Fired clubhouse attendant files suit against Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB

The attorneys for a former Los Angeles Angels clubhouse attendant who was fired earlier this year have filed a complaint in Orange County Superior Court, alleging that their client was unfairly depicted as "a scapegoat" in Major League Baseball's efforts to curb the use of foreign substances.

Brian Harkins was let go by the Angels on March 3, shortly after MLB informed the team that he was providing a blend of sticky substances to illegally aid pitchers' abilities to grip the baseball, ending a four-decade run with the organization. The complaint, filed Aug. 28 by attorneys Daniel Rasmussen and Matthew Brown, lists defamation and false light as causes of action against both the Angels and MLB, and labor-code violations as a cause of action against the Angels.

A jury trial is demanded. MLB and the Angels declined to comment on the situation.

The complaint outlined the reasons why applying rosin and pine tar on baseballs by pitchers has been a long-held, accepted practice largely for safety reasons. It notes a memo issued by MLB vice president of on-field operations Chris Young on Feb. 28, in which Young emphasized the rule disallowing the application of foreign substances and stated that club personnel are forbidden from facilitating the practice, and adds that Harkins was "not given a copy" of the memo before his firing.

The complaint states that an All-Star Angels pitcher who moved to the Detroit Tigers in 2005 originally taught Harkins to mix rosin, pine tar and Mota stick, a stiffer pine tar, to help the pitcher grip the baseball. Though the complaint doesn't specifically name the player, it is believed to be Troy Percival, a former All-Star pitcher for the Angels who later signed with the Tigers before the 2005 season.

Word spread about the concoction through the unnamed player, and Harkins began providing it for other pitchers "as a courtesy," the complaint states, adding that it "was not a money-making venture" and that "many people within the Angels organization" knew about it.

Although Harkins had worked the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium since 1990, "many Angels pitchers" used his blend, which was usually contained in a jar that was among the items in the team's bullpen bag, according to the complaint. The complaint states that Harkins never applied the product himself and claims he wasn't providing illegal substances because rosin and pine tar are widespread throughout clubhouses.

Harkins, known throughout the league as "Bubba," sent a letter to Angels president John Carpino on March 20 "explaining the errors underlying the ballclub's decision-making" and asking to be reinstated but was ignored, according to the complaint. The complaint also states that Harkins was interviewed by Angels and MLB attorneys as part of an investigation into the use of foreign substances and complied but nobody else has been punished.

"To avoid further embarrassment and bad publicity in the wake of the Astros cheating scandal, Major League Baseball needed a baseball-doctoring scapegoat," the complaint reads. "It would be Bubba Harkins."