Bradley Suspended for the Rest of the Season

[fiver]

quote from Hendry:

 

"I just decided late last night that's what I was going to do, and I didn't give it a lot of thought what's going to transpire moving forward," Hendry said. "I just felt like it was time to do this."

 

...so basically Hendry admits he made an emotional decision without thinking about how his action would affect the future.

 

Who cares. This needed to be done.

 

Right. Just because it was a rash decision doesn't mean it was a wrong one.

 

I disagree. In that situation, Hendry should have done everything he could to minimize the significance of Bradley's comments. To the media, you have to assert that you 'understand Bradley's frustration with the season' even if you've decided that you are going to unload him in the offseason. You additionally decrease Bradley's value by suspending him and then publicly saying you don't think the relationship between Bradley and the Cubs is reparable. Executives shouldn't really make decisions based upon emotion. You have to put emotion aside and try to manage the situation whichever way is going to set you up best for the future.

[Wilson A2000]

quote from Hendry:

 

"I just decided late last night that's what I was going to do, and I didn't give it a lot of thought what's going to transpire moving forward," Hendry said. "I just felt like it was time to do this."

 

...so basically Hendry admits he made an emotional decision without thinking about how his action would affect the future.

 

Who cares. This needed to be done.

 

Right. Just because it was a rash decision doesn't mean it was a wrong one.

 

I disagree. In that situation, Hendry should have done everything he could to minimize the significance of Bradley's comments. To the media, you have to assert that you 'understand Bradley's frustration with the season' even if you've decided that you are going to unload him in the offseason. You additionally decrease Bradley's value by suspending him and then publicly saying you don't think the relationship between Bradley and the Cubs is reparable. Executives shouldn't really make decisions based upon emotion. You have to put emotion aside and try to manage the situation whichever way is going to set you up best for the future.

 

But you also have to figure in what Bradley's statements mean to the rest of the team. You can't get away with that stuff. You don't have to be a disciplinarian, but you have to do something.

[Wilson A2000]

quote from Hendry:

 

"I just decided late last night that's what I was going to do, and I didn't give it a lot of thought what's going to transpire moving forward," Hendry said. "I just felt like it was time to do this."

 

...so basically Hendry admits he made an emotional decision without thinking about how his action would affect the future.

 

Who cares. This needed to be done.

 

Right. Just because it was a rash decision doesn't mean it was a wrong one.

 

I disagree. In that situation, Hendry should have done everything he could to minimize the significance of Bradley's comments. To the media, you have to assert that you 'understand Bradley's frustration with the season' even if you've decided that you are going to unload him in the offseason. You additionally decrease Bradley's value by suspending him and then publicly saying you don't think the relationship between Bradley and the Cubs is reparable. Executives shouldn't really make decisions based upon emotion. You have to put emotion aside and try to manage the situation whichever way is going to set you up best for the future.

 

But you also have to figure in what Bradley's statements mean to the rest of the team. You can't get away with that stuff. You don't have to be a disciplinarian, but you have to do something.

[Larry Horse]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/09/dempster-on-bradley-look-in-the-mirror.html

 

(Keep in mind this story will have the built in "destroy Milton Bradley" media bias, so take with a grain of salt)

 

"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," 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 and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and (not) wanting to have some fun. It didn't seem like he wanted to have some fun, even from spring training.

 

"Hopefully this is something that can be good for his career and good for him as a person."

 

What a racist that Dempster must be.

Edited September 21, 2009 by Larry Horse

[cubstitlelives]

I can't wait for the Cubs to trade him for pennies on the dollar and then for Bradley to hit .330 for another team next year

 

lololol

 

yeah, you're right, he's totally going to hit .250 every year from now on

 

So, a guy who is a career .277 hitter is going to hit .330? Ok.

[toonsterwu]

I think that presumes that the Cubs were going to have strong leverage to make a MB trade this offseason and that there would be enough of a market for Milton's services. Thing was, I'm not sold the market for a guy like MB would ever be as big as his talents, due primarily to his baggage, but also to his mediocre defense and injury history. As such ... I don't have a problem with the decision, and reading the players comments on the decision, where no one really rallied to Milton's defense (keep in mind that, in previous stops, it was always said that, despite the baggage, his teammates would rally for him), and there's a part of me that wonders if it happened too late.

 

With 2/21 remaining and rumors starting awhile back that we were going to shop him this offseason, along with the aforementioned reasons, we were going to have to eat a chunk of the contract anyways. We'll likely have to make a bad contract swap now, along with eating some money. It wouldn't stun me if we had to swallow the deal and DFA him as a result. Nothing's ideal in this situation, but if the teammates aren't rallying around him and he's being a problem, well, if they can't find a deal, then you move on.

[cubstitlelives]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/09/dempster-on-bradley-look-in-the-mirror.html

 

(Keep in mind this story will have the built in "destroy Milton Bradley" media bias, so take with a grain of salt)

 

"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," 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 and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and (not) wanting to have some fun. It didn't seem like he wanted to have some fun, even from spring training.

 

"Hopefully this is something that can be good for his career and good for him as a person."

 

What a racist.

 

But, but, the Bradley defenders say he hasn't had a negative impact on the team or clubhouse. Demp MUST BE a racist. :rotfl:

[kujay]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/09/dempster-on-bradley-look-in-the-mirror.html

 

(Keep in mind this story will have the built in "destroy Milton Bradley" media bias, so take with a grain of salt)

 

"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," 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 and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and (not) wanting to have some fun. It didn't seem like he wanted to have some fun, even from spring training.

 

"Hopefully this is something that can be good for his career and good for him as a person."

 

What a racist.

 

But, but, the Bradley defenders say he hasn't had a negative impact on the team or clubhouse. Demp MUST BE a racist. :rotfl:

 

Just read that article, and I think it says more than anything else that his teammates apparently have no sympathy. And how about A-Ram, saying he barely ever talked to him. That says to me Bradley decided long ago he had no interest in making this work.

[Rob]

quote from Hendry:

 

"I just decided late last night that's what I was going to do, and I didn't give it a lot of thought what's going to transpire moving forward," Hendry said. "I just felt like it was time to do this."

 

...so basically Hendry admits he made an emotional decision without thinking about how his action would affect the future.

 

Who cares. This needed to be done.

 

Right. Just because it was a rash decision doesn't mean it was a wrong one.

 

It was wrong from baseball and business perspectives.

 

Are you really going to argue the personal impact of making a few guys on a non-playoff team happy for the next few weeks is worth the cost?

Edited September 21, 2009 by Rob

[ToupeeOnFire]

I'm gonna stay out of this for my own mental health.

 

People who hate Bradley are at least partially racist, and at least partially don't know anything about baseball.

Unbelievable. I guess if you have the temerity to look slightly askance at Milton Bradley's conduct, you are a racist.

 

That must make Derek Lee, Ryan Dempster, Reed Johnson and Aramis Ramirez card-carrying Klan members..

 

Milton Bradley needs to get help.

[OleMissCub]

there's some pretty damning stuff in that article.

 

wow

[Old Style]

I've been a Bradley basher for most of the season, but saw what he did the last month or so and was looking forward to seeing what he could do in the #2 hole all season next year. But he brought this on himself. He is mentally weak and was trying to buy his way out of town. Congrats to Milton, it looks like he is going to get his wish.

[Derwood]

I can't wait for the Cubs to trade him for pennies on the dollar and then for Bradley to hit .330 for another team next year

 

lololol

 

yeah, you're right, he's totally going to hit .250 every year from now on

 

So, a guy who is a career .277 hitter is going to hit .330? Ok.

 

hyperbole, have you heard of it?

 

Even if he hits .290 next year it will be a damning reflection on Hendry

[OleMissCub]

Even if he hits .290 next year it will be a damning reflection on Hendry

 

I don't think so. He wasn't producing worth squat and his teammates clearly didn't care for his attitude (and it's probably worse than what they admitted to in the article).

[Keener98]

ARam says if he didnt want to talk to the media then he shouldnt have talked to them....Umm Aramis, he tried that, and our dumbass manager and worthless GM got on his ass for not talking to them, and pushed him towards talking to them.

 

This organization is a mess, and really is a laughing stock of professional sports.

[Flames24Rulz]

So the Jim Hendry specialty strikes again. Let's bring the player to his lowest value before trading him!

 

I can't wait until Hendry releases a tape of Bradley throwing things around in the clubhouse before leaving.

[Larry Horse]

This organization is a mess

 

Now we're getting somewhere.

[Gingerballs Lives]

Even if he hits .290 next year it will be a damning reflection on Hendry

 

I don't think so. He wasn't producing worth squat and his teammates clearly didn't care for his attitude (and it's probably worse than what they admitted to in the article).

 

Agreed. That article told me all I need to know about Bradley.

 

Get what you can for him in the offseason and move on.

[Rob]

Even if he hits .290 next year it will be a damning reflection on Hendry

 

I don't think so. He wasn't producing worth squat and his teammates clearly didn't care for his attitude (and it's probably worse than what they admitted to in the article).

 

Again, on a per plate appearance basis, Milton Brady was producing almost exactly like an average RF. He was average in the field as well. To say he "wasn't producing worth squat" is flat out wrong, at best.

 

Hate Milton Bradley for being a dick all you want. Hate him for being worth about 3 mil less than his contract for all I care. But saying he wasn't performing is absurd.

[OleMissCub]

 

Hate Milton Bradley for being a dick all you want. Hate him for being worth about 3 mil worth less than his contract for all I care. But saying he wasn't performing is absurd.

 

Well he wasn't producing like he was getting paid for, how about that.

[Rob]

 

Hate Milton Bradley for being a dick all you want. Hate him for being worth about 3 mil worth less than his contract for all I care. But saying he wasn't performing is absurd.

 

Well he wasn't producing like he was getting paid for, how about that.

 

That's fine.

 

But there are plenty of players who haven't lived up to their contracts this year. Soriano was worth less than a replacement player this year... with a difference between his performance and what we've paid him of about 20 million. That's hard to pull off when we only paid him 16 million. And I'd be shocked if Dempster and Zambrano have produced within 3 mil of their contract as well... hell, due to the injuries, Ramirez may not have either.

[cubstitlelives]

 

Hate Milton Bradley for being a dick all you want. Hate him for being worth about 3 mil worth less than his contract for all I care. But saying he wasn't performing is absurd.

 

Well he wasn't producing like he was getting paid for, how about that.

 

Don't bother with that guy. He and the other Bradley defenders will defend him to no end even when his own teammates have now said he's basically an ass.

 

I really wonder about some of the posters on this board.

[Rob]

 

Hate Milton Bradley for being a dick all you want. Hate him for being worth about 3 mil worth less than his contract for all I care. But saying he wasn't performing is absurd.

 

Well he wasn't producing like he was getting paid for, how about that.

 

Don't bother with that guy. He and the other Bradley defenders will defend him to no end even when his own teammates have now said he's basically an ass.

 

I really wonder about some of the posters on this board.

 

I'm defending him as a player, that doesn't mean I would invite him to my birthday party.

 

You don't need to worry about me. I'm just able to rationally separate his personality from his production... It's called intelligent thought.

[ToupeeOnFire]

ARam says if he didnt want to talk to the media then he shouldnt have talked to them....Umm Aramis, he tried that, and our [expletive] manager and worthless GM got on his ass for not talking to them, and pushed him towards talking to them.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I am willing to guess that Aramis probably has a keener insight into Milton Bradley's behavior and relationship with the media than you do.

[Derwood]

Bradley will outplay whoever the Cubs stick in RF next year.