So, Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley thinks the umps are against him in retaliation for an incident last month that resulted in a one-game suspension.
Come on, Milton, shut up, grow up, and most of all, show up.
Bradley said the umps are forcing him to swing at bad pitches because of a widened strike zone. Excuses, excuses.
"Unfortunately, I just think it's a lot of 'Oh, you did this to my colleague,' or 'We're going to get him any time we can,'" Bradley said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "As soon as he gets two strikes, we're going to call whatever and see what he does. Let's try to ruin Milton Bradley."
What is it with this guy? He truly seems to be paranoid. Oliver Stone has nothing on Milton.
"I don't think I'm doing anything wrong. There's a lot involved, and it's a lot of politics where there's nothing you can do about it."
It's always something with Milton Bradley. When Jim Hendry gave three years to this guy (and yes, it is three years, because all he has to do is play in 75 games to guarantee the final year), he was overlooking the obvious risk.
Hendry and Piniella were blinded by irrational thoughts of being too right-handed.
Of course, there were other players out there who could have fit this supposed need without the distractions. Raul Ibanez, Adam Dunn, and Bobby Abreu, to name a few.
But that's all water under the bridge now. We're stuck with him.
As the season goes on, it's becoming more and more painfully obvious that this season is on Hendry and Piniella. If we don't win this year, look no further than those two. Sure, the players need to step up, but it was this flawed master plan that has put us in a position where we have left-handed (or switch-hitting) batters "just because".
It's like having a lousy lefty in the bullpen "just because". Oh wait, we have that too. Look, I'll take a good right-handed pitcher (or hitter) if he's better than the alternative.
I guess something had to be the scapegoat for that awful performance in last year's playoffs. Too bad it was the wrong thing.
My advice to Milton Bradley is to keep his mouth shut. Even if he was right about the umpires conspiring against him, coming out and saying these things in the press is not going to help that situation any.
We didn't win in the playoffs because we were too right-handed. Derrek Lee lost his power because he broke his wrist three years ago. We can't hit without Aramis Ramirez.
And now, Bradley is struggling because it's the umpires fault.
This is beginning to sound suspiciously similar to the Dusty Baker years, where nothing was his fault and there was an excuse for everything.
Well excuse me, but I'm tired of the excuses. Just play ball, Milton, and save the rhetoric, come to think of it.
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