The Cubs’ inevitable plans to rework their underachieving roster under new ownership should probably start with an effort to move Milton Bradley and whatever they can of the $21 million left on the final two years of his contract.
And by the sounds of it, Bradley would welcome it.
In response to a mundane postgame question about feeling more comfortable – presumably at the plate – following his four-hit night, Bradley revealed that he’s never comfortable here and talked about dealing with “hatred” daily.
“It’s never comfortable,” he said after going 4 for 4 with a homer in Tuesday’s 15-6 loss. “It’s hard to be comfortable when you don’t get a hit and get booed every time. When I go home and look in the mirror, I like what I see. My family’s there. I have people I can talk to who are very supportive in spite of everything and all the adversity and hatred you face on a daily basis. But I’ll be all right. I always have.”
Hatred? It would seem he’s referring to that booing and possibly criticism in the media.
Hatred? Come on.
Building an off-season around a $30 million acquisition at the expense of some key depth players only to watch the new guy fail to deliver and the lack of depth become costly deserves criticism – whether aimed at the player or the organization. And maybe it deserves a fair share of those boos.
But that’s about the player, not the person.
Unless there’s something more than Bradley’s telling us about the source of this “hatred,” then he has only himself to blame for making it that personal.
