Milton slams the door
ST. LOUIS _ The headline on yesterday's blog was "Milton closing the door." The Cubs suspended Bradley for the rest of the season today, and they'll call up outfielder Tyler Colvin from Class AA Tennessee for the start of tomorrow's series at Milwaukee. Lou says Colvin will play.
Let's make no mistake here about Bradley. Although the Cubs took action by suspending him, Bradley brought it all on himself, and not one player in the clubhouse here at Busch Stadium rose to his defense. In fact, there was a feeling that a great weight had been lifted from the Cubs.
We've heard a lot about chemistry these last few days down here. Mark DeRosa talked about what great chemistry the Cubs had the past two years. Who knows how much a difference it makes. As Aramis Ramirez told us this afternoon, if you win, you have great chemistry. That great chemistry didn't help Kosuke Fukudome out of his half-season slump last year, nor did it prevent the Cubs from getting swept in the playoffs for a second straight year.
But having a downer like Bradley around sure doesn't make things pleasant for players (and media) who have to live with each other for eight months.
"Last year, I don't' know how many times I heard from the media that we had the best clubhouse in the league," Lou said before tonight's game. "Things don't change that rapidly in a year."
It's pretty clear about whom Lou was talking. I asked Reed Johnson if he felt for Bradley.
"I don't know," Johnson said. "In a way, I guess I feel sorry for him. He can't enjoy the same things the rest of us enjoy. He can't take the good things out of the city and the same good things out of the organization and have a good time with it.
"From our standpoint, nobody was making an effort to isolate him from groups. I think for the most part that was his choice."
Ryan Dempster talked about the need for Bradley to "look in the mirror."
"To say that everybody's out to get you and the reporters are looking for you and always looking to stick a microphone in your face, well, if you notice that they're always for you, I think maybe you're always looking for them," Dempster said. "I've been here six years now and haven't had a problem with anybody here. D-Lee's been here, Z, a lot of guys for a long time. Yeah, you have some tough times, but the city's great. The fans are great. You've got to realize sometimes the consequences of your own actions."
We've all had our little set-to's with players. Jim Edmonds and I got into it right here in St. Louis. We got over it, and were chatting about baseball a few days later. That's all I wanted to do with Milton Saturday. Right away, he said, "I'm not talking about my knee." I told him I wanted to talk baseball, and, true to form, he turned it into something else. It happened a few weeks ago in Chicago, when he was asked about being comfortable at the plate before turning it into "hatred and adversity."
Ryan Theriot can get a little testy after a bad game, but Ryan "gets it."
"Chicago's been great to me," Theriot said. "Chicago's been a city that's been extremely positive, welcoming for myself, my family. Both the fans and the media have accepted me as a player and as a person. I'm extremetly appreciative of all that. From my standpoint, I can really just speak of that.
"Each and every one of you guys in here have been extremely respectful to me, good days and bad. The TV guys, as well. The fans, on good days and bad, have been great to me."
We'll get to what GM Jim Hendry has to do over the next few days of blogging and story-writing. He will trade Bradley this off-season. You can bet on that. Bradley was being disingenuous when he sold himself to the Cubs last winter. Turns out he ended up being a bill of goods, despite some good OBP numbers this year.
Hendry apparently took Bradley at his word, or he thought he and Lou could manage Milton when things got rough. It didn't happen.
Back to the ballgame.
what's the book on Colvin's defense? can he run? strong arm or so-so after his surgery. just wondering, thanks.
Does he get held responsible for any of this problem? He was the one who had to have Bradley!!! He wouldn't even look at Abreu...he had to have Milton. He should be taking some of the blame for this mistake. This is an act every team he has been on has seen...yet Jim went out and over spent on him.
He is talking tough in the paper about not talking bad about the team...this is what you get with Milton. He should have known this...
Where is Milton in all of this? Is he man enough to admit he made a mistake, apologize, and just finally admit he had a terrible year. Or is he at home blaming the Cubs, the fans, and the media for being suspended. An apology would go a long way in my mind to help the situation if not for next year with the Cubs, next year with another organization. Otherwise, he's always going to be the clubhouse "cancer" regardless of where he goes. The media won't be any easier anywhere else because they will report the facts....and most of the facts don't work out real well for Bradley.
Come on NK don;'t make this race problem. Everything is not a racial issue. This is one with someone that has had some of this EVERYWHERE he has played. I stress the word played as she did not produce and you cannot deny that. He produced some the past month when it was almost too late. His conduct on the field toward fans is nothing like I have ever seen in over fifty years of going to the ballparks. He needs some counseling help to deal with whatever demons are at work in his head. BTW- Todd Hundley did not treat the fans as badly as Milton and he was not embraced by the fans either when he did not produce (which was most of the time).
Bruce - I assume the Cubs are still paying Milton during this suspension? Not really important either way....
Also - how is Joe Morgan still employed by ESPN? It's fine if he doesn't like the Cubs, but he's just an all-around horrible announcer. At least Jon and him could make an effort to learn the names of the Cubs players since they have a week to prepare for the game. Sam Fooled? Mark Fontenot? Mike Hoffpauir? Jeremy Reed (Reed Johnson)? Keep up the good work, fellas.
We all get it that he's the greatest second basement (or maybe player) to ever put on the spikes, but in case we don't he'll remind us every game. Since when have the Cubs been saying that Jake Fox is going to play second base next year? Maybe a few bloggers have been saying that, but I don't think anyone seriously thinks he has the range to handle second base at this point. Joe just thought that would be a good opportunity to point out how hard it is to play second.
Did the Cubs try to get him help? Has he had professional counseling/psychiatric therapy in the past that has not helped? Milton Bradley has some serious emotional and psychological problems. Since the day he arrived here he has not been either stable or emotionally anywhere near normal. Sending him somewhere else (without psychological help) continues the problem.
My guess is that with a lot of time and help, Milton bradley could be salvaged. Even here in Chicago.
If nobody in the Cubs organization has insisted on getting him help, shame on them. His bosses can see, every day, that he is not functioning well. If someone tried to push him in that direction and he refused to go, so be it - but I would be willing to bet a bunch that nobody in the front office did and that Milton was isolated, alone, confused, as well as not well - a wicked combination and one that could never lead to a happy end.
A player is unhappy in Chicago....makes a crack about them not winning for 100 years (happens to be true!) and that translates into "serious emotional and psychological problems."
This "running Milton Bradley out of town" show is about as ugly as it gets....and that is saying a lot for Cub fans.
Go troll somewhere else
Congrats to Tyler Colvin. I've watched him at Spring Training the last couple years and he never looked super comfortable, so it will be interesting to see how he's progressed.
What a pathetic outcome. One, I submit, which many of us anticipated when Hendry signed this guy. I guess he is rich but the demons inside this guy's head seem to be numerous and angry so I wonder what will happen to him ultimately.
Any word on why Fox isn't seeing much time in the outfield these days?
As for Milton, unfortunately the writing was on the wall a few weeks ago. There is blame to be had on all sides. Who are the Cubs looking to get back at this point? Vernon Wells? Barry Zito? Eric Byrnes? Would the Rangers take back MB for Michael Young?
The writers have had it out for him since the first month. And now everyone piles on. Give me a break Miles. He doesnt worship the white reporters in the room and gets annoyed when they ask him the same stupid questions for the 3000 time. So they all turn on him and run him out of town.
Hope you are happy.
I used to be a huge Cubs fan. Each year I care less and less.
Not this one. Up until a couple weeks ago, I was saying that Bradley could be like Moises Alou if given a second year here. He ruined things himself. There was a noticeable lack of tension in the locker room yesterday. All the players interviewed, of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, seemed glad he was gone. Usually, when athletes think the media is ganging up on one of their own, they rally behind the fellow athlete. Not this time.
Oh, and I put my name on everything I write. I don't hide behind a screen name, "NK." Another Internet hero.
I have said that I thought everyone needed to loosen up, and thought Bradley would eventually work out. That being said, an employee, CAN NOT bash his employer, or customers in any environment no matter race, religion, whatever. The Cubs needed to do this. I applaud Jim Hendry for having the guts to make the move which basically admitted he made a mistake. Now it is time for the Cubs to move on.
only took 1 post from NK to know he's to be ignored....
Whipping out the race card.... NIIIIICE.
By that logic did all of the minority writers gang up on Todd Hundley and run him out of town?
he sunk his own ship.
Bruce,
It looks like your interview with Milton is the straw that finally broke the camel's back! He's suspended and obviously gone! The Cubs will have to do a Sosa like trade or just cut him - obviously Ricketts will have his say-so on what the financial impact is here.
As for Jim Hendry, I think us loyal fans need more from him than mea culpa. The Soriano and Bradley deals have crippled this club. And it's all on him. He bid against himself on Alfonso and used poor judgment on Milton. Just can't say I'm sorry and be done with it. There should be a serious set of ramifications. As you know, in the business world, multiple mistakes made by executives like those are usually met with a firing or a demotion. I would expect Ricketts to do the latter. Time to hire a new, senior GM and let Hendry report to him. If Jim doesn't like it, he can quit. If he wants to get paid, he will have to do what he's told. That's the accountability I want to see. Baseball is a business, right? Fine, run it as a business then.
As miserable as this season has been, I think your work has shed the spotlight on a poorly run baseball organization. Thank you for exposing this!
Hoops
Bradley didn't work out? didn't see that one coming....
LOL
Not sure how Soriano is "crippling" this team. 2 out of 3 years he's been here they made the playoffs and this year he's been playing on one good leg. Regardless, it's been mentioned a few times that Hendry wasn't the only one with a hand in signing Soriano. In fact I believe McDonough was the one pushing for his signing.
That's how many years and how much money the Cubs still owe a one-dimensional player.
If that's not crippling, then I'm not sure what your definition is.
The dollars themselves are not crippling if you had an owner that didn't care about anything beyond winning. The payroll to Soriano doesn't prevent the Cubs from signing a single player were the Trib/Ricketts to open up their pocketbooks.
Now, if you are saying that the Trib can't afford a $170 million payroll and the the new owner (almost certainly Ricketts) won;t spend that much because he has loans to repay, then Soriano's contract is no more or less "crippling" than Zambrano's.
And, by your definition of "one dimensional," it's easily argued that Zambrano's contract is worse in that he only plays in 32 games per year.
as is Zambrano and his contract. I don't think you'll find too many arguments.