two" teams. Could this be a two-team announcement? We'll have to wait and see.

I, for one, can't wait to find out.

Quick Hits: Regrets, Rays fans, and more

- Christian D'Andrea shares one regret for each of the 32 NFL teams after four weeks of play.
- Rays fans, what's going on? How can you not show up to support your playoff team? The lowest attendance for a playoff baseball game in over a century? Come on, guys. Charles Curtis has more on this.
- Cory Woodruff presents an NFL Confidence Meter with 10 teams that have a good shot at making the Super Bowl. My Eagles are looking good.
- Craig Kimbrel's intentional balk is pure brilliance. Who would've thought? Andrew Joseph has the details.
- Aaron Rodgers referred to Jason Kelce as "Mr. Pfizer." What a character.
- Matt Scalici highlights the five most exciting college football games for Week 6. Don't miss out.

That's all for today, folks. Have a fantastic Wednesday!

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