Lee's Byrd/Bradley remarks

[17 Seconds]

Saw this headline on the front page of espn.com

At least one member of the Chicago Cubs is tired of hearing comparisons drawn between the team's marquee offseason pickup, Marlon Byrd, and last season's free agent disaster, Milton Bradley.

 

Asked about possible racial profiling among some media members in comparing Byrd and Bradley, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee didn't mince words.

 

"It's ridiculous," Lee told Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood on ESPN 1000's "Talkin' Baseball" Saturday morning. "If it was a white guy who came over [to the Cubs] would he be [called] the 'anti-Milton Bradley'? It just makes no sense. Marlon's a completely different guy. He wasn't traded for Milton. He signed here as a free agent, so why even bring Milton Bradley's name into it? It really makes no sense and it's just, again, the media trying to make something out of nothing."

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4952014

 

I don't get it. Who is comparing Byrd to Bradley, and it what way? People are comparing them because theyre both black? Or because they both came from the Rangers?

 

I haven't heard any kind of comparisons from anybody, other than a few people talking about the fact that they both benefited from hitting in Texas.

[Schwarber Fan]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2069300,CST-SPT-cub25.article

[17 Seconds]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2069300,CST-SPT-cub25.article

 

that article is like the opposite of what lee was talking about

[Schwarber Fan]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2069300,CST-SPT-cub25.article

 

that article is like the opposite of what lee was talking about

 

you asked who is comparing the two

[17 Seconds]

i asked who is comparing the two in the light that lee is talking about. that's an article basically saying how different they are. it evens calls him "the anti-bradley"

[Guest]

i asked who is comparing the two in the light that lee is talking about. that's an article basically saying how different they are. it evens calls him "the anti-bradley"

 

Isn't that the point of the article?

[Sammys Boombox]

I do get tired of everything being about race. Maybe they're being compared because people want to figure out if the OF is better off this year than it was last year and Byrd is replacing Bradley in the aspect of the outfield consisting of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley ('09)/Byrd ('10).

 

Is Wrigley more racist than other stadiums? No.

 

Does the Chicago media instigate the issue? Yes.

 

Have there been some players that have fallen into the media's trap of discussing race? Yes.

[ConstableRabbit]

Are people really comparing Byrd to Bradley because they're both black, or because he's the new guy in the outfield?

[17 Seconds]

i asked who is comparing the two in the light that lee is talking about. that's an article basically saying how different they are. it evens calls him "the anti-bradley"

 

Isn't that the point of the article?

 

that was the point of the second article, yes. the second article is the opposite of the original article.

 

"If it was a white guy who came over [to the Cubs] would he be [called] the 'anti-Milton Bradley'?

 

that's a quote from lee, obviously implying that people are making some kinds of comparisons of byrd/bradley based on the fact that they're both black.

 

so i'll ask again. where are these people who are saying byrd might be like bradley because they're both black?

[17 Seconds]

Are people really comparing Byrd to Bradley because they're both black, or because he's the new guy in the outfield?

 

that's what i'm trying to figure out. the article (and lee's quotes) make it sound like some people are afraid byrd might be like bradley because of race, which is absurd. ui haven't seen a single person think that way.

[Guest]

i asked who is comparing the two in the light that lee is talking about. that's an article basically saying how different they are. it evens calls him "the anti-bradley"

 

Isn't that the point of the article?

 

that was the point of the second article, yes. the second article is the opposite of the original article.

 

"If it was a white guy who came over [to the Cubs] would he be [called] the 'anti-Milton Bradley'?

 

that's a quote from lee, obviously implying that people are making some kinds of comparisons of byrd/bradley based on the fact that they're both black.

 

so i'll ask again. where are these people who are saying byrd might be like bradley because they're both black?

 

Obviously no one will explicitly say that, so I'm not sure what you're looking for.

 

People will make comparisons between the two, but given the logical comparisons between them besides race(old OF v. new OF, both former Texas OF, former teammates) it's very difficult to divine the real reason. Lee obviously thinks it's racially motivated.

[ConstableRabbit]

Are people really comparing Byrd to Bradley because they're both black, or because he's the new guy in the outfield?

 

that's what i'm trying to figure out. the article (and lee's quotes) make it sound like some people are afraid byrd might be like bradley because of race, which is absurd. ui haven't seen a single person think that way.

I think the usage of the word "compare" has confused you. People are actually contrasting the two.

 

What Lee is implying is that if Byrd were white, there wouldn't be any discussion of his personality vs. Bradley's.

 

I disagree.

[Old Style]

They both came from the Rangers and have MB as their initials. They are obviously the same person.

[17 Seconds]

Are people really comparing Byrd to Bradley because they're both black, or because he's the new guy in the outfield?

 

that's what i'm trying to figure out. the article (and lee's quotes) make it sound like some people are afraid byrd might be like bradley because of race, which is absurd. ui haven't seen a single person think that way.

I think the usage of the word "compare" has confused you. People are actually contrasting the two.

 

What Lee is implying is that if Byrd were white, there wouldn't be any discussion of his personality vs. Bradley's.

 

i'm fully aware of what lee was implying.

[ConstableRabbit]

Are people really comparing Byrd to Bradley because they're both black, or because he's the new guy in the outfield?

 

that's what i'm trying to figure out. the article (and lee's quotes) make it sound like some people are afraid byrd might be like bradley because of race, which is absurd. ui haven't seen a single person think that way.

I think the usage of the word "compare" has confused you. People are actually contrasting the two.

 

What Lee is implying is that if Byrd were white, there wouldn't be any discussion of his personality vs. Bradley's.

 

i'm fully aware of what lee was implying.

Okay, your past posts didn't make it seem like you were.

 

Lee wasn't saying some people are afraid Byrd might be like Bradley because of race -- he was saying that the whole "Byrd's personality vs. Bradley's personality" discussion took place because of race.

[17 Seconds]

but when he uses the term "anti-bradley" to describe how he might be viewed if he were white, that implies that people are making him out to be bradley because he's black... as opposed to people just drawing comparisons.

 

i don't know if he actually meant it that way, but that's kind of how it reads.

[Guest]

but when he uses the term "anti-bradley" to describe how he might be viewed if he were white, that implies that people are making him out to be bradley because he's black... as opposed to people just drawing comparisons.

 

i don't know if he actually meant it that way, but that's kind of how it reads.

 

I don't think that Lee is saying that people are making negative connotations about Byrd. It's the fact that there are comparisons that apparently bothers him.

[imb]

i think the problem lee's having is that the comparisons are unfair to both guys

 

people are propping byrd up like "he's the opposite of that loudmouthed bradley that we all hated so much," which is unfair to bradley, but it's also unfair to byrd, because he's only getting compared to milton because he's a black guy.

 

although it would probably be more racist if we had replaced milton with like rocco baldelli, because there would be this "well at least we have this nice hard-working white guy in the of now that looks like me." undertone to everything.

[CubbieBum]

I think you guys are misinterpreting what Lee said. He is saying that he is annoyed with the talk that Byrd is the anti-Bradley. That is why he said that if Byrd was white they wouldn't be talking about him being the anti-Bradley. Lee isn't saying that people are writing about how Byrd is like Bradley but that he is the exact opposite of Bradley.

 

I agree that it is annoying but if Byrd was white it would only fuel the anti-Bradley comments because a white outfielder would be even more the opposite of Bradley.

[E.J.]

The most upsetting thing of that article is that Byrd is considered a "marquee" pickup of the offseason.

[CUBZ99]

It didn't matter who the Cubs replaced Bradley with, that player was going to get compared to him regardless. It's unfortunate that Lee brings race into the discussion. The Cubs have had enough criticism by the media re: racism, and Lee's comments only add fuel to the fire.

[fiver]

It didn't matter who the Cubs replaced Bradley with, that player was going to get compared to him regardless. It's unfortunate that Lee brings race into the discussion. The Cubs have had enough criticism by the media re: racism, and Lee's comments only add fuel to the fire.

 

yeah, that's my take on it too.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Lee is pointing out a real phenomenon but picking out a bad example. Players do tend to get compared to players of the same race. I don't know if that counts as racist or not.

 

But anyone the Cubs picked up this offseason was going to be the "everything Bradley wasn't" because it's very important to convince themselves and others that Bradley was the big meanie who ruined their season.

[17 Seconds]

i was kind of disappointed to see bruce take a shot at bradley while talking about byrd's good attitude

[A New Era]

I'm a big Lee fan, but Lee, STFU.

 

What a racist. Sounds like Lee is being the racist here. "If it were a white guy he wouldn't be called the anti bradely".

 

I think the whole point is Byrd seems to be very positive and always in a good mood. And he IS going to be better than Bradely in #'s and in attitude (my opinion). It has NOTHING to do with race, and NEITHER did that comment. Derrek Lee, you need to see past the colors and stop seeing it as black and white. You racist.