MLB crackdown on foreign substances could revive Bubba Harkins’ case, his attorney says

Fans line up to enter Angel Stadium for the Angels home opener against the Chicago White Sox on April 1. The attorney for a former Angels employee who was fired for providing a blend of sticky substances to pitchers to aid their grip of the baseball believes the sport’s renewed emphasis and impending crackdown on the use of foreign substances could boost his client’s case against the team and Major League Baseball. “That’s the new wrinkle that I think will help us.” Harkins, 55, spent nearly four decades with the Angels and was the visiting clubhouse manager when he was fired on March 3, 2020. “That may be a basis for an employment action, but not for defamation.” Rasmussen filed the opening brief of an appeal with the Fourth Appellate Court in Santa Ana last week, the start of a lengthy process that the attorney hopes will lead to a three-justice appellate panel overturning Glass’ ruling and sending the case back to a lower court for trial. “There’s no doubt about the fact that MLB can’t escape the publicity that’s going on with the pitchers.” In his first public comments since he was fired, Harkins — in a story published Monday on Sports Illustrated’s website — said: “If they did an investigation and only found me, it’s a pretty bad investigation.” Rasmussen said Harkins has been unable to find another job.