Bryce Harper's patriotic Fourth of July bat squashed by MLB
Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper made headlines last season when he debuted a colorful customized bat to celebrate the Fourth of July. Harper used the patriotic bat, which was adorned with the stars and stripes and the Washington skyline, to homer against San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
It was a memorable moment. One that accentuated the fun and creativity Harper intends to bring back to baseball. But as we learned Wednesday, the league was having no part of it again this season.
The Washington Post reports that Harper had hoped to use another patriotic bat on Monday. This year’s model was to feature a likeness of the Statue of Liberty, with an inscription: “Freedom is never given. It’s won.”
A photo posted by Bryce Harper (@bharper3407) on Jul 4, 2016 at 6:54am PDT
However, as Harper explained in his Instagram caption, MLB put the kibosh on his plans leaving him with no choice but the respect the league’s rules.
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And yes, the league’s rules do state that customized bats such as Harper’s Fourth of July specials are outlawed. Rule 3.02 (d) of the official rules of baseball clearly says: “No colored bat may be used in a professional game unless approved by the Rules Committee.”
An MLB spokesman backed that up, telling the Washington Post: “There are bat regulations that are in place. Any bat that is different than a bat that has been approved must be submitted, or it can’t be used.”
In this case, though, it appears the league has gone beyond simply denying Harper permission to use the bat. The Washington Post report adds that they’ve sent a stern warning to the bat’s manufacturer, threatening action if they continue going against the code of MLB’s law.
Three people with direct knowledge of the situation said the company that made Harper’s bat, Victus Sports, received a communication from officials at MLB reminding the company of the ramifications for not complying with baseball’s rules. In short, their license could be suspended. For a small company that has more than 50 major leaguers using its products, that could be devastating.
That seems unnecessary, if not harsh given the intentions of Harper and Victus Sports. They’re not trying to spite the league in any way. They’re attempting to honor a celebrated and meaningful holiday that the league itself promoted and even cashed in on with their custom uniforms and caps.
A simple “sorry, not this year” should have sufficed, but apparently the league wants to squash any idea of this becoming a regular battle moving forward.
Also worth noting, Harper started the game wearing special stars-and-stripes Under Armour cleats, which included the logo of the U.S. Army. By the second inning, he had changed back into regular cleats as the league once again stepped in.
On one hand, you might understand why the league would like to harness such tributes to fit something that’s within their rules and promoted uniformly around the league. But one would think some freedom and creativity would be allowed too, especially when the intentions are genuine and in line with the league’s message.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
