Bradley still running his mouth

[UMFan83]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

[Eric Clipperton]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

Yeah- only about 15-20 of them are. :?

Since his value to an AL team greatly exceeds his value to an NL team at this point, that limits the options some.

I'm guessing that Seattle would have signed him if they were as good going into last year as they are this year; BOS/NYY don't really have a spot, CLE are not looking like contenders, TEX has enough bad-D bashers. OAK might have considered him but in that park he'd be limited somewhat and they also have Cust/Fox filling that role; DET also has tons of old slow guys already.

Angels seem like the type of team that cares a lot about chemistry, and wouldn't want him. MIN potentially also (MN people seem to care about personality of athletes more than usual), and they need infielders more than anything. CHW loves grit and speed.

KAN is definitely run primarily by drooling morons.

TOR/BAL were not really contending and had several DH-types already.

Not sure why TAM wouldn't want him. But as you can see the real "hey, we need him- why not?" contenders were few and far between- although there might have also been some collusion involved...

[SouthSideRyan]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

 

Do you think Bonds's surly demeanor outweighed the fact that he would've been the best hitter on most of the teams in baseball?

[Guest]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

I think it had one heck of a lot more to do with the fact that for the vast majority of fans, Bonds was the living embodiment of the steroid era and most teams didn't want that negative publicity. Add in his health / mobility issues, the legal issues, the media circus and associated distractions...and it's not too hard to see why teams didn't want to sign him even though he was still the best hitter in baseball.

 

I'm sure the personality thing didn't help, but it was way down the list, imo.

[Rob]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

I think it had one heck of a lot more to do with the fact that for the vast majority of fans, Bonds was the living embodiment of the steroid era and most teams didn't want that negative publicity. Add in his health / mobility issues, the legal issues, the media circus and associated distractions...and it's not too hard to see why teams didn't want to sign him even though he was still the best hitter in baseball.

 

I'm sure the personality thing didn't help, but it was way down the list, imo.

 

don't forget that he was still looking for an $18 mil payday last I heard. That's a bunch even for the best hitter in baseball, especially after you factor in the bad defense and the fact he couldn't play every day (which required a team to sign one of the better/expensive 4th outfielders).

[UMFan83]

If teams didn't sign a guy coming off a 480 OBP because he wasn't cuddly enough then I've given MLB GMs far too much credit.

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

 

Do you think Bonds's surly demeanor outweighed the fact that he would've been the best hitter on most of the teams in baseball?

 

It sure looks like that's the case doesn't it? I think what Tim said is mostly correct. Bonds is an extreme case and he had a lot of issues surrounding him to scare off other teams. However, Bradley has already alienated himself from a big chunk of the league and is known as baseball's biggest a-hole. Bonds kept getting deals because he was putting up awesome numbers and the fans hadn't turned on him. Albert Belle kept getting deals for the same reason until his hip gave out. Bradley is not on the level of Belle and Bonds, even when healthy. How many times is he going to piss someone off until a team trys to dump him and there are no takers? This time around, a team was so desperate to rid themselves of Bradley they took on a garbage pitcher whose contract would be the worst on the team for any team in baseball but the Cubs. What's going to happen when the Mariners tire of him?

[SouthSideRyan]

 

Do you think Bonds's surly demeanor outweighed the fact that he would've been the best hitter on most of the teams in baseball?

 

It sure looks like that's the case doesn't it? I think what Tim said is mostly correct. Bonds is an extreme case and he had a lot of issues surrounding him to scare off other teams. However, Bradley has already alienated himself from a big chunk of the league and is known as baseball's biggest a-hole. Bonds kept getting deals because he was putting up awesome numbers and the fans hadn't turned on him. Albert Belle kept getting deals for the same reason until his hip gave out. Bradley is not on the level of Belle and Bonds, even when healthy. How many times is he going to piss someone off until a team trys to dump him and there are no takers? This time around, a team was so desperate to rid themselves of Bradley they took on a garbage pitcher whose contract would be the worst on the team for any team in baseball but the Cubs. What's going to happen when the Mariners tire of him?

 

I didn't ask what MLB GMs thought, I asked what you think.

[Pushfrog98]

"I mean, I'm not changing,'' Bradley said. "I've gotten this far being me, it's been 31 years, and nothing changes about me, ever.''

 

Yeah, that's the philosphy to go through life with! And it's gotten you so far. If God hadn't given you moderate ability to be skilled at doing something that both pays a lot of money and is in an industry where you can sometimes be completely intolerable and still be a net benefit to your employers, you'd be a worthless bum. Well Milty, your talent will only get you a few more years in this game. You selfish and destructive behavior will have to carry you the rest of the way. Still feel the same way about never changing?

Don't worry, he'll be on VH1 once his playing days are over.

[UMFan83]

 

Do you think Bonds's surly demeanor outweighed the fact that he would've been the best hitter on most of the teams in baseball?

 

It sure looks like that's the case doesn't it? I think what Tim said is mostly correct. Bonds is an extreme case and he had a lot of issues surrounding him to scare off other teams. However, Bradley has already alienated himself from a big chunk of the league and is known as baseball's biggest a-hole. Bonds kept getting deals because he was putting up awesome numbers and the fans hadn't turned on him. Albert Belle kept getting deals for the same reason until his hip gave out. Bradley is not on the level of Belle and Bonds, even when healthy. How many times is he going to piss someone off until a team trys to dump him and there are no takers? This time around, a team was so desperate to rid themselves of Bradley they took on a garbage pitcher whose contract would be the worst on the team for any team in baseball but the Cubs. What's going to happen when the Mariners tire of him?

 

I didn't ask what MLB GMs thought, I asked what you think.

 

Well like someone else pointed, for 16 teams it probably did. I don't know what AL teams were thinking. It was probably steroids+dark cloud surrounding bonds+he's a huge [expletive]+he's 43 I'd rather see if X player can give me similar production. If your asking me point blank if I would sign a hitter who had a 1.045 OPS in his age 42 season, despite being a huge [expletive] absolutely I would and wouldn't think twice about it.

 

Anyways, this is getting way too far away from my original comment, which is still true, that Bradley's surley personality has not made him $1 in the sport of baseball, and it never will, where as if Kevin Millar spends 1 day on the Cubs 25 man roster he'll make infinately more for his personality than Bradley ever will. And it's a stupid argument to begin with because we are talking about 2 extreme cases, and 99.5% of the time your personality doesn't and should not play any part in determing a players value.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm pretty sure I'd rather hang out with Milton Bradley than Kevin Millar.

[UMFan83]

You would Sox fan.

[17 Seconds]

 

Tell me why they didn't sign him then? Because of steroids and the possibility of jail time? That's partially correct. Whether or not you or I believe in the effect of "chemistry" effecting a team, Bonds has been known as a complete [expletive] his entire career, and it certainly didn't aid him in getting teams to line up to sign him. And that was my point.

 

And my point is (still) that teams are idiots if that is why they didn't sign him. I have a hard time believing that all 30 teams are run by drooling morons

 

So you think all 30 teams passed on a player who put up a .480 OBP because they were scared he might go to jail during the season (which he still hasn't done)?

 

Do you think Bonds's surly demeanor outweighed the fact that he would've been the best hitter on most of the teams in baseball?

 

It sure looks like that's the case doesn't it? I think what Tim said is mostly correct. Bonds is an extreme case and he had a lot of issues surrounding him to scare off other teams. However, Bradley has already alienated himself from a big chunk of the league and is known as baseball's biggest a-hole. Bonds kept getting deals because he was putting up awesome numbers and the fans hadn't turned on him. Albert Belle kept getting deals for the same reason until his hip gave out. Bradley is not on the level of Belle and Bonds, even when healthy. How many times is he going to piss someone off until a team trys to dump him and there are no takers? This time around, a team was so desperate to rid themselves of Bradley they took on a garbage pitcher whose contract would be the worst on the team for any team in baseball but the Cubs. What's going to happen when the Mariners tire of him?

 

all the things you say about bradley were true before last offseason (and everybody knew it), and the cubs gave him 30 million.

 

bradley and bonds are two completely different situations. if bradley hits, he'll be able to find a job.

[17 Seconds]

"I mean, I'm not changing,'' Bradley said. "I've gotten this far being me, it's been 31 years, and nothing changes about me, ever.''

 

Yeah, that's the philosphy to go through life with! And it's gotten you so far.

 

it has gotten him far. extremely far. he not only made it to the majors, but he is getting paid tens of millions of dollars to play a sport.

 

Did you not read the rest of my post? His attitude and personality has gotten him nowhere. His luck of being uniquely skilled in skill set that is rewarded hansomly. I suppose hard work is a positive trait that helped him get to where he is today as anyone who has had to play baseball has had to work hard to get there. But all the hard work in the world wouldn't have mattered if he didn't have god given ability to play the game. Show me one instance where his attitude and personality helped him get even $1, because that's what were talking about. Bradley said he's not changing anything about his personality, specifically his behavior towards umpires in this instance because it's gotten him this far.

 

i just think it's funny that you imply he hasn't made it far when he is one of the slect few to make it to the majors, and one of the even more select few to get a huge contract that he could live comfortably off of for the rest of his life.

 

milton bradley has a life most people dream of. he's a multi million for playing baseball.

[UMFan83]

"I mean, I'm not changing,'' Bradley said. "I've gotten this far being me, it's been 31 years, and nothing changes about me, ever.''

 

Yeah, that's the philosphy to go through life with! And it's gotten you so far.

 

it has gotten him far. extremely far. he not only made it to the majors, but he is getting paid tens of millions of dollars to play a sport.

 

Did you not read the rest of my post? His attitude and personality has gotten him nowhere. His luck of being uniquely skilled in skill set that is rewarded hansomly. I suppose hard work is a positive trait that helped him get to where he is today as anyone who has had to play baseball has had to work hard to get there. But all the hard work in the world wouldn't have mattered if he didn't have god given ability to play the game. Show me one instance where his attitude and personality helped him get even $1, because that's what were talking about. Bradley said he's not changing anything about his personality, specifically his behavior towards umpires in this instance because it's gotten him this far.

 

i just think it's funny that you imply he hasn't made it far when he is one of the slect few to make it to the majors, and one of the even more select few to get a huge contract that he could live comfortably off of for the rest of his life.

 

milton bradley has a life most people dream of. he's a multi million for playing baseball.

 

That's why I asked you if you read the rest of my post, because in it, I clearly state that he has made it far on his god given talent and hard work. I never said he wasn't far. What I meant by "and it's gotten you so far" is it's gotten him in a situation where teams have to take on Carlos Silva just to get rid of him. He's one of if not the most hated person in baseball, and that fact that even the casual baseball fan will admit that the umps probably have a vendetta against him says a lot about his perception around the game. One day he's not going to have the skills to play baseball anymore, and for the next 50 years of his life he's either going to have to learn how to deal with human beings or lead a sad and lonely existence.

[Sammy Sofa]

Eh, it's not classic Dugout, but it'll do:

 

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/03/11/the-dugout-chicago-cubs-spring-training-2010/

[Cubs Fan Dan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5025391

 

Well, at least MB is comparing himself to other ignorant pieces of **** acceptance is the first step right?

[Mark Priors Calves]

Bruce's take on Milton's first encounter with the Cubs' media following since his trade to the Mariners.

 

http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/3712

[Andy]

There's no reason to continually hunt down Bradley for stories. Most of the Chicago media (Sullivan and Kaplan for instance) are being a bunch of petty whiners about him. Obsessing over Bradley isn't going to change anything.

[17 Seconds]

they pretty much did run him out of town

[UMFan83]

I thought the racist fans ran him out of town? Or was it Kanye West?

[17 Seconds]

I thought the racist fans ran him out of town? Or was it Kanye West?

 

i know you lovvvve to hate milton bradley, but it was obvious the media was out to get him from day 1.

[17 Seconds]

From Bruce in the comments

 

Yep, all our fault. As Lou said today: "I don't think the media was unfair to anybody."

 

Really Bruce? The media was never unfair to Bradley? Come on.

 

It's dissapointing to hear Bruce say things like these, even though I know he's just sticking up for his peers.

[UMFan83]

I thought the racist fans ran him out of town? Or was it Kanye West?

 

i know you lovvvve to hate milton bradley, but it was obvious the media was out to get him from day 1.

 

They were completely unfair to Bradley. I'm just making fun of him blaming everyone else but himself for his issues.

 

And honestly, I didn't even really hate Bradley until all of his comments since getting suspended at the end of last year. It's more of amusement than hate. It boggles my mind how someone could have such little perspective of what's going on around him. Or maybe he does and is just delusional, who knows?

[UMFan83]

From Bruce in the comments

 

Yep, all our fault. As Lou said today: "I don't think the media was unfair to anybody."

 

Really Bruce? The media was never unfair to Bradley? Come on.

 

It's dissapointing to hear Bruce say things like these, even though I know he's just sticking up for his peers.

 

I honestly am not sure if the media was actually out to get him from the start, but he's a ball of controversy before he even before the season starts. If you are the media, and he completely acts like a dick towards you from day one, it's human nature to want to screw him over. I'm not saying it's right or even professional to do that but it is what it is.

[CubColtPacer]

I thought the racist fans ran him out of town? Or was it Kanye West?

 

i know you lovvvve to hate milton bradley, but it was obvious the media was out to get him from day 1.

 

I actually thought it was pretty kind of the media to not bring up the details of many of his past transgressions. That could have poisoned many fans to Bradley right from the start who didn't pay attention to Bradley when he was causing trouble in Cleveland and LA both on and off the field and even at home (since a large percentage of fans care about players being model citizens).

 

In other ways they made it more difficult for Bradley right from the beginning and they certainly didn't make it easy for him, but if they were actively trying to run him out of town they did a very poor job of it.