Saying goodbye to Bryce Harper: Harper introduced by Philadelphia Phillies after signing 13-year/$330M deal...

Bryce Harper talked at length in his introductory press conference with the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon about how he finally decided to sign on in the City of Brotherly Love, how much he liked playing in Citizens Bank Park as part of the opposition, why he did not care about having opt-outs in his 13-year/$330M deal, and the roster he’s joining, but he also talked briefly about what he’s leaving behind.

After seven seasons in D.C. with the Washington Nationals who drafted him with the first overall pick in 2010, Harper was asked how he’d look back on his first team and what he thought of playing them 19 times a year going forward.

“I love everybody in that clubhouse,” Harper said.

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“I grew up inside that clubhouse, I grew up with that organization. I have so much respect for [GM] Mike Rizzo. He actually reached out to me and told me, ‘Congratulations.’ That’s somebody that had my back for my whole career, and somebody that really maintained every single day and did certain things for that organization that I truly won’t forget.

“Players in that clubhouse have reached out and told me congrats and were very excited for me as well. I’m looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to playing somewhere where I am comfortable there as well, and also in Philly, so that gives me two places in the [NL] East that I’m very comfortable at. So I’m really excited to be able to face those guys and be able to go about it, and also watch from afar a little bit and see how they’re doing and hopefully we can do some damage as well.”

Harper did forget himself for a minute, or he simply misspoke, when he summed up his final thoughts about what he wants to accomplish in Philly.

“We want to bring a title back to D.C.,” Harper said inadvertently.

“I want to be on Broad St. on a frickin’ boat or whatever thing, a bus or whatever it is and have a trophy over my head and do that, because that’s what it’s all about.

“At the end of the day I want to be able to go to sleep and know that I gave it my all and was able to bring back a title to the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization.”

After seven years in D.C. you can understand why he might slip up. Seeing Harper wearing a Phillies uniform is going to take some getting used to as well.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images