Cubs Win and Bradley is Suddenly Very Chatty

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 1:57am

The Cubs and Nationals battled to a 2-2 tie through 6 innings, before Milton Bradley drove in his third run of the night on a fielder's choice to score Koyie Hill in the bottom of the 7th. Bradley had homered earlier in the game for the Cubs first two runs. The Cubs piled on in the 8th with five runs and ended up winning easily 9-4. 38 games left to bear unless we luck out with some rainouts.

Following up yesterday's comments, Bradley signing with the Cubs, but says he dreads extra inning home games:

"...so I can be out there the least amount of time as possible and go home."

Not quite as poetic as "I'd play this game for free", now is it?

He goes on to talk about facing hatred on a a daily basis including at restaurants, but sarcastically doesn't believe it has anything to do with race.

"America doesn't believe in racism."

That one made me chuckle.

Then he pulls a little Stuart Smalley on us.

``I feel love for me, because I love me,'' he said. ``I look in the
mirror and go out there and play and feel love for my teammates and
love for the coaching staff and for myself.''

That one made me laugh out loud.

The original link from the Daily Herald above has the more measured and objective article on Bradley's recent comments. The Sun-Times seems to have made it a mission to drive Bradley out of town if they can, and one from . Yes, Milton Bradley is what went wrong with the Cubs this year, not Alfonso Soriano's laughable 85 OPS+, not a disabled list longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls, not Lou's slow descent into Alzheimer's, it's Milton Bradley struggling in the first half and having the audacity to speak his mind on occasion. He's got to be the first free agent in the history of baseball to start slow, right? But I understand, after all he is the highest, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th highest paid player on the team, he certainly deserves the brunt of the criticism.

Bradley has not had a good season, certainly not what the Cubs expected and some of his "act" even grates on my generally patient nerves, but he is far from the Cubs most glaring problem in 2009 . He's not even in the top 5 (Soriano, the DL, the Bullpen, Hendry/Lou, Soto and Fontenot would be a good start). Bradley definitely makes himself the story sometimes and that's the part that grates on my nerves, but it's hardly enough to warrant the smear campaign that the Sun-Times is hellbent on pursuing, but I guess you have to try something when you're in a dying industry.

Tags: 
Cubs Recap
Milton Bradley

Comments

Submitted by Pell Mell  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 6:31am  
Can I just preempt the predictable screeching about that first comment? ahem. okay, here goes. "See, he wants to be out there for the minimum time possible! He's not even trying, he's got no work ethic, he doesn't respect the fans or anybody! He admits it! He's history's greatest monster!!!" Which is my way of saying that I agree with RobG's take on the situation. If I could banish one thing from the sports world, it'd be...okay, it'd be Brett Favre. But if I could banish two things, the other thing would be the pervasive sense of moral superiority that sportswriters, and now beat reporters, always possess and feel they must enforce. Just cover the games, all right? Is that too much to ask?

Submitted by MikeVail  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:27am  
I agree completely. Beat writers used to cover the games, but so few of them do now. Sullivan's column about the game today had 4 paragraphs about the actual game. It's easier to write a column about what Bradley says, so guys like Sullivan do everything they can to stir something up. Why not ask him about the homer and why he's able to sometimes generate power from the left side now? I couldn't care less what Bradley thinks about the drunks yelling at him from the bleachers. Most of those guys don't know what the score is anyway.

Submitted by Cubster  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:14am  
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball... Cubs player representative Ted (Roosevelt) Lilly called a federal appeals court ruling that federal agents had no right to seize anonymous drugs test results from 2003 a "great thing for the players." --- ...and walk softly and carry a bum knee: Alfonso Soriano was in the starting lineup Wednesday night after sitting the last three games. Soriano said he won't get an MRI until the next Cubs off day on Sept. 10, unless he continues feeling pain in the coming days. Soriano was frustrated by sitting and said he would like to play as much as possible the rest of the season, even if it means taking a cortisone shot. "It goes to show you he wants to play," Piniella said.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:36am  
What the hell was he doing with his time off if not getting a test to figure out exactly what's wrong? The season is toast. The top priority is making sure the player is going to be 100 percent by February. If the knee requires a procedure of some sort, Soriano is wasting everyone's time right now, and I dont' think Pinella should reward that behavior by putting him into the lineup. But hey, at least he's a "gamer." If Steve Olin had Alfonso Soriano's tenacity, he would've been MLB's first headless player.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:24am  

"It goes to show you he wants to play even though he's been killing the team all year, but at least he doesn't take walks with runners on base," Piniella said.

/fixed

Submitted by Cubster  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:34am  
Orange Guy sent back to AAA essentially DFA'd him but it looks like his value is approximating Brad Snyder and Jason Dubois these days http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:50am  
Well, he's out of options, but they're not releasing him. Undoubtedly they're hoping he makes it through so they can call him back up next week.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:51am  
I think he was called up for 2 days before they DFA'd him...odd move.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:59am  
He obviously can't get it done. Who needs a guy with a career 800 ops? KFuk career line: .266 .373 .418 .790 Murton career line: .287 .353 .438 .791 Just sayin

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:22am  
Interesting numbers... I remember when they signed KFuk and we started analyzing his numbers I stated that I didn't think we can expect much better than what Murton gave us. So I couldn't believe they spent that much money on a 4th OF, which is all Murton is/was.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:32am  
The difference being that one can play a great outfield with an accurate arm and one has red hair.

Submitted by Cubster  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:47am  
he would've been MLB's first headless player. --- Soriano after knee rehab might look something like this? http://tinyurl.com/lldjxb

Submitted by WISCGRAD  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:01am  
Just wanted to say that part of the reason members of the media might be going after Bradley perhaps more than they should is because of how he treats them. Bruce Miles has been reporting stuff like this all season: "Not that the media matters, but I've seen him snap at reporters who've wanted nothing more than to ask him a positive question, maybe even to promote a charitable initiative of his." Granted the media should remain unbiased, but the reality is that they are humans. If he makes part of their job miserable, what is likely to happen when they write a Bradley story? It's probably going to be slanted a bit against him. So in part, he reaps what he sows.

Submitted by MikeC  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:42am  
We can all celebrate Milton's 50 RBI season when the season is over. Nevermind he sat in the middle of the lineup, and nevermind it will be one of the worst performances by a teams starting RFer in baseball. We should be happy about Miltons season. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/stats/byposition?... Look at him compared to his peers, and he isn't a problem with this team? When your middle of the order threat is at 35 RBI on August 27th, That isn't a major fucking problem? Geez Sammy Sosa put up 80 RBI in his final year and that was deemed not good enough. A guy barely creepin to 50 RBI is suddenly a ok. My have standards fallen.

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:04am  
Nevermind he sat in the middle of the lineup, and nevermind it will be one of the worst performances by a teams starting RFer in baseball. We should be happy about Miltons season. Look. We all know that Bradley has had a disappointing season. No one here has denied that. No one here has said that it is "a ok." No one has said that we should be "happy" about his performance. But go ahead and continue to make shit up. You and Dusty Baylor do it so well, but I guess that is what happens when you can't argue against legitimate points, so instead you make arguments up that you can shoot down. And FWIW, context is an interesting thing. Bradley is 26th among MLB RFers in RBI. Bradley is 24th among MLB RFers in ABs with RISP, and 22nd in PAs with RISP. So while Bradley has struggled, his team has also struggled to provide him opportunities to drive in runs. So you can trot out the tired "middle of the lineup" argument. But it is a meaningless argument when you look at the actual numbers.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:33am  
Bradley's been really bad at driving in runs. He's only driven in 10% of the runners on base when he's come to the plate. Part of the problem is he hasn't been hitting as well as anyone would like, and the other part is that he is alright with taking a walk and letting the guy behind him hit with 1 more runner on base. Last night when he came up with 2 outs and a guy on first, he knew what to do - swing for extra bases, and it worked out well. In general I like his approach, but there have been a few times when he was obviously looking for a walk with guys on base. I am not sure if that was because he didn't feel confident, or had a bloated impression of his intimidation factor. If he keeps hitting as well as he has in the 2nd half, hopefully he'll have a clean slate from the fans by the start of next year, and he can have the big season that he and many of us expected, .289 .414 .456 with 25 HR's and 70 RBI's - I'll take that from our #2 hitter. Edit - Holy run-on sentence, Batman.

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:35am  
Bradley's been really bad at driving in runs. Oh... don't get me wrong. I agree with you. I just think that looking at RBI totals alone doesn't tell us much. And it completely ignores that lineup position doesn't matter as much as actual base runners on to drive in. And I would absolutely take those numbers from the Cubs #2 hitter, and the Cubs RFer.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:12am  
Ok. Good point on the rankings. What have I made up? That I am disappointed in Bradley's season? That compared to most RF's in baseball, slugging .400 is bad? That comparing shortstops to right fielders is like comparing apples to cardboard boxes? Of course, Bradley is still hitting .221 with RISP. Is there a way to spin that into not being bad?

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 1:49pm  
What have I made up? You were constantly putting words in people's mouths yesterday.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:04pm  
Ok. "Besides his .391 OBP, which is the only stat that any player ever can be measured by apparently, please point out where he isn't awful?" Please show me where I said "Lowitski says that .....he isn't awful" BTW...a .259 batting average, .400 slugging 11 HR and 35 RBI? That still sucks.

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:19pm  
You are right. You made absolutely no attempt to create straw man arguments yesterday. None at all.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:25pm  
I am arguing that MB has had a disappointing year, that as the #5 hitter he is expected to drive in runs and hit HR's, and that comparing shortstops to right fielders is stupid. That about cover it?

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:47am  
Hey Rob, It's 'grates on my nerves', unless there's a pun in there I am missing. I really hate that 'love' talk. I don't even know what it means, but in Bradley's case a little self loathing may be in order to initiate some corrective behavior.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:54am  
no pun, just me writing at 1am....thanks.

Submitted by Tito  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:52am  
Just to get a little PC...as someone who works for the Alzheimer's Association, that Lou comment...eh.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:05am  
What's the PC term for a gradual loss of mental ability, senility?

Submitted by Tito  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:11am  
Alzheimer's is a form of dementia (most common form). Senility is kind of an outdated term for dementia. Saying Lou has dementia...again...not something I'd do. Others may. I don't know that there's really a PC term for dementia. FYI, a certain amount of memory loss is common and normal as we age.

Submitted by navigator  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:08am  
"What's the PC term for a gradual loss of mental ability, senility?" "The Big Lowitzski"

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:18pm  
WTF? Stay classy, navigator. You do it so well. BTW - if you want to attempt to make comments attacking one's mental ability, you may want to actually spell your attack correctly.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:08am  

to say the least, I'm not the most PC guy...for example, this makes me laugh everytime I watch it (around 1:40)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqWU9huMMco

but obviously, if Lou or anybody is actually suffering from Alzheimer's or anything similar that would certainly be tragic.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:23am  
Wow, can't believe I've never seen that before. It's inspired me to change my auto-sig even.

Submitted by Dmac  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:04am  
Regardless of the inane sports press in this town, why does MB have to keep giving them fuel to the fire? So what if he doesn't talk to anyone, and then they write how surly he seems. Just put a sock in that blowhole and play. And BTW, that cry of "wacists!" canard is already used up - like the boy who cried wolf, you can only go so many times to that particular well. Why would Lou stay on for another migraine - inducing season like this one? Get another manager to baby - sit his poor widdle players.

Submitted by Ryno  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:26am  
Bradley has not had a good season, certainly not what the Cubs expected and some of his "act" even grades on my generally patient nerves, but he is far from the Cubs most glaring problem in 2009 . He's not even in the top 5 .... Bradley definitely makes himself the story sometimes and that's the part that grades on my nerves, but it's hardly enough to warrant the smear campaign that the Sun-Times is hellbent on pursuing Couldn't have said it better myself. I think the CST are just trying to stay relevant, like with Telander's Ther-roid article.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:17am  
Well that's certainly a good point that was made. The SunTimes sure seems to go over the top on Bradley. As for the Cubs problems this year I'd probably speak in even more generic terms, definitely injury to Ramirez, Soriano, Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Soto, Johnson, etc...a lack of, and stop me if this sounds like a broken record, fundamentals in the field and on the bases, the bullpen horror show, and a lack of production from the corner outfield spots and second base? Jeff Baker thoughts anyone?

Submitted by Charlie  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 9:40am  
Told that some in the media and public were construing his comments to mean he has been the victim of racial abuse, Bradley said, ironically: "America doesn't believe in racism." Bradley, a black man, was asked if he was talking about "hatred" in terms of baseball performance or "hatred" of a personal kind. "I'm talking about hatred, period," he said. "I'm talking about when I go to eat at a restaurant, I've got to listen to the waiters badmouthing me at another table, sitting in a restaurant, that's what I'm talking about. Everything.
Can somebody explain this to me? First off, what does it mean that Bradley said "America doesn't believe in racism." ironically? How did the reporter know it was ironic? And ironic in what way? Ironic as in "[You reporters don't believe that I am facing racism because you, like the rest of America, like to pretend that racism has been abolished]"? Or does it mean "[Racism no longer exists in America because Americans believe that they should not act racistly and thus, don't. Hah]" I'm just not clear. Seems to me that the reporters are trying to ask if Bradley is talking about racism, and Bradley doesn't want to have to come out and call it racism, so he's finding ways to avoid the issue that also happen to make his complaint rather ambiguous. Is it just insensitive behavior, or is it motivated by race? (In Bradley's opinion, that is.)

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:07am  
The thing that most upsets me about that quote is that the reporter doesn't know the correct use of the word 'sarcasm'. I don't think he had any trouble picking up on Milton's sarcasm here. Bradley is probably referring to the 'America has a mulatto president, racism is dead' sentiment.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:06am  
Bradley has mentioned that as a child he was picked on because of his name(according to WSCR) and the left a chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong. I just see April 2010, Bradley hitting .400 6 hrs awesome obp and then....rip. Out for the season with an injury. This the Cubs after all.

Submitted by Rob Richardson  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:40am  
"He's not even in the top 5 (Soriano, the DL, the Bullpen, Hendry/Lou, Soto and Fontenot would be a good start)." Not to start another war, but if Soriano is number one shouldn't Soto be higher on the list. Soriano 240/302/421 Soto 218/323/381 As for Bradley, if he is number 5 does Fukudome rank 6th? Sure he plays center not right, but isn't Bradley a better defensive right fielder than Fukudome is a defensive center fielder. Also, Fukudome makes $5.5 million a year more than Bradley. Bradley 259/391/407 35 RBI 51 Runs Fukudome 278/391/468 47 RBI 60 Runs In the end I just don't understand all of the hate.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:17am  

Soto and Fontenot, while complete wastes of space in the lineup this year, also get paid little and could in theory be more easily replaced...and also play positions that are not normally expected to do as much with the bat.

Soriano, on the other hand, is the Cubs highest paid position player and when you get paid $18M a year,  there's an expectation that you'll be one of the team's best hitters, not a guy with an OPS+ of 85 and a negative WAR value (meaning in theory the Cubs could have basically picked up a scrub off the waiver wire for the leage minimum that would have outproduced him and in this case I think Jake Fox or Micah Hoffpauir would have).

As for Fukudome, being in a strict platoon is gonna bring his counting stats down as will Bradley being sat for no good reason quite a few times this year (while Soriano plays through a bum knee wasting 4-5 PA's a game). I've got  Fukudome leading the team in WAR, so I'd hardly call that a disappointment. I'm guessing he leads in WARP-1 as well, although BP numbers are pretty down on his defense (UZR likes him though).

 

Submitted by John Beasley  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:44am  
The reality show about the Houston Astros debuts tonight. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/20... Insert joke about Astros baseball itself being unwatchable.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:46am  
Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 8:51am.
I think he was called up for 2 days before they DFA'd him...odd move.

===========================================

ROB G: A player on Optional Assignment to the minors must be recalled before he can be Designated for Assignment, traded, or placed on waivers.  

If the Rockies wanted to just place him on Outrright Assignment Waivers, they could have recalled him ("Recalled - Not to Report") while he continued to play at AAA, but apparently the Rockies believe Murt will get claimed if he is placed on Outright Waivers, and they want a week to find out if they can get something back for him in a trade before placing him on irrevocable waivers.

Also, by placing Murton on the Designated List (DFA) instead of leaving him at AAA while he's on waivers, Colorado opens up a spot on their 40-man roster immediately (the roster was full until Murton got DFA'd), instead of having to leave Murton on the 40-man roster for two days (until 1 PM EDT on Friday) while waiting for Murton to clear waivers.

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:46am  
Bradley is a douche. He makes it impossible to root for him or even stand him. No surprise why this is his 7th organization he has played for in 10 seasons. He has had a bad year on the field and a not surprisingly bad year off the field. And while he is not the sole reason, or even the top reason this team has disappointed again this year, I think some people are underestimating his effect on the team. Everything from his early and prolonged offensive struggles to his beefs with the fans, coaches and media to his endless stupid comments has to have taken its toll I am sure. He is a cancer on this team, as I am sure he has been on others and his act grows very tired. It is amazing that the Cubs felt we needed a LH bat this bad. Again, on the face of it, Bradley is not the top reason this team has disappointed again, but don't underestimate how the cancer he is could have spread through this team. There are no stats to prove it and it is extremely unlikely that any players will speak about it, but it would not surprise me if he has been weighing this team down more than even it appears. Hopefully Bradley will go the route of JJ, whom I compared him to very early on and got blasted, and be packing his bags before the end of next season.

Submitted by Rob Richardson  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:57am  
"Everything from his early and prolonged offensive struggles to his beefs with the fans, coaches and media to his endless stupid comments has to have taken its toll I am sure." - Could you please show me the link between Bradley and Soto and Soriano's struggles? - Did Greg not blow saves before he teamed up with Bradley? - Please explain to me how Bradely caused ARam to injure his shoulder? - How did Bradley cause Lilly to strain his knee/shoulder? - Did Bradley break Dempster's toe? - Did Bradley cause Zambrano to hurt his back? - Did Bradley cause Marmol to forget how to throw strikes?

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:29am  
Let me do my best big_lowitski impression... Why do you make shit up? Where did I say Bradley caused all the wrongs with this team? Stop putting words in my mouth or implying I said or means something that I did not. Blah blah blah... Anyway, it is a huge leap (maybe Grand Canyon sized leap) to go from my comment to thinking I am saying Bradley caused all those things and many of the Cubs struggles. I said that I think there is more to it then that is on the surface.

Submitted by Rob Richardson  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:55am  
"Anyway, it is a huge leap (maybe Grand Canyon sized leap) to go from my comment to thinking I am saying Bradley caused all those things and many of the Cubs struggles. I said that I think there is more to it then that is on the surface." Fair enough could you point to one thing or would you rather just vaguely blame him without pointing to any cause and effect? Given all of the issues with the Cubs I just want to make sure which ones I can blame on Bradley instead of Barrett.

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 1:12pm  
No, I can't point to one thing and prove Bradley caused anything. And as I wrote in my original post: "There are no stats to prove it and it is extremely unlikely that any players will speak about it, but it would not surprise me if he has been weighing this team down more than even it appears." It is my opinion. Bradley is a douche.

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:29pm  
Hmmmmm..... "It hasn't been one of our better mixes," Piniella said. "Winning has a lot to do with chemistry. It makes the team come together a lot quicker. Remember, I told you all this spring we had a big turnover. Sometimes it takes a while. It doesn't necessarily just fall in your lap. "But yeah, this hasn't been ... one of my better-chemistry teams."

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 10:54am  
Player A .278/.391/.468, 11 HR 47 RBI, 29 doubles, 5 triples, 60 runs Player B .259/.391/.407, 11 HR, 35 RBI, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 51 runs Salaries aside, who is having a better season? Hopefully, Bradley will continue to thrive hitting second in the lineup where his OBP will be more valuable.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:22am  

Player A has 54 more PA's fwiw...

also fwiw, Bradley is 5th on the team in WAR, behind Fukudome, Lee, Theriot, Ramirez

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:43am  
Point taken Rob. Of course, in those 54 PA's, player A hit 16 doubles and 4 triples to overtake player B.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:48am  

yes, is anyone arguing that Fukudome hasn't had a better year than Bradley? He's probably the team offensive/defensive MVP...

Fukudome  has nicely been shielded being in a strict platoon though.

He's probably a good case study on why I'm not too worried about Bradley. Despite all his struggles last year Fukudome was able to stay patient at the plate and that's usually a good sign of things to come. This year he's shown a little more gap power and hit well with runners on and I really have litte doubts (besides probably an injury) that we'll get a much better full season from Bradley in 2010.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:55am  
I was responding to post#29. I hope that MB has a good rest of the season, and improves in 2010... But I'm not holding my breath just yet.

Submitted by Craig A.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:11am  
Is it a coincidence that Bradley goes 4 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs after shooting off his mouth and getting bad press? Maybe he needs this stuff. Maybe a little hostility gets him revved up. Go ahead MB, tell us what you really think!

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:23am  
If the press is pissed at the way MB treats them they should just stay away from him instead of picking fights with the dude. In 2 more years it won't matter anyway because their jobs will be gone with the death of print media and MB will still be hanging around doing his schtick.

Submitted by Ryno  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:28am  
The press is stupid, I don't care what they say. Thomas Jefferson once said that a man who can not read is better educated than a man that only reads newspapers. Still, if I were GM I would have found Bradley-level talent elsewhere. They don't need the drama.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:56am  
And one of the criticisms of last year's team that got run out of the playoffs in the first round is that they didn't have enough drama.

Submitted by Ryno  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:11pm  
Well then I guess it's safe to say if I were GM I would have ignore that criticism.

Submitted by Jace  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:54am  
Could I just take another moment to lament what I felt was a MAJOR blunder when Hendry failed to gobble up Orlando Hudson? Dude was signed for 3.4 Million... 2-time gold glover, .290 switch-hitter... WTF were the Cubs thinking???? Okay, I'm good for another few days...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:57am  
The Cubs were thinking they already had a starting second basemen and no room in the payroll for a $3.4 million addition. What do I win?

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:01pm  
Hudson has been kind of horrible since June...1st 2 months were great though. If you or anyone else here could have predicted that Bradley would struggle the first half but recover in the 2nd half, while Ibanez and Hudson set the world on fire in the first half, you're all in the wrong line of work and missed your calling.

Submitted by Jace  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:13pm  
This is not a question of picking up Bradley versus picking up Hudson. I am merely lamenting the EXTREMELY poor judgement of not picking Hudson up over all the other second basemen we did pick up.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:14pm  
Now you've really stumped me. What second basemen did we pick up?

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:18pm  
Aaron Miles for 2/5 Instead of O-dawg for 1/3.5

Submitted by Jace  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:25pm  
Aaron F-ing Miles, Jeff F-ing Baker, I think they even stuck Ryan F-ing Freel there at one point... Miles is making 2.2M. Could have had Hudson for just a little more...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:26pm  
Ok. Where do we get the extra $3.3 million in salary and who plays shorstop and third base when Theriot and AramRam don't? You guys are Cubs fans, right?

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:30pm  
Well..I hope that next year, it's someone slightly less sucktastic than Aaron Miles. Mike Fontenot? Back to supersub?

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:35pm  
I would guess there's a pretty good chance of that, the problem is that we're probably not going to have the $5 to $7 million that an established 2nd basemen may fetch in free agency. It looks like Wells is going to be the 4th starter next year, so we will probably shed Harden's salary and go with some AAA scrub, Marshall, or some cheap retread as the #5 guy, but all the other big contracts are still around in 2010, and the Theriots and Fountainouts and Marmols are all getting raises. We may well be looking at some combination of Fontainout, Barney, Miles and Castro to play 2nd base and backup short and third next year.

Submitted by Jace  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:45pm  
What extra 3.3M??? He is making 3.4M this year. Miles is making 2.2M.... The difference in salaries between the two is almost negligible for a club shelling 140 MM... The production sure isn't, though... Please note - this is merely me lamenting that they did not go this route this year. I am not necessarily saying that the Cubs should go after him for next year. I haven't even begun to look at what the Cubs' options will be at 2b next year, but I sure hope that they stop looking for retreads...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:54pm  
Please read comments #53 and #55 for further elaboration.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:36pm  
Of course, Jeff Baker has hit pretty well in a small sample for the Cubs: .322/.371/.544, 3HR, 12 RBI, 12 runs in 97 PA's. I'd like to see him out there the rest of the season.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:42pm  
I don't think it's likely, and as a second basemen he's a fine third basemen, but at least if he keeps it up we won't have to hear about how we need to bring DeRosa back for the next 8 months, so that will be cool.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 1:10pm  
Well his fielding stats show Baker to be at least passable at 2B this season. I don't think that he'll hit this well, but even a .270/.340/460 pace isn't unreasonable.

Submitted by Cubster  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:05pm  
I believe Hudson will be on the market again this offseason. So will DeRosa. 2nd base position will need filling for 2010. http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2009/02/co...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:09pm  
Well, I stand corrected. The Cubs were thinking they already had a second basemen and no room for a $5.25 million additional contract.

Submitted by crunch  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:05pm  
OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!! OMFG MILTON BRADLEY!!

Submitted by Ryno  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:13pm  
...The most reasonable thing I've read all day.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:31pm  
Now that is hilarious!

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:17pm  
Continues to grow: "News: Cedeno (broken right pinky) was scratched shortly before Wednesday's 4-1, 10-inning loss to the Phillies, but he had a pinch-hit double in the seventh." from Stats.

Submitted by Seamhead  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:20pm  
Bradley has missed one of the essential distinctions that comes with being an adult; the difference between taking something seriously and taking something personally. He insists on taking things personally that should only be taken seriously. 99.9% of the time, when fans boo or criticize a player, it's becausse of the player's on-field performance and not a personal attack on the player himself. Thus, fans intend for their criticism to be taken seriously by the player (in hopes of improving that performance), but not personally. Players like Bradley seem to assume that any criticism is meant to injure them personally, and thus they react in kind.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:27pm  
well-said...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:28pm  
Even if this is true, Bradley's behavior is still, what 800 times, more rational than the fans boo him.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:29pm  
Theriot, Bradley, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, Soriano, Fontentot, Hill, Wells

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 12:55pm  
The final irony in the Wrigley Retards booing of Bradley is that he's hitting .314 .432 .526 at home this year.

Submitted by The Joe  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 1:07pm  
Here's my take on the subject: I don't give a shit anymore.

Submitted by MikeVail  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:21pm  
Another beatdown at the hands of the worst team in baseball. I live in DC, and Tom Boswell wrote a column in the Post this morning ripping the Cubs - among other things, claimed that Hendry was ordered by the Tribune to agree to long term contracts to get the team ready for sale (which makes no sense). At the end, he said "bile is running in the aisles at Wrigley." This has been a long season.

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:41pm  
So this Boswell guy is claiming Hendry was ordered? Man, it is amazing how many people constantly give this guy a free pass. I guess that is why he is Teflon Jim.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:51pm  
It will all come out during trial in Nuremberg after the season.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:54pm  
"bile is running in the aisles at Wrigley" I agree, the Ricketts need to fix the bathroom situation right away. I want to wear flip flops to the game.

Submitted by Ryno  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 5:32pm  
That's bilerrific!

Submitted by Mike Vail  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:30pm  
Hi parallel universe MV. I thought they were going to limit Randy Wells's pitching the rest of the year because he's a rook and prone to tiring out, which is what I think is happening here. Then there's our "great" bullpen. Who or what thought Heilman was going to be of any use? Boswell's claim that the Trib ordered Hendry to do a shitty job and dismantle a 97-win team is interesting. I hope Lou stays. The notion of having Steve Stone as GM and Ryno manager is BCB fantasy crap. This year hasn't been much fun to watch.

Submitted by Tito  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:01pm  
How'd the Cubs get their third run? Yahoo, f'd up as per.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:03pm  
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/08/hoffman... can't imagine Harden will get moved, since Cubs will like those 2 draft picks. Heilman can go away...

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:10pm  
Hendry will decline the arbitration just to be a dickhead

Submitted by Cubster  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:22pm  
please, please, please make Heilman go away...I'd even take David Weathers or Bobby Howry back. On second thought...no I won't, just unload Heilman.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:16pm  
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkDU1mr... Translation- Fire me so I can get paid next year, or I will manage games next year with no pants on.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:35pm  
Was Dlee a straight steal?

Submitted by big_lowitzki  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:43pm  
Wild pitch/passed ball.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:52pm  
Ump missed the call, but it was close.

Submitted by jacos  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:53pm  
Thanks

Submitted by Mike Vail  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 3:58pm  
rally time woo ....against the Natinalszzzz woo woo woo

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:10pm  
Fuck.

Submitted by Vegas Brian  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:12pm  
Anybody else wonder if MB made the 3rd out on purpose? We all know he wouldn't want the game to go extras at Wrigley...

Submitted by navigator  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:53pm  
When's it going to dawn on fans that Milton Bradley has made it decidedly unkewl to sit in the bleachers?

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 5:08pm  
heh, now that would be an awesome question to ask Bradley after the game...just for the response.

Submitted by mannytrillo  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:14pm  
Hey STL lost, so we are still only 9 games back. WOO!

Submitted by navigator  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:56pm  
In the postgame interview, Lou said he didn't care what the Cardinals were doing. We need some wins.

Submitted by billybucks  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:32pm  
In a season full of defining moments of suckiness, losing 2 of 3 at home to the Nationals in late August ranks right up there. Will Hendry show his face at this year's Cubs Convention?

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:38pm  
Maybe he'll set up a fall guy to take the heat like he did after the '04 season.

Submitted by Tito  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:39pm  
Yes, for the free food. Hiyo! Just thought be the first one on that.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 6:44pm  
last 14 games... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.... 324/395/676 in 43 PA's, 3 HR, 2 2B, 1 3B, 10 K, 5 BB

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:22pm  
I believe that also includes hitting for the cycle.

Submitted by rokfish  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 6:59pm  
So Gale Sayers in his interview after singing in 7th the new Soldier Field has to be one of the two best football stadiums in the NFL. HUH I could think of a few better just in the nfc. Arizona,Dallas,Detroit,Tampa.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 7:14pm  
Detroit and Arizona are indoors, right? I know it's not quite as romantic as baseball, and it's not that fun sitting in the freezing cold, but eff that...football and baseball are meant to be played outdoors.

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The first 600 characters of the last 16 comments, click "View" to see rest of comment.
  • crunch 18 hours 52 min ago (view)

    kolten wong rumors heating up for the cubs, too.  i could live with that.  giving nico hoerner 600 ab's a year sounds absolutely terrible after what little he did last year.

     
  • Cubster 21 hours 8 min ago (view)

    WSCR online reporting that the Cubs are going to watch lefty Carlos Rondon pitch. They desperately need another lefty that breaks down with the regularity of my Comcast service. 

     
  • crunch 21 hours 22 min ago (view)

    imagine being so toxic that you go from a no-doubt 1st or 2nd year HOF'r to having to try for it in your 10th year...and then imagine doubling down on the toxicity every chance you get a chance to redeem yourself.

    every time he's called out, even for minor stuff, he piles on more and then complains that people that have an issue with him are "cancelling" him for no good reason.

    he deleted a slew of "those people that stormed the capital are great people" posts pre-election so he has some kind of self-awareness in that skull of his somewhere.

     
  • Cubster 21 hours 57 min ago (view)

    I'm all for removing him from the ballot. His bloody sock already made it. That was enuf.

     
  • Dolorous Jon Lester 23 hours 28 min ago (view)

    Ranting about how the elections (both his and the other clown's) were stolen.

    I hope he ends up one vote short next year, just to really rub it in.

     
  • crunch 1 day 28 min ago (view)

    currently he's throwing a tantrum and demanding to be removed from the HOF ballot for 2022.

     
  • Hagsag 1 day 2 hours ago (view)

    Will Schilling storm the HOF with a mob?

     
  • crunch 1 day 14 hours ago (view)

    schilling denied (71.1%, 16 votes short).

    some people did nazi that coming.

    no one inducted this year...aram got 1% of the vote so he found more than 1 vote out there (4 votes).  latroy hawkins got 2 votes for being a solid dude to other people (very friendly with the press and pretty much everyone)...sosa got 17% of the vote...

    schilling/bonds/clemens are going in their last eligible class in 2022...could be a hell of a "controversial" class...but bonds/clemens need to find 50+ votes.

     
  • Sonicwind75 1 day 19 hours ago (view)

    Arizona is allowing fans in the stands for indoor NHL hockey games but it's too dangerous to let players following protocals; at least more so than hockey fans, to practice outside in a controlled environment.  Wonder how much of that is coming from MLB ownership trying to get a late start and pro-rating player salaries. Stall and save some money until more fans are allowed to attend later in the year. 

     
  • crunch 1 day 20 hours ago (view)

    few hours away from HOF announcements (6pm EST, unless leaked early).

    schilling seems to be the only guy with a legit shot this year and i wouldn't be surprised to see no one get elected...

    big up aramis rarmirez getting at least 1 known vote on publically shared ballots.

     
  • crunch 2 days 17 hours ago (view)

    "MLB will hold its first-ever pre-draft combine from June 20-28 in Cary, North Carolina.

    The combine will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, with top draft-eligible college and high school players invited. As part of the combine, the top-88 prep players will take part in a tournament through June 26th consisting of eight games."

     
  • crunch 2 days 18 hours ago (view)

    cactus league officials are requesting MLB delay spring training because of elevated COVID cases + deaths.

    their summer peak was 70-80 deaths a week and they're currently at 140-160 deaths a week.

    things should be trending down now that most of people that wanted to kill relatives in order to have turkey dinners in NOV/DEC seems to have peaked.

     
  • Hagsag 3 days 15 hours ago (view)

    $$$$ for trump's defense fund.

     
  • Dolorous Jon Lester 3 days 15 hours ago (view)

    But they got $600 a few months back. Each! That was an unexpected windfall.

    Can't wait to see us acquire a 17 year old, 16 year old, 11 year old (all in the 15-30 range of Blue Jays prospects) and one of the shitty Jays surplus OFs. Randal Grichuk jerseys will be the new hot item among Cubs fans.

     
  • crunch 3 days 16 hours ago (view)

    things are a little tight, we have to be patient with the ricketts family finances.

    when TD Ameritrade was fully/completely sold in october they expected to get 26 billion dollars of value on the transaction, but it only got 22 billion dollars.  the massive slew of millions that didn't fully come to realization on the ricketts side of that sale stings.

     
  • Dolorous Jon Lester 3 days 16 hours ago (view)

    Trade Hendricks? Cant be true. We're "going to be competitive this year."

    Sell the team, Ricketts family.

     
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