The longtime Giants star and World Series hero signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the D-Backs in the off-season. But The Athletic found a Facebook photo of him and his partner after winning $26,560 in a team-roping event in December:
Confronted by The Athletic, Bumgarner confirmed that it was him in the image as well as in pictures from other rodeo events the website found.
Advertisement
Oh boy, he was quoted as saying. This is ruining my alias.
Bumgarner admitted to roping before and entering smaller rodeos. He said he roped right-handed, not the left he uses for pitching. But he told the website he had been competing under an alias so as to not draw attention to himself. He also said it wasnt exactly a secret within baseball.
Everybody knows about it, he told the website. Word gets around.
At least one event uncovered by The Athletic took place while Bumgarner was a free agent; others occurred while he was with the Giants. Its not clear if the extracurricular activity was a violation of his baseball contracts; however, its not uncommon for teams to place such restrictions on their players.
In one of the most famous examples, then-Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone injured himself playing basketball in early 2004, before the baseball season began. New York released Boone and voided his $5.75 million contract, paying $917,553 as a termination fee , ESPN reported at the time.
Advertisement
Boone is now the teams manager.
And last year, the New York Mets heavily restructured its contract with outfielder Yoenis Cspedes after he injured himself during what Sports Illustrated described as an interaction with a wild boar .
As for Bumgarner, he has been engaged in roping while under contract for some time, and not just under a fake name. A 2014 profile in Sports Illustrated described him and his wife roping cattle in Arizona during spring training, coming across a large snake, presumably a rattler. He hacked it to pieces, and they found a still-living jackrabbit inside it, which they nursed back to health and released into the wild.
Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
The story was even better when broadcast icon Vin Scully told it:
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"MLB","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoLrcjPV5PbUrUyXq5mjc_A","cache_age":86400,"description":"Vin Scully tells a story involving Madison BUmgarner, his wife and a snake\n\nCheck out http://m.mlb.com/video for our full archive of videos, and subscribe on YouTube for the best, exclusive MLB content: http://youtube.com/MLB \n \nAbout MLB.com:\nCommissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced on January 19, 2000, that the 30 Major League club owners voted unanimously to centralize all of Baseball's internet operations into an independent technology company. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the internet. In August 2002, MLB.com streamed the first-ever live, full length MLB game when the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees faced off at Yankee Stadium. Since that time, millions of baseball fans around the world have subscribed to MLB.TV, the live video streaming product that airs every game in HD to nearly 400 different devices. MLB.com also provides an array of mobile apps for fans to choose from, including At Bat, the highest-grossing iOS sports app of all-time. MLB.com features a stable of club beat reporters and award-winning national columnists, the largest contingent of baseball reporters under one roof, who deliver over 100 original articles every day. MLB.com also offers extensive historical information and footage, online ticket sales, official baseball merchandise, authenticated memorabilia and collectibles and fantasy games.\n \nMajor League Baseball consists of 30 teams split between the American and National Leagues. The American League, originally founded in 1901, consists of the following teams: Baltimore Orioles; Boston Red Sox; Chicago White Sox; Cleveland Indians; Detroit Tigers; Houston Astros; Kansas City Royals; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Minnesota Twins; New York Yankees; Oakland Athletics; Seattle Mariners; Tampa Bay Rays; Texas Rangers; and Toronto Blue Jays. The National League, originally founded in 1876, consists of the following teams: Arizona Diamondbacks; Atlanta Braves; Chicago Cubs; Cincinnati Reds; Colorado Rockies; Los Angeles Dodgers; Miami Marlins; Milwaukee Brewers; New York Mets; Philadelphia Phillies; Pittsburgh Pirates; San Diego Padres; San Francisco Giants; St. Louis Cardinals; and Washington Nationals.\n \nVisit MLB.com: http://mlb.mlb.com\nSubscribe to MLB.TV: mlb.tv\nDownload MLB.com At Bat: http://mlb.mlb.com/mobile/atbat\nGet tickets: http://mlb.mlb.com/tickets\nOfficial MLB Merchandise: http://mlb.mlb.com/shop\n \nJoin the conversation!\nTwitter: http://twitter.com/mlb\nFacebook: http://facebook.com/mlb\nInstagram: http://instagram.com/mlb\nGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/+MLB\nTumblr: http://drawntomlb.com/\nPinterest: http://pinterest.com/MLBAM","options":{"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rJZtO_ZVM9s/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"SF@LAD: Scully on Bumgarner, his wife and snakes","type":"video","url":"https://action.news/watch?v=rJZtO_ZVM9s","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5e534374c5b629695f5c7a9c","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/madison-bumgarner-rodeo_n_5e534374c5b629695f5c7a9c","entryTagsList":"sports-and-recreation,baseball,major-league-baseball,rodeo,arizona-diamondbacks,madison-bumgarner","sectionSlug":"sports","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"us-news,weird-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.sports","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5e534374c5b629695f5c7a9c","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Sports and Recreation","slug":"sports-and-recreation","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/sports-and-recreation","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/sports"},{"name":"Baseball ","slug":"baseball","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/baseball","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/baseball","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/baseball"},"relegenceId":3485276,"relegenceSubjectId":977959,"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Baseball ","slug":"baseball","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/baseball"},{"name":"major league baseball","slug":"major-league-baseball","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/major-league-baseball","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/major-league-baseball","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/major-league-baseball"},"relegenceId":3698982,"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"MLB","slug":"mlb","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/mlb"},{"name":"Rodeo","slug":"rodeo","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/rodeo","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/rodeo","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/rodeo"},"relegenceSubjectId":6258428,"url":"https://action.news/topic/rodeo"},{"name":"Arizona Diamondbacks","slug":"arizona-diamondbacks","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/arizona-diamondbacks","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/arizona-diamondbacks","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/arizona-diamondbacks"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/arizona-diamondbacks"},{"name":"Madison Bumgarner","slug":"madison-bumgarner","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/madison-bumgarner","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/madison-bumgarner","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/madison-bumgarner"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/madison-bumgarner"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">
_(720p).jpg)
 OFFICIAL HD MUSIC VIDEO.jpg)
.jpg)
