Harper inspired by trip to Negro Leagues museum

Bryce Harper may be the reigning National League MVP, a home-run hitting machine, and one of the most popular players in all of baseball, but even he needs some inspiration every once and a while.

Harper received just that Tuesday when he visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to be presented with the Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston Legacy Awards for NL home run leader and MVP respectively. Later, he expressed his admiration for the players he learned about.

"It's truly incredible what they went through and how they went about it," Harper said, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "They still loved the game every single day. They did everything they could to make it to that point. (The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum) is the place to see. ... I think a lot of people need to go out there and check it out and see what it's all about.

"Those guys had fun. I think a lot of people could learn a lot of things from them, how they went about it, how they played the game. They didn't take it to the level where they said, 'Oh, my God, the game is so serious.' They really had fun about it. They took it serious as well, but they truly had fun. They really enjoyed what they did."

Harper's journey to the museum not only inspired him, but gave him a new appreciation for players such as Gibson, who impressed him in a very specific way.

The 23-year-old Harper is hitting .256/.367/.622 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs for the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.