Cubs Suspend Milton Bradley for the Remainder of the Season

[Ramp]

While I don't believe in distractions and that crap, I would not be pleased about rooting for this piece of crap.

Also, Milton Bradley can't be the Terrell Owens of baseball... T.O. is a legit superstar (even though you were more talking about antics and shit, they don't come close stats wise)

[Swifty]

Didn't have any problems last year. Prior to this year, has he really caused any problems since that scuffle with the umpire where he blew out his knee? I am also inclined to believe that he did get a lot of shit from the fans because Wrigley is the passive aggressive racism capital of America. He got a lot of flack and it's not like he's the only dude that underperformed on that suck-ass squad.

He threw the bottle at the fan at Dodger stadium, he also tried to go into the stands either a year or two ago.

Dude's a psycho. Not that I wouldn't necessarily say that I have no interest in him at a cut rate (free) price tag.

[Madman81]

Also, Milton Bradley can't be the Terrell Owens of baseball... T.O. is a legit superstar (even though you were more talking about antics and shit, they don't come close stats wise)

This. T.O. = hall of famer. Also, even as far as antics, they don't come very close.

[Bobbob1313]

I would say TO's antics are worse than Milton's.

[Swifty]

TO's never physically gone after a fan.

And TO's played in a Super Bowl. I think that TO's a clown makes him an easy target for when a hyped up team that wasn't actually all that good falls on its face.

Bradley legitimately doesn't know when enough is enough and has physically injured himself and placed himself in what was a borderline criminal situation.

Personally, I think a clubhouse "chemistry" risk is overrated since no good team has had "bad" chemistry.

[Bobbob1313]

Swift, I think you had your facts wrong on the bottle throwing incident. A fan at Dodger stadium threw a bottle at him, not the other way around. Certainly trying to go into the stands isn't the right way to handle it at all, but it's not like he's just snapping at people who are sitting there. And that was in 2004, so he hasn't gone into the stands in the last year or two.

He obviously doesn't handle his anger in stressful situations well, as shown with the bottle and with the ump (who reportedly called him a "piece of shit"), but it's not like he's going after people for no reason. He's created a self perpetuating cycle where people know they can get to him easily, so they try to get under his skin. I would guess he takes more shit than most players simply because he doesn't handle it well.

But playing in Landshark mitigates those types of circumstances at least somewhat. Not a lot of pressure here, no media types needling him, and no fans shouting whatever the Cubs fans were shouting (you have to assume there were more than a few racial slurs from everything I've heard about the bleachers at Wrigley).

I think it makes a lot of sense for the Marlins to take a chance on him.

[Swifty]

I completely agree with you there. Put him in a situation where he is away from scrutiny and expectations. He thrived in Texas in a situation like that.

That said, I still stand by my opinion of him. I don't want a person who is a legitimate risk to hurt himself or others brought in as the offseason savior. Bring him in, but not as the one and only.

[Metes]

I think it makes a lot of sense for the Marlins to take a chance on him.

So it's settled then; physically impossible.

[Bobbob1313]

I completely agree with you there. Put him in a situation where he is away from scrutiny and expectations. He thrived in Texas in a situation like that.

That said, I still stand by my opinion of him. I don't want a person who is a legitimate risk to hurt himself or others brought in as the offseason savior. Bring him in, but not as the one and only.

My perfect world scenario is bring him in and bring Nick Johnson back. That gives you 4 legitimate .375+ OBP guys in your lineup. In this scenario you are trading Uggla, Cantu and Hermida and getting the Cubs to cover most of his 2010 salary (though none of his 2011 salary, which creates some potential problems down the road).

Going by one of Lou's salary projections:

C John Baker $415,000 (.770 OPS)
1B Nick Johnson $5,500,000 (.840)
2B Emilio Bonifacio $415,000 (.630)
3B Chris Coghlan $405,000 (.780)
SS Hanley Ramirez $7,000,000 (.970)
LF Milton Bradley $2,000,000 (.850)
CF Cameron Maybin $405,000 (.750)
RF Cody Ross $4,200,000 (.790)
B Gaby Sanchez $415,000
B Wes Helms $950,000
B Ronny Paulino $880,000
B “Veteran 1B/LF Bat” $750,000
B De Aza/Jai/Raynor $405,000

SP Josh Johnson $5,500,000
SP Ricky Nolasco $4,250,000
SP Andrew Miller $2,000,000
SP Chris Volstad $415,000
SP Sean West $415,000
RP Matt Lindstrom $1,600,000
RP Reynel Pinto $850,000
RP Dan Meyer $415,000
RP Rick Vanden Hurk $415,000
RP Brian Sanches $415,000
RP Burke Badenhop $415,000
RP Tim Wood $405,000

$40,800,000

I don't think any of those projections for the batters are unreasonable at all. That gives you a lineup with one major hole that can, conceivably be replaced in house if they want to take a chance with Gaby at 3rd and shift Coghlan to 2nd (unlikely). Otherwise, that looks like a pretty solid lineup top to bottom. I think you've got to expect that Milton and NJ are only going to get about 450 PAs a piece, so you basically need to hope BC can do a decent imitation of a starting major leaguer when Bradley goes down and hope the "Ross Gload" of 2010 can do the same.

With one absolute rock (Hanley) and two pretty good players who load up on OBP at premium offensive positions (Bradley and NJ) and a bunch of average or better for their position guys (Bake, CC, Cody), you can take the chance with actually going defense first at 2nd with Boner. It might hurt your offense (Well, it will hurt your offense), but then you're going to be above average defensively everywhere on the infield except 3rd, where CC is going to be at least average with the bat and with the potential for more of what we're getting this season rather than the slight step back I expect.

I like that team so much that we really don't need to even worry about treading water next year. That could be a playoff team.

And actually, now that I think about it, Logan Morrison is probably ready to be cool against RHP right now at the major league level. So you use him to spell Bradley and NJ 3 times a week against RHP (Bradley doesn't hit RHP as well). You get his feet wet at this level and hey, if he breaks out and starts bombing people you've got fantastic injury insurance if Bradley or NJ goes down for an extended period of time.

I've said it a couple of times already, but trying to buy low on Bradley and sending them some kind of package of B prospects makes so much sense for the Marlins that I'm going to be sad when he's playing for, like, Philadelphia next year.

[Party]

He's gon go after an empty orange seat when it doesn't applaud a nice catch.

It makes sense though. We replace Hermierda, who 100% of Cuban grandfathers agree is the 'worst player ever' (followed by Uggla) with another guy all the Cuban grandfathers can dub the 'worst player ever.' (Except when he swings like a man and nearly comes out of his shoes, Cuban grandfathers like that (BUT DON'T STRIKE OUT DOING IT))

[Chewford]

What percentage of the fan base does this Cuban grandfather demographic contain?

[Metes]

I approximate that it is 100% of the Cuban grandfather demographic.

[Omar]

What percentage of the fan base does this Cuban grandfather demographic contain?

About 147%

[Sashimi]

A little more background on the Bradley saga from the Chicago Tribune.

Outfielder's mother says there's more to story than we know
by David Haugh

Sensing he had reached new depths Saturday night in the bottomless pit of frustration this baseball season has become, Milton Bradley left a voice mail with his hometown pastor in Carson, Calif.

"I just need to hear some inspirational words and a kind voice," was Bradley's message for the Rev. Michael J. Ealey, pastor of Prevailing in Christ Ministries church.

Ealey responded by sending a text message inspired by Philippians 4:13: Remember you can do all things through Christ.

When Charlena Rector, Bradley's mother, spoke to her son Sunday after the Cubs had suspended him for the rest of the season, she says he repeated that verse and how much he believes in himself.

He might be the only one in Chicago who still does.

"Milton sounded fine," Rector said in a 45-minute phone interview Monday from her home in Long Beach, Calif. "He was raised in a Christian home. He believes that God don't make mistakes. ... And if that door in Chicago closes for him, he thinks another one will open. It always does."

If Bradley would stop coming unhinged, he wouldn't have to worry about blowing through so many doors around Major League Baseball.

The Cubs finally did what they should have done in June after the ugly confrontation between Bradley and manager Lou Piniella: They told Bradley not to let the door hit him on the way out.

It's a little late for tough love, but better late than never.

"He has physical skills and mental toughness, but not that third ingredient -- emotional toughness," said Gregg Steinberg, a professor of sports psychology at Austin Peay State University who has observed Bradley from afar. "If you can't handle that, it's going to come out in different forms."

With the Cubs, it usually came in the form of a bad outfielder in a worse mood. Why Jim Hendry didn't have better foresight when he was in such a hurry to outbid himself for Bradley is a story for another day. At least Hendry will be around to hear it.

As for Bradley, the Cubs' overdue disciplinary action represents progress only if it means the organization rids itself of the right fielder rather than trying to rehabilitate him.

Whatever percentage the Cubs need to pay of the $21 million left on Bradley's deal, they happily should foot the bill if a team will take the outfielder/designated pouter. No matter how much red ink Bradley may spill on new owner Tom Ricketts' desk, it is addition by subtraction.

Listening to Bradley's (ex-)Cubs teammates bury him, there is no equation in which Bradley in a Cubs uniform adds up to success in 2010. This is a divorce with irreconcilable differences.

Bradley surely would call it someone else's fault. He was unavailable for comment Monday, telling his mother he had conducted his last interview with Chicago media.

"There is more behind the scenes that bothered Milton and made him uncomfortable in Chicago," she said.

Pressed, Rector wouldn't give details to verify her claims. She only offered that it involved Bradley's 3-year-old son facing racial slurs at about the same time Bradley was complaining about what he considered a racist element of Cubs fans.

"Milton called me," Rector said, "and said, 'It's bad enough what I am going through, but I can take it and go to the ballpark and pray games don't last any more than nine innings. But my son?' "

Hearing Bradley's mother staunchly defend him made one thing clear: Real or imagined, racial tension has wound Bradley tightly since the Wrigley Field home opener, when the pressure of replacing Mark DeRosa began to mount.

"He told me he could feel the hatred from fans and he didn't have anything to do with them trading DeRosa, but he got the abuse anyway," Rector said.

Bradley's mercurial behavior sounds familiar to Ken Munger, who coached Bradley in the early 1990s at Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

Munger recalled, for example, how pro scouts visited practice but Bradley ignored them, waiting at the opposite end of the field for a ride from his mom.

"The Cubs suspending Milton doesn't really surprise me," Munger said. "The Milton I knew was talented but immature. He was never able to resolve conflict."

That won't change. So Bradley's address must.

[Junior]

I don't really believe any of that story.

For the record, you don't hear this stuff about Lee because he's been producing. Nobody is going to say anything when you are producing. However idiots find it easy when a guy is struggling to heckle him and call him the n word. For the record, Lee has said he's heard racial remakrs at Wrigley before.