I’ve gotten to the point in the Cubs season where I don’t even get upset anymore when they lose. Sometimes I think it is injuries that killed the team, other times I blame it on underachieving players. It’s a mix of both I suppose, but does it really matter? The result is the same.
The Cubs lost to the Cardinals again yesterday 2-1. It was their third straight loss and their fourth loss in the past five games. I want to get angry and blame them for not rising to the occasion, but then I see that they are marching Bobby Scales and Micah Hoffpauir out as the starting left and right fielder respectively, and I just sigh.
Colorado beat Arizona yesterday to increase their Wildcard lead to 8.0 games over the Cubs with 16 games to play. I know, it’s not happening.
The Cubs will try to salvage one game in their series with St. Louis by sending Carlos Zambrano (8-6) to the mound against Cy Young hopeful Adam Wainwright (18-8). It doesn’t get any easier, does it?
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In an interview with Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, Milton Bradley opened up and let everyone know what a complete horse’s ass he really is. For some of us, it was already clear. For those last few hold outs, it should be clear now.
Miles apparently asked Bradley several questions regarding his left knee injury and his on-field performance, but Bradley refused to answer. The only question he would answer was when Miles asked him if he was enjoying his first season in Chicago.
“Not really,” he said. “It’s just not a positive environment. I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment. There’s too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly. Everything is just bashing you. You go out there and you play harder than anybody on the field and never get credit for it. It’s just negativity.
“And you understand why they haven’t won in 100 years here, because it’s negative. It’s what it is.”
Asked whether he was talking about the fans, the media or even the Cubs organization, he replied: “It’s everything. It’s everybody.”
Of course, it’s everybody but Milton. The man takes absolutely no responsibility for his own actions or his own crappy performance. It’s everyone else’s fault. It’s the fans, it’s the manager, it’s the other players, it’s everyone and everything, but it’s not Milton’s fault.
Let’s break down Milton’s comments:
“It’s just not a positive environment.” — There’s no one more negative associated with the Cubs than Bradley, but he wants to complain about the “negative environment” as if it is totally unrelated to him. If there is a negative environment either on the field or in the clubhouse, it’s because of Bradley. Perhaps he should recognize that the dark cloud he complains of follows him wherever he goes.
“I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment.” — “That’s all I need, just a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment, this chair, and a $30 million contract.” Please, this is such a lame excuse. What is not stable, healthy, or enjoyable about playing for the Cubs. Others seem to enjoy, even relish, the experience of playing for the Cubs. Maybe the environment would be more stable, healthy and enjoyable if the overpaid right fielder was doing his job instead of finding new things to complain about every day.
“There’s too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly.” — Milton, you’re a professional athlete. Reporters get paid to ask you questions. Many of them are jerks, but that comes with the territory. If you want to be left alone, dig ditches for a living. Have you noticed that reporters ask other players questions and they don’t act like jackasses? Maybe you should give it a try.
“Everything is just bashing you.” — Of course everything and everyone is bashing you. You’re having a horrible season. Try taking responsibility for your performance and your attitude, and maybe people will cut you a little slack. By the way, if you take me up on my offer to be a ditch digger and you do a crappy job, people will still bash you for it. It’s a sad fact of life.
“You go out there and you play harder than anybody on the field and never get credit for it.” — What? You’ve got to be kidding. I can’t say that I’ve seen you dog it out on the field, but neither do I recall you ever putting forth more effort than anyone else. Plus, aren’t you the same guy that said he prays games go no longer than nine innings? It seems to me that the guy giving the most effort on the team would do it for however long the game goes, not just nine innings. Sorry Milton, but I’m going to have to throw a big BS flag on you for this ridiculous comment. Don’t hurt yourself while you’re patting yourself on the back and throwing your teammates under the bus. If only the rest of the team would play as hard as you. Puhlease…
“It’s just negativity.” — Refer to the comment above concerning Milton Bradley being the sourse of all negativity.
“And you understand why they haven’t won in 100 years here, because it’s negative. It’s what it is.” — Yeah, that’s it. The Cubs haven’t won a World Series in more than 100 years because 1) of the environment Milton Bradley deems as negative, and 2) because no one gives Milton Bradley the credit he so richly deserves for being the hardest working player in all of Cubdom. It’s so clear to me now.
“Asked whether he was talking about the fans, the media or even the Cubs organization, he replied: “It’s everything. It’s everybody.” — Again, it’s everybody’s fault, but Milton’s.
I was not a fan of Milton Bradley’s signing. From the beginning I thought bringing him to the Cubs was a bad fit. Naturally, I was somewhat concerned about his inability to stay healthy, but I was even more concerned with his attitude and behavior. He has done absolutely nothing this year to prove that my concerns about his attitude and behavior were unwarranted. His one year in Chicago has been a train wreck, not because of anyone else, but because of Bradley himself. Has the press been tough on him? Sure. Does that justify his behavior? Absolutely not.
The Cubs have to get rid of Bradley at all costs. Even if they have to pay a good chunk of his salary to move him, it will be better for the team than to keep him in the organization. And it’s a pretty sad statement about a player to say that the team would be better off paying someone else to take him.
