Bill Maher: Bryce Harper is a 'douchebag'

For the last 13 years, Bill Maher has been poking fun at global politics and current affairs on his eponymous HBO talk show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," using his famously sarcastic wit and irreverence to lampoon everything from organized religion to American drug culture.

Earlier this week, however, the 60-year-old comedian and longtime New York Mets fan picked a new target: Washington Nationals star and reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper.

"I'm not a big fan of Bryce Harper," Maher said on The WOR Sports Zone with Pete McCarthy. "There's a couple of words that I probably can't say on public radio that I think apply to him. But next to those words in the dictionary, I see a picture of Bryce Harper. I really do."

Maher, who objected to Harper's liberal use of hair gel, exercised a bit of restraint, at first, in describing the 23-year-old outfielder - "I don't want to say it and get you in trouble," he told the host - but when pressed, he couldn't hold his tongue.

"He's a douche," Maher said. "He's a douchebag. He looks like a douchebag."

Maher admitted, however, that he'd be able to get over his contempt for Harper were the three-time All-Star to one day suit up for the Mets.

"Well, of course, if he was a Met, I'd love him," Maher said. "I could learn to love Bryce Harper - let's put it this way. In a few more years, Bryce Harper, I think will mature. I mean, he's young. Look, when you're that good when you're that young, you're gonna be a dick."

Maher isn't the only one to come down on Harper this week, though. On Monday, after Harper sported a "Make Baseball Fun Again" cap following his club's Opening Day win in Atlanta, a minor leaguer in the Tampa Bay Rays organization called out Harper for his "clown move" and rejected his contention that baseball is a "tired" game.