The then Houston Astros star, Gerrit Cole, to the former visiting clubhouse manager, Brian “Bubba” Harkins, was sent on January 17, 2019 at 11:39.
“Hi Bubba, this is Gerrit Cole, I was wondering if you could help me with this tough situation,” the pitcher wrote, adding a wink emoji. ‘We only see you in May, but we have some road races in April in places with cold weather. The stuff I had last year runs out when it gets cold. ”
The altercation between Cole, now the New York Yankees bait, and Harkins, who was fired last March for supplying illegal balloon drugs to visiting pitchers, was filed Thursday by an attorney in the Orange County Superior Court by an attorney who claims that Harkins is a “public scapegoat” in baseball’s attempts to curb the use of foreign substances.
Harkins, who spent nearly four decades with the Angels, was fired after the Englishman learned through an MLB investigation that he was supplying a mixture of sticky substances to visiting pitchers to help their baseball.
Harkins, 55, filed a defamation lawsuit against Angels and Major League Baseball in Superior County Court on Aug. 28. The Angels and MLB filed a motion on Nov. 2 to dismiss the complaint.
In an opposition to the motion, which was filed Thursday, Harkins claims that many Angels have used his mixture of resin and denet over the years, including Troy Percival, Brendan Donnelly, Tyler Chatwood, Kevin Jepsen and, more recently, Cam Bedrosian, Keynan Middleton, Yusmeiro Petit, Luke Bard, Matt Andriese, Dylan Peters, Jose Suarez and Dylan Bundy. ”
Percival, the English closer from 1995 to 2004, admitted in September that he taught Harkins how to make the mixture of pine and tar in the spring, mostly because it was so dry in Arizona and the balls were so smooth out there. ‘
Harkins also claims that MLB has evidence that includes several star jugs, including Cole, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber and Adam Wainwright, because they used strange drugs to improve their grip on the ball.
Harkins was sacked by former Angels general manager Billy Eppler on March 3, three days after the league issued a memorandum to teams saying it would implement a long-ignored policy banning the use of illegal drugs to improve the pitch of the jar. Hitters rarely complain because a better grip usually means better control – and less chance of hitting through the head with a fast ball of 97 km / h.
Justin Verlander tackles for the Houston Astros against the Washington Nationals in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series.
(Bob Levey / Getty Images)
Harkins was questioned on March 26 by attorneys for MLB and the Angels as part of an investigation into the use of illicit drugs.
Daniel Rasmussen, Harkins ‘lawyer, argued in Thursday’s argument that the English’ did not want their players disciplined and ashamed ‘, and that MLB did not want to quarrel with another’ scandal ‘around the heels of the Astros’ drawing sets. Rasmussen said Harkins was described by fans as a “traitor, deceiver and a fraud” in the wake of news reports of his dismissal and is now unemployed.
“Our point is that Bubba was made a one-man scapegoat and that they did this ‘investigation’ to protect the players,” Rasmussen said. ‘No player has been disciplined, and Bubba has been hammered through this whole affair. His reputation has fallen into disrepair. ”
Rasmussen said he would claim at least $ 4 million in damages if the case is heard. An Angels spokesman said the team could not comment on pending lawsuits. A trial on January 21 is scheduled for a judge to determine whether the case will move forward.
Harkins’ submission Thursday included statements from former Premier League side Wally Joyner, who spent seven years of his 16-year career in Anaheim, and Mike Sweeney, who spent 13 years of his 16-year career in Kansas City.
Both claim that Harkins ‘was not a traitor to his team’ and that ‘many people within the Angels’ organization knew about the mixture of resin and denet Harkins used to make for pitchers. Many Angels pitchers have used it over the years. ”
Vince Willet, who worked as a batboy and visiting club house guard for the Angels from 2009 to 2017, also filed a statement on behalf of Harkins.
“Bubba did not make this mixture in secret,” Willet wrote. “To my knowledge, all the Angels pitchers, coaches and managers knew and encouraged the use of Bubba’s mix. I specifically remember one occasion when Angels pitcher CJ Wilson approached Bubba and I in the foyer between the two clubhouses. In the conversation, Wilson referred to the mixture as ‘the stuff out of the ball bag’. ”