Prior to the Phillies-Marlins game, Eagles linebacker Nate Wayne met an idol of sorts, Florida relief pitcher Nate Bump.

You might be saying, who? But Wayne's desire to meet Bump stems from the fact that "Bump" is Wayne's nickname. Former Broncos teammate Shannon Sharpe tagged him with the nickname because of all the bumps he had on his face after shaving.

Eagles LB Nate Wayne and Marlins P Nate Bump

Wayne and Bump met alongside the Marlins dugout and exchanged autographed jerseys as the team went about its pre-game preparations.

Holding up his new No. 40 Marlins jersey, complete with a World Series champion patch, Wayne was all smiles.

"This is real nice," he said. "I'm going to get it framed and put it in my new home. You have to admit that last name is pretty sweet. It sounds mean.

"I was very shocked someone had that as a last name. I didn't think anybody would have the name 'Bump.' The other interesting part is his first name is 'Nate.'

"'Bump Wayne' has a nice ring to it, but I think I'll stay with Nate."

Bump "the pitcher" actually has ties to the area. He was an All-American at Penn State, where he left as their all-time career leader in starts, innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. Bump made his Major League debut in 2003 and went on to earn a World Series championship with the Marlins.

Bump admits that he's a Redskins fan, but says perhaps Wednesday's jersey exchange and meeting will turn him around.

Rich Burg, the Eagles' assistant director of Football Media Services, helped facilitate the meeting. He originally brought it to Wayne's attention that there was a professional athlete with the last name of "Bump."

To this day, the nickname lives on. In fact, Wayne's website is called Bump54.com.

And before the evening could end, Wayne also met Florida pitcher Justin Wayne, who was a bit envious of his teammate's jersey acquisition. So the two Waynes exchanged autographed baseballs.

Nate watched batting practice and the early part of the game before leaving the park.

"It was nice to come out and see batting practice and see how relaxed they are before they go out to battle," Wayne said. "I got a signed baseball and I got to meet Nate Bump and exchange jerseys.

"It was real nice to come out here. I am very thankful that Rich set this up."