"I'm here to play ball. I came here to win a championship. Ain't nothing I'd rather do. If I could do anything, one, I might cure the lupus my aunt has; two, another aunt got both legs cut off because of diabetes; I might give her legs back. But No. 3 on the list would be win a championship in this city so that people can have what they deserve."
Most ridiculous quote ever? You be the judge.
More, after the jump...
What's a bit sad about this situation is that Milton Bradley's larger point is (probably) spot-on. I have no doubt that Bradley has heard racist taunts from his own fans, especially considering he plays just below that always drunk rowdy bleacher section. I'm sure LaTroy Hawkins went through something similar during his time here.
The problem - and what has gotten Bradley into trouble - is the context he has been putting around these quotes the last few days.
Someone in the comments section today said that I was acting racist by calling this quote 'ridiculous'. Even if Bradley's assertion that some people who go to Wrigley are racist is not ridiculous, the entire quote surely is.
I mean, think about what he said for a second. If Milton Bradley could do one thing in the entire world, he *might* cure his aunt's lupus. Then, if he feels up to it, he may just give his other aunt her legs back. After that? Cubs World Series!
Bradley probably thinks he is endearing himself to the fans by saying this - 'look how much I want to win!' - but, really, he just sounds like a moron.
Lupus and diabetes are real world problems. Sports are fake. No matter how much we care about Scott Linebrink's ERA or Devin Hester's receiving yards, they really don't impact our lives the way we think they do. You just can't put a Cubs World Series on the same level as deadly diseases.
No fan deserves to live their entire life rooting for a sports team and die before that team wins a championship. That's just cruel, and really not fair. But, in the grand scheme of things, it probably isn't as important so some of the other things Bradley is equating it to.
To another issue: is the media being fair with Bradley? It depends how you look at it. The thing people need to remember, though, is that Gordon Wittenmyer and Phil Rogers aren't Cubs fans. There job is to get quotes from the players, and give them to you, the fans. If Milton Bradley says something stupid, they have zero obligation to 'protect' him. You don't give preferential treatment to guys who may not be the brightest crayon in the crayon box. They're not PR guys, they're reporters.
Of course the real problem with Bradley is that he just isn't very good. I'd argue that you can do much worse than a .390 on-base percentage, but his other numbers simply don't add up for a player making $10 million a year through the 2011 season. This wouldn't be an issue he had 30 homers, but, of course, racism shouldn't be an issue anyway.
I do have some sympathy for Bradley. Maybe he just shouldn't speak to the media. When he does, it seems like he can't win.
*
And that's it for me this week. Sorry I had to leave on such an unpleasant note. Stu will be back Monday. Here's hoping Jay Cutler doesn't get hit with too many batteries in Denver on Sunday.
the guy is a complete clown - every team can't wait to let him go.
cubs made a huge mistake by not signing a cheaper, more professional player in Abreu.
no more miltie stories...please
Here is a huge gigantic piece of advice - BLACK FOLKS HATE IT WHEN THE MEDIA AVOIDS 100 BRILLIANT BLACK MEN TO GET THE QUOTE OF THE INARTICULATE ONE. It promotes unhealthy stereotypes. They tell you "other black guys are not like Bradley", but don't have an interview of those other black guys. THEY ONLY HAVE BRADLEY on the menu!!!
Ricky you have been doing such a splendid job and I was hoping and praying that YOU would not dive into the dumpster and get with these clowns in the media that say they HATE this man and just cover and cover and cover him. Folks at The Score are feeding this foolishness because its cheap ratings and Cubs fans need to have someone to blame for their team's performance this year. The smart ones know better, but the majority of them will blame Bradley because he is such an easy target and CAN'T get out of his own way. The press are educated professionals who are trained to get information and they know EXACTLY what they are doing. They will tell you "That Derrick Lee is such a gentleman" - and deliberately avoid him to get to BRADLEY. Bradley needs to shut up - that's obvious. So does Ronnie Woo Woo, but folks like that are going to talk and its bottom feeders that are using him to be the lightening rod of Cubs Ire. They are USING him!!!
The PRESS were ALL over him early in the season when he was slumping. Cameras were swarming him talking about how bad he is. And now that he is hitting and the team is still losing, he tried to get back at folks that were calling him out. He as a human being felt that was unfair to look for him when he was down and now that he is hitting you got nothing positive to say. And he is also looking for the media to treat all those other players the way they did him - BUT THEY DON'T. And now his hitting has been reduced to "unimportant hits now - when we don't need them". The last time I checked - the CUBS were still mathematically in it. ALL HITS count! And Bradley's hits would really count if the REST of those punks would join him and start hitting also.
This guy is emotionally unstable and inept at choosing his words. And he is also proud and a little arrogant - traits that undoubtedly made him a good player. He cares about his kin folks and is simply trying to put in CONTEXT how important the CUBS are to him also. And folks know it and they use it against him. They interview him and take a 1000 words and taper it to a 20 word SOUND BITE for the angry Cubs fans to feast on. And they go in KNOWING what they are going to do before he ever says one word. The man is not Barack Obama, even though they TRY that with him also.
I am insulted because I KNOW what they are doing and they assume black people are too docile to understand the sophistication of "manipulated" reporting. Just because Jesse Jackson is not down there don't think that we don't KNOW. We have to pick and choose our battles carefully. Cubs fans should ALSO be insulted because the media is giving them a cheap magician's slight-of-hand misdirection when they should be doing their jobs and getting down to the REAL problems with the Cubs. And its not the HOT HITTING Milton Bradley.
I think he's trying to say that he wants to win with the Cubs more than anything in the world after curing his aunts that is. All kidding aside, maybe he can buy prosthetic legs for the one aunt with diabetes. He should be able to afford it if it's feasible. It's nice he thought of his ill relatives first. The quote shows that even though he stunk up Wrigley Field (and the other parks the Cubs visited) this year, he really is all about winning. Maybe he should consider going to medical school? The baseball thing ain't working out too good in Chicago.
...and #4 on the list would be to wake up; these wild dreams are rustling my new hairdo!
This guy probably blames his butcher when he burns the lamb chops.
what is so ridiculous about it? I don't get it. Except for the fact
that he can buy her nice graphite legs...if he hasn't already. Sounds
like he wants to win. Maybe it is ridiculous because it is coming from
a Cub? Kind of like the Bears saying "we want to pass". Want IS different than actually accomplishing. Otherwise, I don't know where you are going with this.
Milton is getting $20M over the next two years whether he plays or not. He should sit down and shut the F up.
What an over-rated piece of lint. So deserving to be clinging to the Cubs.
Hey, Lou... is this the left-handed bat you were REALLY talking about?
Cubs brass + baseball IQ = 0, zilch, nada
PS. I'm not a Johnny come lately to the "Bradley is over-rated" chant, I called this a rotten deal from the start.
Well that's the problem with Milton. He never knows when to shut up. He complains about being misunderstood and all that, but helloooo, if you don't open your mouth, then the know-it-all writers would never misinterpret and you'd never be subject to opinion and talk show fodder! The thing is, Bradley is nowhere near the primary problem of this Cubs team. If all this negativity surrounding the Cubs are ever going to go away, the Ricketts family must make changes all across the board as soon as possible starting this coming winter. Bring in "baseball" people, rebuild the coaching staff, the GM, everything. Start from the bottom if you have to. Eat the Soriano, Bradley, Zambrano, whatever contracts or a huge portion of it at least, but TRY to get rid of these bad contracts as much as possible and start all over again as if you're an expansion franchise. This team is basically spiraling out of control now, much worse than even Reinsdorf's Bulls. This current Bradley sideshow is going to go nowhere other than people making opinions about racism AGAIN or denying or acting ignorant or thinking they know more about the issue when they really don't. Is Bradley's quote the most ridiculous ever from a pro athlete? No, it's not. Talk about painting a broad brush with that question. Let's move on.
There is nothing wrong with that quote except the use of "ain't," which he probably used facetiously. People read a quote like that and interpret it the way their own biases see it. Clearly he was only emphasising how badly he wanted to win a World Series for himself and for the "good" fans of the Cubs, not the fair-weather self-congratulatory fans who brag that "their" team won, as if they were the ones doing the playing.In any sensible person's book, Bradley plays the game the way it ought to be played.
Ridiculous?
Could you sound a little more racial, Rickey?...hiding behind 'you be the judge' doesn't fly with me
So the guy put himself third...so did Gayle Sayers...but that was ok, right?...or is it white?
so he's not very articulate...whatever
lol, I can't quit shaking my head while I type...
Racism has nothing to do with this. I loved Ernie Banks. He was the main reason I became a Cub fan back in 1960 when it was only a thousand years since the Cubs last won a Championship. This current team has had bad chemistry all year. And unfortunately, Bradley is one of the reasons why. He also represents the type of player in the game today that have made me less of a baseball fan than I had been in the past. Whatever color, race, creed, height, length of hair, it don't matter to me. I'm sick of rooting for greedy, selfish, overpaid, underproductive, disruptive, angry and unhappy players.
KLS, thank you. But you already know your post was not fully understood in its entirety. There is nothing we can say to make others understand this.
Unfortunately, Ricky and some others will think Bradley is not sincere because he used the word MIGHT! They keep forgetting he is a ballplayer and not a scholar of the English language. Possibly, to Milton Bradley the word MIGHT means, "I REALLY WISH I could CURE my aunt from lupus." Also, "I REALLY WANT to buy my diabetic aunt prosthetic legs", but she tells him "That is okay son." Or "Son, wait until I heal and we will see about doing that."
I do not know when his aunt lost her legs, do you Ricky or anyone? It is not a pretty sight when a loved one who you saw while growing up, active and enjoying life now reduced to a wheelchair. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE BEFORE YOU JUDGE HIS WORDS! He may not be an eloquent speaker, but his words are meaningful and sincere when deciphering them.
The man was having a self-reflecting moment of human frailty and his struggles with the Cubs, while realizing his Aunts are more important than a ballgame.
Ricky, Milton Bradley may already have his aunt with lupus visiting the best specialists, but simply didn't say that. Bradley simply said, "I might cure the lupus my aunt has." Which means, "I wish I was a doctor so I could cure my aunt." That weighs heavily on his heart about a loved one and now it is reduced to fodder.
Why is it so hard for some not able to read between the lines for positivity, but can readily find the negative stuff? In actuality, it says more about you when you do this than it does about Milton Bradley.
And please, that is not a sweeping generalization about everyone who posts to FCP. So don't start with me.
Ricky responds: I'm not sure if you actually read what I wrote - or if you comprehended it - but I certainly didn't bash Milton Bradley for his use of the word "might". I said that problems like the ones his aunts have are really not comparable to baseball problems. The Cubs losing? Meh, in the big picture, probably not all that important. Obviously, illnesses like diabetes and lupus are far more serious. If I was critical of Bradley for anything, it was even bringing up his aunts' problems when asked a question about baseball. I have no doubt that Milton Bradley would love to cure the illnesses his aunts have - and I'm sure he's provided plenty of support - and I have no doubt that Milton Bradley would very much like to help the Cubs win the World Series. That's not the issue. It's just that he sounds pretty dumb bringing up personal problems when asked a question about baseball. I hope you can handle that.
Exactly Keith. I know exactly what you mean about some of these guys getting manipulated by the press to basically say something stupid because hey, let's face it, the writers, the master bloggers, the reporters, the columnists, whatever they want to call themselves... these guys are typically more adept in COMMUNICATION SKILLS much more than the average professional sports jock. I love it when some of these news guys roll their eyes when they say "oh look, there's the athlete blaming the media again...". Well, you know what, that's part of the problem too. It works both ways. The reporters know once they type that story out there, it becomes a free for all for the general public to blurt out opinions and say whatever they heck they want. Instead of the story focusing on the Cubs problems as a team, it becomes a Bradley sideshow or a target on Cubs fans painted as "racists". Bradley is certainly an idiot or a fool for falling for such tricks and opening his mouth in the first place, but sometimes, these guys in the press can be relentless in their line of questioning and some people out there just don't seem to understand that behind the scenes and the headlines.
Tom Ricketts, GOOD LUCK taking over this team!
I "ain't" falling for this topic. There have been plenty of subjects that you guys have skipped and these are the ones that you seem to choose. I'm glad that there are a few people who bit who see it for what it was: baiting. Thanks Keith, Edgar, Paul and Anon for seeing thru the crap. I'm going to ignore more of these in the future. Last night I saw the title and knew full well what kind of storm would follow. It's good that guys here knows what is going on. He put it all in proper context that he felt. No man should have to keep explaining what he meant by what he said. If he can't find the words then go find someone who can. Don't keep picking on him because he's a dullard. I wish I could cure stupidity. He'd be on the list and so would a lot of people.
Why is anyone even the least bit surprised by this?
Bradley is an idiot and a cancer and has been shown the door by several teams now.
Are there racists Cub fans?
Yes. I have ripped them for the way they treat their own players in the past but how do you explain his baggage with all the other teams that could not wait to get rid of him?
Was that racism too?
This was a really bad idea to sign him and the Cubs fell for it.
Admit that you thought that you could ignore his nut case act and hoped that he could produce enough to tolerate him.
I never understood the attraction of Bradley even if he were not a complete jerk anyway.
His career stats are .278 AVG 20 HR 76 RBI and 13 Stolen bases.
Big deal!
The league is full of guys who can give you that and without the drama queen act and never ending injuries attached.
You paid $10 million for this? Actually they are paying $ 10 million for less than that because he is well below those stats since joining the Cubs.
His time in Chicago has turned out to be just the same as his time spent in Montreal, Toronto, Cleveland, L.A., Oakland, San Diego, Texas....
Look at that list.
Counting the fact that he has played for Montreal and Toronto twice each he has played for 10 different teams in 9 years.
That alone tells you all you need to know about this fool.
Cub fans can be obnoxious but it is Milton Bradley who is the problem in his world of "poor little me".
WRD, who is baiting? Ricky or Keith? This is where media literacy
is very important. Ricky left us a story where we could control
our own interpretation. I was confused at first, but now that I think
about it, Ricky was definitely not baiting us to post in a certain
favor. No, this was very fair. Just who are you trying to bait? AWWWWWW..... who caires... all this bait is making me want to go
fishing. You know , I could do it up here. Catch 'clean' fish that is.
Ricky - did you modify this story??? I never read one letter past "more after the jump..."
If I missed it I apologize. I just read Stuck and did a double take. I commented on really a small snippet. After reading your entire post, I appreciate your comments. I still disagree about the reporting. Even if you are just getting a quote, you show some responsibility and be professional. And if you are going to just be that way and get the dirt - be EVEN about it. Bradley is not the only jerk on the Cubs you can get good ratings from.
Ricky responds: Yeah, I posted the first post at 2 a.m. and was too tired to write anymore, so I put a "I'll add more in the afternoon" disclaimer on the bottom. No big deal. You make good points here. More than anything, I really hate talking about this stuff. Sports are supposed to be fun, and nothing about this whole situation is fun.
If it's that quote and only that quote that this is all about, I frankly don't get it. I find nothing wrong with it and I am not a Milton Bradley fan. I'm not a fan because he he's got maybe C+ hitting stats throughout his career, he's a cancer, he's not stable, and he's often injured. That quote doesn't change my opinion of him one bit.
I am another who said that this would turn out to be a regretful move for the Cubs, especially getting rid of DeRosa and favoring him over Raul Ibanez who I've watched in Seattle and is terrific in every way, except that he's somewhat marginal as a fielder--but on a level with Bradley. Bradley? One stellar season hitting in front of a breakout Josh Hamilton (this season notwithstanding) in a big-hitting ballpark and great-hitting-coached Texas do not a career make. I also wonder if Ron Washington wasn't just the right manager for him as well!
However, that quote and the response to it I just don't get whatsoever.
Stuck, basically the man put family first. He said it out loud and most players think it and say whatever the fans want to hear. There is a standard involved. It used to be a thing where players kept whatever was said in the locker room in the locker room. They never downed each other. Now we have guys like Konerko refuting a frame of mind that Pos alluded to. All it does is take someone's opinion and give it legs. Ricky basically told you that the man didn't care about winning because of his statements. He asked you not to read between the lines but to see what he saw with Milton's statement. He worded it to condemn him and get a rize out of the angry fans who want to blame someone for not winning or going to another World Series. If he had said something like "IS this how much Bradley wants to win"? that's another thing. He didn't ask us he told us. And when you tell something knowing how fans react that is baiting. Every guy in the newspaper, even the ones who don't write sports, is dogging him. Jumping into the fray. So people who didn't even have any passing knowledge of the Cubs can read about it as well. And guess what, they jump to whatever conclusion was sought in the first place. Why is it so easy to jump on the same subject and come up with the same conclusion. That's lazy. And that happens too often about subjects that we are told should not be liked. This guy should have never been a Cub. He had a bad track record and they sold the fans a bill of goods to sign him. It's really not his fault because it wasn't like he had gray areas. He was dark and confrontational. Him coming here was a ploy to have a built-in excuse for when everything else fell apart. Look at him and ignore Hendry. They knew that right field fans had a perception issue and either they didn't believe it or they were feeding it. I'm not a conspiracy buff at all. I just see this for what it was. How was he the missing piece? Who missed him at all his other stops? This was stupid. And maybe more stupid than anything that came out of his mouth.
I wish the media, led by that paul sullivan twerp, would quit bashing bradley. Hendry is the one that signed him as a lefthanded power hitter which he has never been. Because Hendry and Crane Kenney were playing "master negotiater" and let the phillies steal Ibanez from under their nose.
So fine, cubs get bradley and he somehow offends some media members, didn't give that little sullivan the respect he thinks he deserves apparently, so now get daily blasts on the bradley bashing bandwagon. No matter what he says of does, he is going to get it. I'm not sure that it is even racial at all, I think it is personal because Bradley dissed the delicate emotions of the chicago baseball media, that and he hasn't played well, and continues to run his mouth when he'd be wise to just feed the media straight cliches and then not say anything to them. Bradley seems to like the attention but winds up letting it bother him.
Bradley isn't the reason the cubs are losing, he's just the easiest target.
'Keith Lifetime Southsider' needs to stop capitalizing every other word. You look like an idiot.
As for Milton Bradley, although he has said some stupid things and has played below average baseball, he's not the only reason the Cubs aren't going to make the playoffs this year.
So get over it, move onto the Bears.
If Bradley could cure lupus and diabetes than maybe he can come up with a cure for cancer while he is at it.
He can start with the man in the mirror.
When will we be getting the whitesox Contreras game blog entry? One hit by Mitre, aren't you going to blog about that? what about the great Ozzie quotes? Are you going to let those pass with out comment? Then there is the small matter of Peavy's elbow, guess no one cares about that, or maybe rios's comfort zone?
Well, seems like Kenny has achieved team destruction by addition. What brilliant, bold, gutsy moves, except that the rest of the team, they don't seem so happy or impressed do they? Why is that do you think? Maybe they know that all that money going to two outside players means they won't be seeing any and are done with the sox. And anyone who stays, won't be seeing any more additions to the team because the money is spent, sunk in a pitcher on the dl and an outfielder they didn't need. Nice work there kenny. Oh, yeah, not even a new hockey team in the owners hometown.
Something that is really newsworthy is that Bradley has apparently figured out what he was doing wrong in his batting from the left and is smashing hits all over the place. His on-base percentage is close to the top of the Cub players. The series against the mets looks like a great boost so far, but the Cubs still have to figure out how to get theose rotten redbirds to lose a few, like ten out of the next twelve. Of course, the Cubs would have to win ten out of twelve to get back to first place, but stranger things have happened, and they have been playing much better ball the last few games.
Take notice of how I deftly avoided this quagmire of a topic.
Poor earvin.
Wanting the attention shifted away from the Cubbies starting another century of sucking.
Don't like the way this season went?
Wait till next year!
Hahahahahaaaaaaaa........
Villano - my sentiments exactly; the more posts I read, the more confused I get...
Yeah, blame it on the other entries for your confusion. If being myopic wasn't enough.
So Phil, waved any white flags lately? Cubs are still in the wild card hunt. Sox are dumping salary and veteran players anyway they can. Kenny must be desperate after wasting all that money on Peavy and Rios. Oh well, Sox fans don't mind, they can always enjoy the rest of the cubs season, at least the cubs are still competing. Speaking of waiting until next year, have a nice off season,won't be any free agents or big trades for the sox, kenny squandered all that dough already.
"myopic"...wow...I'm impressed!
If you were impressed "wow" would be in all caps.