The suspension of Milton Bradley by Cubs GM Jim Hendry continues to be the big story surrounding the Cubs. Even as they beat the Brewers last night 10-2 to pull to within 7.5 games of idle Colorado in the Wildcard race, the focus remained on Bradley’s suspension.
Hal Bodley of MLB.com weighed in to express his support for Jim Hendry’s decision to suspend Bradley. He starts his article by saying:
Hats off to Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry. He finally had enough of Milton Bradley’s behavior and showed him the door on Sunday.
He goes on to say:
Hendry and manager Lou Piniella — not to mention the players — have swallowed hard and tolerated Bradley most of this disappointing season, but when the outfielder began openly criticizing the Cubs, their fans and the media, he had to go.
David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune wrote a story after he spoke to Bradley’s mother and his minister in Carson, CA. Bradley’s pastor shared some words of inspiration with the suspended right fielder, and his mother offered her suupport. She also claimed that there was more going on behind the scenes that upset Bradley. For instance, Bradley’s mother claimed that Bradley’s 3-year old son was the victim of a racial slur and that really upset Bradley. I hate to think that could be true, but even if it is, it doesn’t begin to explain Bradley’s somewhat bizarre behavior.
Haugh offers his take on the situation:
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.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com also picked up on the theme of Bradley’s teammates not having much sympathy for him. Apparently, the mood in the Cubs locker room was much improved as soon as Bradley was gone.
The Cubs declined to comment on the report. Piniella said the team needs to move forward, and on Monday, it appeared the players had done just that. The mood in the visitors’ clubhouse at Miller Park was more positive and upbeat than it has been all season. Bradley, obviously, not only didn’t contribute on the field, but didn’t help team chemistry at all.
Fred Mitchell with the Chicago Tribune interviewed former Cub Andre Dawson about the Milton Bradley suspension. Dawson said he didn’t understand Bradley’s behavior or comments.
“(Former Cubs manager) Don Zimmer always said it best,” Dawson said Monday from Miami. “The only thing that he expected was that you show up on time and you do not go out and disrespect the fans, the media and your teammates.”
Dawson continued:
“I have never met Milton Bradley. But I would tell him that this (chance to play for the Cubs) is a blessing,” he said. “And you shouldn’t take for granted what it is you are blessed with. The game can humble you, and your career could end at any time.
“You are one of a select few players who get to do this, and do it for a number of years. You want to make as much as you can as long as you can. And don’t allow an organization to take that uniform. You want to give the uniform back, hopefully, on your terms, and not find yourself in the position where you are out of the game or unemployed because of selfish behavior or behavior that is not conducive to what you are trying to accomplish out there on the playing field.”
Even though everyone seems to be supporting Hendry and the Cubs, the one piece of bad news they got yesterday was from Jayson Stark at ESPN.com who reported that the MLBPA was looking into the possibility of filing a grievance on Bradley’s behalf. Here’s what I found surprising:
However, the Cubs have yet to issue a formal notice of the suspension to either Bradley, his agents or the union. Once that notice has been received, Weiner said the union would confer with Bradley and his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, before deciding whether to proceed with the grievance.
Bradley hasn’t yet been informed whether the suspension is with or without pay. He also hasn’t been told what the specific basis for the suspension was.
Maybe it’s just a formality, but it seems odd to me that Bradley hasn’t been told whether or not he is going to be paid, or even why he is being suspended.
**********
I’ve been consistent in my criticism of Milton Bradley. While I’m happy that Bradley will likely be gone next year, I don’t agree with the way some reporters are handling Bradley’s suspension. For instance, in the David Haugh article I referenced earlier, Haugh referred to Bradley as the “designated pouter.” Is it really necessary to pile on?
Even more disturbing to me was this message the Trib’s Paul Sullivan sent via Twitter last night:
The cork has finally popped in Miller Park press box. Cubs beat writers celebrate the end of an era.
That kind of message is completely unprofessional and inappropriate. It destroys any pretense of objectivity and lends credibility to those who claim that Chicago reporters (particularly Paul Sullivan) had a vendetta against Bradley. I can understand reporters being upset with the disrespectful way that Bradley treated them, but you still have to be professional and objective.
**********
Actually, there was one lone voice, crying in the wilderness, that was critical of the Bradley suspension. Dave Kaplan, who hosts Chicago Tribune Live on Comcast Sports Net and writes a blog on Chicago Now, was critical of the role Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella played in allowing the situation to get so bad. Here’s what Kaplan had to say:
While Bradley is a complete jerk, this situation also has to call into question the way he was handled by the organization and by manager Lou Piniella. Bradley has played poorly all season long, and yet at no point was he ever in danger of losing his position in right field. For that, you have to blame the manager.
Lou Piniella makes out the lineup card. And while he sat in the dugout and watched Bradley struggle, he continued to play him on a nightly basis. Don’t forget that Lou also saw all of the BS that was going on behind the scenes, and he knew that Bradley was a terrible presence in the clubhouse. Jim Hendry signed Bradley and also saw what was going on all season long. Today 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.
Kaplan goes on to say:
Suspending him now is not really taking a tough stand. It doesn’t really matter now, because Milton Bradley has been a divisive force since the season started. Furthermore, the Cubs enabled him by not controlling him or taking a stand against him until September 20th. For that, they should be blamed.
I’m glad that his tenure as a Cub is coming to a close, but this season really fell apart when the Cubs failed to realize the importance of clubhouse presence, which is essential in a sport where you play 162 games a season and you spend 6 months together virtually everyday.
I understood the move to let Kerry Wood go, but he was huge force in the Cubs clubhouse and his role was never replaced. Then Mark DeRosa was traded, and another clubhouse leader was gone and in his place came Milton Bradley who was an awful influence on the team. Add in the antics of Carlos Zambrano, the injury to Aramis Ramirez, and the poor performance of Alfonso Soriano and you can see why the 2009 Cubs were such a failure in so many ways.
That last paragraph is an important one. The Cubs did not have an overabundance of team leaders last year. Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa were the strongest leaders on the team along with Ryan Dempster. What was Hendry thinking by getting rid of Wood and DeRosa, and replacing them with a guy who is an anti-leader? It really wasn’t very well thought out, was it?
