Cubs say "enough is enough" suspend Bradley for the rest of the season
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From the Chicago Tribune:
ST. LOUIS -- Milton Bradley had no reaction Sunday after hearing the news he was suspended for the rest of the season for conduct detrimental to the organization.
Bradley listened intently to general manager Jim Hendry, then asked if they were done.
While the Bradley era may have ended in silence, the noise he created during his nine months as a Cub will linger long after he's gone.
The hard part for Hendry begins this offseason, when he tries to find a team that will take Bradley and the remaining $21 million of his contract off his hands. Bradley will then begin the task of resurrecting his reputation, after self-destructing in spectacular fashion.
"At the end of the day, he was provided a great opportunity to be part of a really great organization with a lot of really good guys," pitcher Ryan Dempster said. "It just didn't seem to make him happy -- anything. Hopefully this is a little bit of a wake-up call for him, and he'll realize how good of a gig you have.
"It probably became one of those things where you start saying things that you're putting the blame on everybody else. Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself."
Bradley had been more erratic than usual this weekend, telling teammates he was having marital difficulties and sparring with hitting coach Von Joshua. Hendry spent the last three days contemplating the suspension.
Bradley's downfall began when he pulled himself from Thursday's game with apparent knee soreness, one day after manager Lou Piniella pulled him after the third inning on a double switch. Bradley's angry postgame media session embarrassed the organization, and his tug of war the last few days with Piniella became untenable.
Bradley took himself out of Saturday's lineup, then refused to pinch-hit late in the game, leading to Joshua getting in his face. When Bradley complained to the Daily Herald about "negativity" surrounding the organization, Hendry finally pulled the plug.
Hendry mentioned the "issues we've all lived with during the year," referring to Bradley's publicized battles with umpires, fans and the Chicago media.
"The last few days became too much for me to tolerate," Hendry said. "I'm certainly not going to let our great fans become an excuse. I'm not going to tolerate not being able to answer questions from the media respectfully. Whether you feel like talking or not, it's part of all of our jobs.
"There's a right way to do it and a wrong way. I'm not going to allow disrespect to other people in that locker room and uniformed personnel, and I'm certainly not going to let a player, as was mentioned in the article today, (talk about) negativity of the organization."
Hendry added the "only real negativity" was Bradley's production (12 HRs, 40 RBIs in 393 at-bats).
Bradley could not be reached for comment, and his agent, Seth Levinson, did not return phone calls.
Piniella, who had a confrontation with Bradley in June during a Cubs- White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field, was asked if he could've done anything to improve their relationship.
"I don't know what I could've done," he said. "I've tried to make it as comfortable as I possibly could for Milton. Like I said, I learned fairly early on that giving him space was the best approach."
Cubs players were generally unsympathetic to Bradley's plight. Several disputed his assertion the media was hounding him.
"When you say everybody is out to get you and reporters are always looking for you to stick a microphone in your face, if you notice they're always looking for you, maybe you're always looking for them," Dempster said.
Aramis Ramirez, who believes Bradley will be gone next year, agreed with Hendry's decision.
"If you don't want to be here, send him home," he said.
Derrek Lee said Bradley had a lot of pent-up frustration and "didn't let it out the right way" with his angry diatribes.
"From our standpoint, nobody was making an effort to isolate him from groups," Reed Johnson said. "For the most part, that was his choice."
ST. LOUIS -- Milton Bradley had no reaction Sunday after hearing the news he was suspended for the rest of the season for conduct detrimental to the organization.
Bradley listened intently to general manager Jim Hendry, then asked if they were done.
While the Bradley era may have ended in silence, the noise he created during his nine months as a Cub will linger long after he's gone.
The hard part for Hendry begins this offseason, when he tries to find a team that will take Bradley and the remaining $21 million of his contract off his hands. Bradley will then begin the task of resurrecting his reputation, after self-destructing in spectacular fashion.
"At the end of the day, he was provided a great opportunity to be part of a really great organization with a lot of really good guys," pitcher Ryan Dempster said. "It just didn't seem to make him happy -- anything. Hopefully this is a little bit of a wake-up call for him, and he'll realize how good of a gig you have.
"It probably became one of those things where you start saying things that you're putting the blame on everybody else. Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself."
Bradley had been more erratic than usual this weekend, telling teammates he was having marital difficulties and sparring with hitting coach Von Joshua. Hendry spent the last three days contemplating the suspension.
Bradley's downfall began when he pulled himself from Thursday's game with apparent knee soreness, one day after manager Lou Piniella pulled him after the third inning on a double switch. Bradley's angry postgame media session embarrassed the organization, and his tug of war the last few days with Piniella became untenable.
Bradley took himself out of Saturday's lineup, then refused to pinch-hit late in the game, leading to Joshua getting in his face. When Bradley complained to the Daily Herald about "negativity" surrounding the organization, Hendry finally pulled the plug.
Hendry mentioned the "issues we've all lived with during the year," referring to Bradley's publicized battles with umpires, fans and the Chicago media.
"The last few days became too much for me to tolerate," Hendry said. "I'm certainly not going to let our great fans become an excuse. I'm not going to tolerate not being able to answer questions from the media respectfully. Whether you feel like talking or not, it's part of all of our jobs.
"There's a right way to do it and a wrong way. I'm not going to allow disrespect to other people in that locker room and uniformed personnel, and I'm certainly not going to let a player, as was mentioned in the article today, (talk about) negativity of the organization."
Hendry added the "only real negativity" was Bradley's production (12 HRs, 40 RBIs in 393 at-bats).
Bradley could not be reached for comment, and his agent, Seth Levinson, did not return phone calls.
Piniella, who had a confrontation with Bradley in June during a Cubs- White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field, was asked if he could've done anything to improve their relationship.
"I don't know what I could've done," he said. "I've tried to make it as comfortable as I possibly could for Milton. Like I said, I learned fairly early on that giving him space was the best approach."
Cubs players were generally unsympathetic to Bradley's plight. Several disputed his assertion the media was hounding him.
"When you say everybody is out to get you and reporters are always looking for you to stick a microphone in your face, if you notice they're always looking for you, maybe you're always looking for them," Dempster said.
Aramis Ramirez, who believes Bradley will be gone next year, agreed with Hendry's decision.
"If you don't want to be here, send him home," he said.
Derrek Lee said Bradley had a lot of pent-up frustration and "didn't let it out the right way" with his angry diatribes.
"From our standpoint, nobody was making an effort to isolate him from groups," Reed Johnson said. "For the most part, that was his choice."
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Comments
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
Attitude problems aside, why would you sign him to a three year, 30 million dollar contract when he simply cannot stay healthy? Stupidity is why.
Jim Hendry is not very good, plain and simple. With new ownership, he may get axed for this signing...especially when they look how much they will be paying Soriano for the next several years when he is going to be washed up.
1.) Milton Bradley : MLB ::
(A) Terrell Owens : NFL
(B) Stephan Marbury : NBA
(C) Sean Avery : NHL
(D) John McEnroe : Tennis
(E) ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!
I started a thread about this back in January 2009
<FONT face=Verdana>???? would anybody sign Milton Badlee(sic)</FONT>
SKY
<< <i>For those of you who have ever taken an SAT here's one off the Verbal test.
1.) Milton Bradley : MLB ::
(A) Terrell Owens : NFL
(B) Stephan Marbury : NBA
(C) Sean Avery : NHL
(D) John McEnroe : Tennis
(E) ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! >>
there is an "I" in tennis, so McEnroe does not apply...the others sure are cancers to a team.
Still won another championship, though.
<< <i>What a magical, mystical place they live in. >>
You can thank the MLB and NBA PAs for that. On the other hand, the NFLPA, not so much.
edited for typo, dmna dyslexia