Mormon Times briefs

Mormon teen first-round MLB pick

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Washington Nationals got their ace a year ago. Now, they think they've found their slugger.

The Nationals selected the much-hyped Bryce Harper, a 17-year-old Mormon with prodigious power from Henderson, Nev., with the No. 1 overall pick in the baseball draft Monday, June 7, according to the Associated Press.

"It's what I've wanted since I was 7 years old," said Harper in an Associated Press report.

A year after taking similarly hyped right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals took Harper, who can play catcher but was announced as an outfielder at the draft site at MLB Network studios by commissioner Bud Selig.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Harper hit .443 with 31 home runs and 98 RBI in his first college season in a wood bat league, after skipping his final two years of high school and getting his GED, according to the Associated Press.

The Nationals have through Aug. 16 to sign Harper, who has said he has plenty of options, including going back to Southern Nevada for another year if negotiations go awry.

Harper was the subject of a Sports Illustrated cover story while still in high school, and has reportedly hit balls over 550 feet.

Temple part of development dustup

PHILADEPHIA, Pa. — The proposed LDS temple has been caught in a rift between the City Council and the Redevelopment Authorithy there, according to the Philadephia Inquirer.

Developer Stephen Klein defaulted on a redevelopment agreement to revive a two-acre site on Vine Street between 17th and 18th Streets. THe RDA sold Klein the land in 1986 for $3.7 million. His plans including turning a parking lot into high-end housing.

After the RDA notified him of the default in 2008, Klein nevertheless agreed to sell the property to the Mormon church in 2009. The RDA then sued Klein to retake the land.

In filings in Common Pleas Court, attorneys for the developer said the dispute with the RDA had "created a cloud" over the deal, according to the Inquirer.