Jersey auction halted
MILWAUKEE — Hunter Strickland sat on a sofa in the Giants’ clubhouse Thursday morning and shook his head when told that someone bid $1,500 for the jersey he wore when he and Bryce Harper went at it at AT&T Park on Memorial Day.
“I think it’s crazy,” Strickland said. “I would never spend $1,500 for a jersey. Maybe it’s about the story.”
It was exactly about the story, which is why the Giants and Major League Baseball stopped the auction when the Washington Post wrote about it. The item description on MLB’s auction site read, “Game-used Memorial Day jersey — Hunter Strickland #60 — Ejected from the game after fighting with Bryce Harper — (size 48).”
Hours before the auction was supposed to close, the item description was changed. Then the auction was shut down prematurely with the winning bid listed at $200.
The description posed a problem for MLB, which discourages fighting on one hand but was promoting a jersey worn in a brawl. A Giants spokeswoman said a team employee used “poor judgment” in writing it.
Moreover, half the proceeds from game-used gear goes to the player, so a $1,500 sale would have rewarded Strickland with $750. That would have gone a fair piece toward defraying the $2,500 fine he received in addition to a six-game suspension.
“Obviously, baseball stopped the auction, which was a good thing, because they don’t want to promote fighting,” Strickland said.
Harper received a four-game suspension for charging the mound after Strickland him with a fastball. Harper reached a plea-bargain with league officials and served a threegame suspension last week.
Strickland is appealing his suspension and fine and will have a hearing at AT&T Park on Tuesday, speaking in person with major-league officials.
Morse update: Manager Bruce Bochy revealed that Michael Morse injured some ribs during his collision with Jeff Samardzija during the Strickland-Harper brawl. Morse went on the seven-day concussion list and is not expected back this weekend against the Twins. Bochy said Morse remains sore.