Lou to Milton: You're outta here
We'll have plenty more to come online tonight and in the paper tomorrow, but the long and short of it is that Lou told Milton Bradley to take a hike today. But look for Bradley to be in tomorrow's starting lineup.
Bradley apparently pitched a fit in the Cubs' dugout after flying out in the sixth inning.
"I told him to take his uniform off," Lou said. "He threw his helmet and smashed a water cooler, water flying all over. I just told him to take his uniform off and go home. I followed him up into the clubhouse, and we exchanged some words."
Lou added that he had seen enough and that he'd talk more with Milton tomorrow.
Apparently, the Cubs feel that Bradley is acting selfishly. GM Jim Hendry talked with us in the runway after the game and said he wanted players to be "all in."
I pressed him on that, and he said that "all in" means all for the team. Some of Bradley's teammates also are beginning to wonder.
Hendry also said he'd talk with Bradley tomorrow.
Bradley was bound to be a project from the day the Cubs signed him. He figures to be a project until the day he leaves, whenever that might be.
With all of the hullabaloo about Bradley's antics and whether the Cubs will bring back DeRosa (to play where?), I see one issue that is holding this team back. It's the same issue we discussed in this blog early in this season.
I said then that unless this issue was dealt with in a way that resulted in a change, the Cubs playoff chances would totally be a matter of luck....and that brings me back to that issue: Does Piniella still have Soriano in the leadoff spot?
Oh sure there are other issues like Ramirez, Dempster, Bradley, Marmol, etc, etc; but even if these could be reduced to a normal number, the Cubs wouldn't be more than a game or two better off than they are now.
Hence, until Soriano is permanenty moved down in the order, my interest in this year's team has been reduced to what changes will come next month, the draft, which kids are showing they can play, the "All-Star game", whether Hendry can survive a host of poor off-season judgments, and if the Cubs sale will close before the World Series finishes.
Some one call me if Lou wakes up from his self-imposed coma and moves Alfonso down in the order!
after hearing Lou explain what happened i understand....
The Magglio Ordonez contract saga has me thinking about Milton Bradley. Isn't Bradley's contract setup so that years two and three kick in only if he reaches a certain number of plate appearances this year? If that's true, then why don't the Cubs just cut Bradley for "character" or "performance" issues to get his contract off the books?
is the last year that kicks in.....
We have an interesting situation brewing. How do Pinnella and the Cubs allow Z, Dempster and Lilly to tee off on the gatorade cooler and draw a line in the sand when Bradley does it?. Don't get me wrong I am not a Bradley fan at all but this shows once again that Lou has to step up and take control of the clubhouse before it's too late if it's not already too late. If the Cubs wanted a manager like this they had one - Baker.
SOMEBODY REMIND ME OF LILLY'S TIRADE? THERE WASN'T ONE; THIS IS A GUY WHO WOULDN'T SAY BOO TO YOU. HE WAS EJECTED FOR CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES FROM DUGOUT. I HAVE A STRANGE FEELING THERE ARE BRADLEY OCCURANCES IN THE LOCKER ROOM WE DO NOT KNOW OF, AND HE'S BEEN A HEADACHE WITH HIS MOUTH GOING DUE
TO HIS POOR PERFORMANCE ON THE FIELD. A BAD CLUBHOUSE PRESENCE IS BRADLEY'S
MO, AND THAT DOESN'T BODE WELL FOR A TEAM SEARCHING TO FIND CONSISTANCY AND
POSITIVE DIRECTION. WE NEED HIM TO SUCCEED, AND GET HIS HEAD ON STRAIGHT IF
WE'RE GOING TO GO ANYWHERE THERE REST OF THE YEAR, AND IN POSTSEASON. BOY,
I DO MISS DERO!
How would DeRosa's 40 some rbi look in right field now. I'm not ready to put him in Cooperstown just yet but it's obvious that the Cubs were a better team with DeRosa than Milton Bradley.
It's worn thin on a number of people, including the manager and players. This has been building.
Did they really do their due dilligence before signing him?
Dave Kaplan has been theorizing that the relationship between Hendry and Piniella is not quite as strong as it was . . . if true, is this signing part of it?
Piniella was on board with the signing and he's partly responsible for the offense because of his need for "left-hand" bats. All GMs and managers have some creative tension, and Hendry and Piniella are no different from anybody else. If the Cubs string together a few wins, it'll be all peace and harmony. The losing, more than any one signing, has been at the root of any tension.
why Bradley's tirade is any different than Zambrano's actions over the years. Is there a different standard for different players?
Bottom line is that if you enable misconduct for a star, you create a caste system. OTOH, why would Lou indicate Milton would be in tomorrow's lineup before he has had a chance to discuss the issue tomorrow.