Zambrano apparently told club staff that he was retiring after the ejection. Sadly, two hours later, Zambrano’s agent made it clear that his client was not going to retire; instead, the Cubs put Zambrano on the disqualified list for 30 days.

Cubs general manager, Jim Hendry, said that it was the harshest punishment without actually releasing Zambrano. My question is: Why didn’t Hendry release Zambrano?

Zambrano has a history of being a loud-mouth, arrogant, and I’d say a very narcissistic player who has had some good years but who will no doubt be remembered as an overrated baseball player. It’s not that this day comes as a surprise to any Cubs fan. Zambrano had been trekking on a slow but sure mental downfall. It amazes me how an orphan-adopting and church-building person off the field can be become such a menace on the field.

There are a handful of players in every major league sport that act like this, but they still somehow get jobs from teams. The Cubs are one of these teams. In addition to Zambrano, they signed Milton Bradley, a player known to almost always start controversy, after he had a few good years. We all know how that ended.

What these guys (and most players who fall into this category) have in common is talent plus one or a few good seasons, and because of this teams are willing to take the risk.

I always found that to be disgusting.

Does anyone or any team in sports have dignity anymore? I can understand that teams want to win, but thinking these players will change usually causes more problems than anything. Thinking guys like this can help solve the team’s problems long-term is really asinine.

I totally believe in giving people second chances, but there comes a point where you must draw a line.

You would think the Cubs are already embarrassed enough to have not won a World Series in 103 years that they would think twice before signing players who have a knack of embarrassing the teams they play for. While Zambrano started off very strong in his early seasons, he slowly progressed into a completely unstable baseball player. This incident was nothing new. Things like this have been happening for a few years now, and it’s finally coming back to bite the Cubs in the ass.

It’s time release Zambrano and eat his $19 million salary. It could be the beginning of a much-needed clean-up, one that is imperative if the Cubs ever want to win a World Series again.

Well it only took 35 games for the Seattle Mariners to become totally convinced of that sentiment and mercifully eat the final ¾ of Milt’s $13 million contract for this season alone, designating Milton for assignment – or in other words throwing him just like a salmon at Pike Place Market–which is appropriate, seeing as how the smell there is a breath of fresh air compared to Milt’s personality.

In the past seven days, I have watched a grand total of five minutes of Mariners baseball in real time and managed to see Milton get ejected twice – the final act being manager Eric Wedge grabbing the back of Bradley’s teal jersey right between the ’1′ and the ’5′.

The saddest part is Milton is still only third star for Goon of the week, finishing behind Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.

In a brief statement, Seattle club president Jack Zduriencik announced…‘We determined he’s not part of our future and not part of our present…’

Translated – They already gave Milton 19 chances, he was not going to get 20. And the organization finally decided that even with the ridiculous contract the Chicago Cubs inked a couple seasons back, his actions were no longer condoned. The only good news for Bradley is that by being inactive the rest of this season he won’t have to face any more fines from MLB or his team.

The Cubs were not the only team to blindly look at Bradley’s on-field potential over his attitude and behavior. Before the 2006 season the Oakland Athletics traded for Bradley from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a then-prospect named Andre Ethier. A Bay Area scribe reportedly mused at the time ‘At least Ethier’s OPS will never be .911′, a reference to Bradley’s off-field escapades.

Actually, Ethier needs a slump right now for his OPS to get back to .911.

Conventional wisdom says this is the end of the line for Bradley. After finally napalming bridges through eight organizations (not counting the Royals, who backed out of a potential trade in 2007) Milton is fresh out of MLB franchises to wear out his welcome. Next stop ought to be the Long Island Ducks, where Jose Offerman set the bar pretty high in regards to losing his cool a few years back. The sSad thing is Milton is very capable of clearing that bar.

Considering Bradley’s ‘present and future’ in Major League Baseball are bleak, let’s take a look at the past, and the rubble of Milt’s career. Here are the top-ten Milton Moments over his 12 year MLB career.

10. THE $4 WATER BOTTLE

In 2004 the Los Angeles Dodgers were clinging to a slim lead in the National League West, and they eventually did win the division crown but no thanks to Milton. After committing an error at a game in Dodger Stadium, a fan threw a water bottle in Bradley’s direction, with Milt responding by yelling at the fan and then slamming the bottle into the first row. Bradley was suspended for the remainder of that season, with Milton vowing to get help saying ‘Getting upset has caused me to hurt family, hurt friends, hurt my team, hurt fans’.

9.  DOWN ON THE FARM

Coming up through the Expos farm system, Bradley was already honing his reputation, triggering a 1999 bench-clearing incident that earned him a seven-game suspension. In separate incidents that same year, Bradley allegedly spat gum at one umpire and poked the mask of another.

8. THE RENT COMES DUE

Not long after checking out from the Chicago Cubs, Bradley then allegedly went deadbeat on his landlord over his pad overlooking the Magnificent Mile, and ended up being sued for $44,000 in back rent. And you thought Jay Cutler quit on the town.

7.  THE FINGER

By 2010, Bradley had plenty of ‘homecomings’ with fans in his previous cities wanting to get on him even more than typical fans on the road. One such incident resulted in Bradley flipping the bird during a game in Arlington, with the glory of HD broadcasting catching the offending gesture.

6.  THE TV ANNOUNCER

Virtually every opposing TV and radio commentator makes reference to Milton’s volatile history to their audiences. During a game in which he was the DH in 2008, Bradley listened in on the Kansas City Royals television feed, where PBP man Ryan LeFebvre suggested that Milt take a cue from Rangers teammate Josh Hamilton and turn over a new leaf. That set off Bradley, who started climbing up flights of stairs towards the press box before being restrained.

It only makes me wonder what Milt may have considered doing if he ever heard Vin Scully describe some obscure detail about his rough childhood during a game??

5.  IT’S ONLY THE EXHIBITION SEASON

By 2010, it was clearer than ever that MLB umpires had a vendetta against Bradley and were giving him zero rope whatsoever. An example was Bradley being ejected twice from spring training games; in one instance this happened after he just threw off his gloves and dropped his bat at home plate, thinking he was the third out when it was only the second.

Then-manager Don Wakamatsu suggested at the time that MLB umps were on a ‘witch hunt’ in regards to Bradley. He was at least partially right, but Bradley had also made his own bed by that point.

4.  MILT V. LOU

Did anyone think that this would be a marriage that would last forever?? Or at least one month?? Milt’s stormy one season with the Cubs wound up with him finishing a season suspended yet again and with manager Lou Piniella allegedly calling him a ‘piece of sh*t’ in front of teammates in the clubhouse.

In newspaper interviews during the season Bradley said that he ‘prays’ that games last only nine innings and that it’s no wonder ‘they haven’t won in 100 years around here’. And I thought the culprits were the goat, the black cat, and Bartman.

3. MILT V. KENT

Not that Jeff Kent was ever accused of being warm and fuzzy during his career. This 2005 clubhouse confrontation occurred while Bradley was with the Dodgers. The aftermath saw ugly racial accusations made between the two.

2.  BAG OF BASEBALLS

This incident that gave birth to the phrase ‘Meltdown Bradley’.

After arguing with the umpire in a previous at-bat the ended with him getting a base hit, Bradley is ejected by the HP umpire. The ensuing scene of Milton throwing an entire bag of baseballs onto the field remains a lasting image to this day.

1. THE ACL – Trevor Hoffman gets most of the blame for the San Diego Padres not making the 2007 post-season, and deservedly so, failing to close out games 161 or 163, either of which would had nailed down the National League Wild Card. But things would had likely been different if Bradley had not sustained a torn ACL selfishly trying to get at ump Mike Winters in a bizarre confrontation at first base.

Winters was also very much at fault and suspended from the post-season by MLB. Winters allegedly told Bradley more or less to ‘shut up’ and play the game. But that does not absolve Bradley. Had he kept his cool and focus the Padres would had likely sealed the WC before Game 163. What was forgotten was San Diego’s offense was actually on all cylinders when Milt was healthy and in the lineup during the stretch drive.

So there it is. There are many others (comparing himself to Kayne West, walking out on games in progress, numerous scrapes with the media, etc. etc. etc.) that did not make the final cut.

No one has ever accused Bradley of being stupid. He’s said to have had a 3.7 GPA in high school, a 1120 SAT score, and kicks ass in scrabble. Actually, there used to be another guy like that; his name was Albert Belle.

I do have one final wish for Milt’s career however. A return trip to Chicago, on the South Side this time.

Uncle Milt and Ozzie Guillen, the ultimate reality show.

It isn’t like Ozzie’s season could possibly get any worse.

Is this the case of someone who simply just keeps getting away with saying Sorry?? Or someone who merely continues to fall off the wrong side of Chutes and Ladders??

Maybe Milton’s Battleship finally got sunk?? Or more likely, this is the tale of someone without a clue who couldn’t add two plus two, much less Connect 4.

In what may at last be the final straw to his career, Bradley was arrested in Los Angeles yesterday, initial reports are that it involved a felony violation of California Penal Code Section 422, the charge is said to have involved making a threat towards a woman – and Milton has been released on $50,000 bail.

Let me guess – it’s somebody else’s fault.

The World v. Milton Bradley.

If it’s not something a writer or a broadcaster says then it’s the umpires or the humanoid fans. Or that he claims to be misunderstood. Or that it’s a racial issue, as he proclaimed to be the ‘Kayne West of Baseball’ last year.

Not that his behavior couldn’t be any more predictable.

How many welcomes has Bradley worn out now??

Let us count. Expos. Indians. Dodgers (best remembered for hurling a whole bag of baseballs on the field). Athletics. Padres (best remembered for taking on Phillies fans and possibly costing the team a playoff spot by blowing out his ACL trying to get to an ump). Rangers. Cubs (he supposedly still owes some rent on the North Side). And now finally the Mariners, who only took on the final two years of his 3 year/$30 million contract by getting rid of the equally bad investment of pitcher Carlos Silva.

And many even thought that was a bad trade by Seattle – Silva may had gotten lit up every fifth day but at least never had the charm to ruin an entire clubhouse like Bradley has done at most of his stops.

And let’s name the stops where the media has supposedly done him in. Montreal, where baseball was a .3 on the Richter scale to hockey’s 9.5. Cleveland, the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Seattle.

I’ll give you LA and Chicago as major media markets. But what would writers in Boston, Philadelphia, or New York had said had he ever been in those markets. I would say most, if not all the beat writers during Bradley’s career, tried to give him a fair shake.

Then there was the hilarious episode a few years back when Bradley attempted to get into the Kansas City Royals broadcast booth because (with way too much time on his hands as a DH) he overheard some commentary that he should perhaps take a clue from teammate Josh Hamilton and turn over a new leaf.

What are broadcasters supposed to say??

Virtually everyone at the very least mentions that he has always had potential but has been held back by anger management problems. Others do get a little more smart-alec describing him. If Milton really wants a piece of play-by-play announcers who even have the mildest of criticisms they could conceivably be rounded around the block – Charlie Steiner, Dave O’Brien, Howie Rose, Ted Leitner, and Jim Powell in Atlanta (Who always makes Milton his pet topic on-air during 11-2 routs), Milt can line all of them up in the dunk tank if that succeeds in getting some frustration out of him. I’m guessing even the likes of Pat Hughes and Vin Scully were even hard pressed to keep things positive on MB after a while.

And it wasn’t exactly like Bradley has been lighting it up on the field, a .205 average with the Mariners last year – at least his act was moderately tolerable as he was hitting around .300 in 2007-2008 when he wasn’t on the shelf.

Most people are for second or even third chances – but 20th chances not as much. Everyone from Lou Piniella to Ken Macha to Bud Black to Don Wakamatsu has given him chances. There is almost no doubt that the Mariners will cut bait and dump Bradley. The Mariners lost 101 games with him last year, they can lose just as easily without him. The only question is whether the team might be able to get off the hook of his $12 million salary for this year for cause. That is always tough considering the strength of the players union. As a former GM speaking anonymously said Tuesday night that there would have to be ‘specific language’ in the contract. As in: quit being an A-Hole???

So as the decent types such as Gil Meche walk away from a $12 million salary because the player personally felt that he was simply not pulling his expected weight, Milton Bradley will likely be paid the same amount to simply stay far away from Safeco Field.

And maybe now the runaway train-wreck that is Milton Bradley has finally mercifully reached it’s end game. And yes, MLB umpires everywhere are probably having a party.

And speaking of Brett Favre, want to know the top 10 differences between him and us? Click on through. You can also find more reasons, as if you needed them, for why Braylon Edwards is a self-serving tool.

Also, go find the Foot Locker link in the NBA section. It’ll take you to a badass online 3-point shooting contest that is sure to make your afternoon unproductive (at least in terms of, you know, work.)

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

NFL:

• Samoans and Football — (Docksquad Sports)
• How to fix the San Diego Chargers — (Rumors and Rants)
• Wow…did the wrong Chicago Bears’ D-Lineman die? — (Bootlegger Sports)
• Chicago Bears of old remake Super Bowl Shuffle, remind fans how much current team sucks — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• In that case, I envy the great, great grandkids of Mordecai Brown — (Blog Down, Chicago Bears)
• Braylon Edwards continues to be douchy — (Thunder Treats)
• Cleveland Frowns Working on an Undefeated Playoff Betting Season — (Cleveland Frowns)
• Top 10 Diferences Between Us and Brett Favre — (Sports Chump)

NBA:

• Phil Jackson is still kind of awesome — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• Stephon Marbury heads to China, channels inner Billy Madison — (The Global Sports Fraternity)
• Chris Bosh looking for a new team — (Docksquad Sports)
• Awesome! Foot Locker Online 3-Point Shootout — (FootLocker.com)

MLB:

• Why Won’t Milton Bradley’s Negativity Just Go Away? — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• Just shoot me now: Cubs interested in Jermaine Dye — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

Misc:

• Mike Greenberg’s Slip-up: “Martin Luther ‘Coon’ Day” — (Outside the Box Score)
• Who’s “Blacker”: Charles Barkley or Snoop Dogg? — (That NBA Lottery Pick)
• Steve Czaban on the dearth of quality AM sports talk radio — (Czabe.com)
• Mark Cuban defends NBC in Conan-Leno War — (Blog Maverick)
• ESPN pays homage to SNL’s “Laser Cats” skit — (Detroit 4 Lyfe)

Tempting, but nah. It's my fault for betting against the great Peyton Manning. Gloat away Big MB.]

——————–

Here are my top 5 stories for this week kids. Hope you enjoy!!

1. JRod was WRONG! Colts win to go 2-0.

In what was a great Monday Night Football game, the Colts emerged victorious after poor clock management by the Dolphins was sealed by a last second interception in the end zone by the Colts that secured a 27-23 victory in Miami.

An 80-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark from Peyton Manning on the first play of the game would only be outdone by a screen pass that second-year man Pierre Garcon would take to the house to give the Colts their 27-23 lead.

Miami did look very impressive in their Wildcat offense, accumulating over 200 yards on the ground.

I’ll Tell You This: Folks as promised, for those of you who caught last week’s podcast with JRod and myself, I am happy to say:

JROD WAS WRONG!!!!

However, I will also say Indy got lucky this week. Miami dominated on the ground on both sides of the ball, and held the Colts to under 15 minutes of total time of possession.

The Colts have improved to 2-0, but still have much to work on. The run game must improve, and the defense must improve on all fronts if this team wants to become a true Super Bowl contender.

Oh, and I kept my promise from the podcast. Jerod received a call from yours truly, gloating over the Colts victory.

2. J-E-T-S…..Jets, Jets, Jets!!!

The Jets backed up the smack they had talked in the week leading up to their match-up with the mighty Patriots by keeping New England out of the end zone and allowing only 9 points from the NFL “juggernaut”.

After the game Jets’ rookie QB Mark Sanchez offered a respectful handshake to Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, but Belichick shrugged Sanchez off.

The Patriots fell to 1-1.

I’ll Tell You This: In all my years of watching football, I have never been a Jets fan, but I found myself rooting for the Jets as if they were my very own Colts.

Belichick once again proved that he has absolutely no sportsmanship. While he is one of the best winners in the NFL, he is obviously one of the worst losers in sports.

Here’s where I complain.

The Patriots should be 0-2, if it were not for that idiot kick returner for Buffalo (who in the best interest of his home not getting vandalized again, will remain unnamed). Had he just taken a knee instead of trying to be the hero, the Bills win the game.

The Patriots have now been exposed. They are not the team to beat this year and they are sore losers. They are overrated.

3. The Cubs Got It Right….Finally!!!

The Chicago Cubs suspended MLB bad-boy Milton Bradley for the remainder of the season this weekend for bad mouthing the organization and its fans.

Bradley was on record with a local Illinois newspaper as saying “You understand why they haven’t won in 100 years here” in reference to being scratched from the lineup.

I’ll Tell You This: Finally, some exciting news for Cubs fans.

Hopefully Bradley has played his last game in a Cubs uniform.

He has been nothing but a trash-talking, embarrassing, overrated, loud mouthed, disappointment to the Cubs and their fans.  His head is so big that one may think that his ego is on steroids.

And to think, the Cubs let Mark DeRosa go for the chance to snag Bradley. Maybe that’s why they haven’t won in 100 years. Who knows. There’s always next year.

4. Thunder and Lighting

The first two weeks of this young NFL season have been the most exciting start to a season that I can remember.

Headlining Week 2 were two outstanding performances by two different running backs.

Although it was in a losing effort, from the get-go Chris Johnson put on a clinic against the young Houston Texans. Johnson had two long TD runs, including a 91-yard run on 3rd and 11, as well as a long touchdown reception.

The thunder came from what may be the dark horse of the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers. Frank Gore busted out back-to-back 80-yard touchdown runs and netted over 200 yards on the ground in the 49ers’ manhandling of division rival Seattle.

I’ll Tell You This: This has already been one hell of a season.

Honorable mentions for big games this week also go to Andre Johnson and Matt Shaub of the Texans, Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark of the Colts, Philip Rivers of the Chargers, and Ray Lewis of the Ravens for his big 4th down play that secured a win for Baltimore.

I hope this continues. This season has already been so fun to watch. It almost makes me want to go out and spend the $300.00 for NFL Sunday Ticket. Almost.

5. The MSF Weekly NFL Podcast

Hosted by MSF writers Jerod Morris and yours truly, Myles Berry, MSF takes a weekly look at the NFL.

The podcast debuted this past Friday in AJ Kaufman’s preview of Monday Night Football and is also available on iTunes.

Features include: The Monday Night Argument, Myles and Jerod’s NFL Locks against the spread, and the general banter that comes when these two butt heads on the mic.

I’ll Tell You This: Make sure you check out this week’s upcoming podcast, in which Jerod will feast on a big helping of crow from the Monday Night game.

[Editor's Note: I will feast on nothing.]

Another exciting week of I’ll Tell You This is in the books kids! Stay tuned for this week’s podcast. We’ll see you next week!

BigMB on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mylesb3269

**********

* – Milton Bradley photo credit: Fantasy Haven

Lou Piniella told reporters to blame him for this dismal season, and while you usually do blame the manager for a bad season, you can hardly blame Lou for the Cubs’ problems this season.

The only problem I have with the job Lou has done this year is his inability to build up chemistry between the players. I don’t see any between the Cubs players. They look like a bunch of strangers out on the field. Without good chemistry between players, teams often lack that go-to spirit that is needed to win ballgames. The locker room just doesn’t seem to be a happy and laid-back locker room, which has hurt the Cubs all season long.

After telling reporters that he thought fans were racist, Milton Bradley has be on a tear. While there might be some racist fans, most of the fans are angry at him because he has failed to meet expectations, not because he is black. And fans should be angry with him. He has failed to meet any expectations. And I mean FAILED. He is batting a dismal .167 with runners in scoring position. That is unacceptable in baseball. If you wan to make fans and managers happy, you need to produce with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Another problem player is Carlos Zambrano. When he said he wasn’t trying his hardest, I was infuriated. The Cubs pay this guy loads of money and he isn’t even trying? That is the worst possible stunt a baseball player can pull. I would axe him in a minute. No wonder his numbers are bad this year. He wasn’t even trying! I am sorry if I sound harsh, but that is unacceptable for any pro athlete to just give it half-assed effort. You can’t do that to a team that is paying you to be their #1 starter. Just a really dumb thing to do.

Despite these issues, while you can say the Cubs are out of the division race, they still have an outside chance at the Wild Card. The Cubs are a manageable 5.5 games behind Colorado, with three other teams (S.F., Atlanta, Florida) ahead of the Cubs as well. This is their only light at the end of the tunnel. The Cubs have one month to get it in gear and win games.

Though it is perhaps unlikely, 5.5 games is still a manageable number to overcome. We’ve seen it done before during the last month of a baseball season. It’s just a question of how much to do they want it?

Remember when Milton Bradley said “You can mark it down, I’m gonna be hitting for the rest of the year,” just over a week ago? Well, that has not happened. Since the All Start break Bradley has batted a miserable 2-12 with four strikeouts. But don’t worry Cub’s fans! Lou Pinella said he will personally help Bradley.

You could give this guy all the help in the world, and somehow he will not hit.

At some point you have to admit that a player is having a bad, no, a terrible year. Players don’t always have a great year, but Bradley having a terrible year isn’t the worst part. It’s the money he is getting for putting up bad numbers.

While Cub fans are still not happy about Bradley’s performance so far, they have now something else to be mad about.

The Cubs visited Philadelphia and boy did they get murdered by the hottest team in baseball. The Phillies won the game last night 10-1. The game was a one-sided game the whole way. Raul Ibanez started the mayhem in the first inning with a 2-out, 3-run home run off of Ted Lily (who would go 4 innings giving up 7 earned runs on 8 hits), and the beating never stopped.

This series is a chance for the Cubs to prove they can beat good teams, but most importantly, win games and get back on track towards winning the division for the 3rd straight year. So far the Cubs look like fools, but they have two more games to bounce back form such a beating.

It’s pretty funny and sad that a team that is playing mediocre still has a chance to win the division. As of Monday the Cubs are only 2 games behind the 2006 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs need a lot of refining, but it doesn’t seem like they are making any moves before the trade deadline comes and goes. Their overspending on players that are not producing may have forced the Cubs into a corner where they can’t make any big move.

Despite their up and down play the season isn’t over, and no team in the Central Division has run away with the division, so the Cubs still have a good chance of defending their title. It may sound easy and right at their fingertips, but it will still be a long second half of the season for the Cubs, their fans, and their staff.

* – Milton Bradley photo credit: Straight Pinkie

Geovany Soto will now be on the DL due to a left oblique strain he suffered during batting practice Wednesday. Soto will be the 13th person that the Cubs have had to put on the DL this season. There are now questions about who will be the backup to Koyie Hill, who started Friday and will start most of the games while Soto is out.

Jake Fox is currently the backup, but Lou said they are looking outside the organization to add depth at the position.. Mark Johnson is the catcher in Iowa that has Major League experience, but he is on the DL so that doesn’t seem like a logical answer. Steve Clevenger is another catcher, but he is new to the job after being converted from shortstop. Chris Robinson, who they got from Detroit and is currently in Iowa, looks like to be the most logical internal answer.

The Cubs’ season has been nothing but disappointment, and they can’t seem to get away from injuries. A day after activating Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson, and Angel Guzman off the DL, the Cubs had to put Ryan Dempster on the 15-day DL due to a broken toe. Believe it or not, the Cubs are not totally out of the division race. Before Friday the Cubs stand just 3.5 games out of first place. Even though the Cubs are not out of it, there is no “This is the Year” feeling.

Lou Pinella said that there is really nothing you can do about injuries, and while that is true, players can still be careful what they do. The Cubs might not win the World Series this year, but this year is not a total loss. This a learning year for the Cubs and their management. The Cubs should learn from the Milton Bradley signing. Never sign a player who is not a proven player. Bradley has never played the whole season, he has had only one good year, and he has had problems with previous players and coaches.

What the Cubs have never had was a great farm system. Very rarely do the Cubs have a rising star. The only one I can think of is Randy Wells. Most of their first round draft picks have been busts (like Prior due to injury, or like Felix Pie due to lack of production), or they have never made it to the big leagues. With all these problems the Cubs need an overhaul. The only way to get better is to trade away some guys, and recruit potential All Stars. They need to stay away from players that get hurt. (Rich Harden and Bradley come to mind.)

Another huge problem are the fans. One year when Dusty Baker was managing the team the Cubs were playing the last home stand, were 20 game out of first, and they still managed to get 40,000 to show up. Even worse was when the Cubs came back to win the game in the 9th, the fans went insane like they were playing in the World Series. Cubs fans seem to be living in there own little baseball world. If no fans showed up maybe the team would do something different, but no matter how bad the Cubs do they always sell out at Wrigley.

Until things change, the Cubs will continue to go nowhere in the next few years.

* – Lou Piniella photo credit: AP Photo/Paul Connors via Sports Maven

Lou Piniella told Milton Bradley to go home after Bradley threw his helmet and went after the cooler. Bradley was mad that he flew out in the 6th inning in the first game against the White Sox. Piniella told him to take off his uniform, and the two had an exchange of words in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.

There was no sign of Bradley getting taken out of the lineup or having to deal with any consequences. Jim Hendry promised that it would never happen again. Bradley has already been suspended once this year for arguing with umpire Larry Vanover over a called strike.

Piniella has apologized for calling Bradley a “piece of expletive”. Bradley accepted the apology, and is glad that the incident is over with. Piniella told him the team can’t deal with his antics, and one day Bradley will hurt someone or himself.

Bradley is not new to getting in scuffs with mangers, umpires, and players. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2007 after manger Bud Black spun him to keep him away from umpire Mike Winters. Bradley was suspended twice in the 2004 season. He got a 4-game suspension for throwing balls onto the field after he got ejected. He was also suspended 5 games the same year for slamming water bottles at the feet of a fan after someone in the stands threw it on the field. He also criticized Jeff Kent, saying that Kent was not able to play with black players.

Bradley has been a big flop this year after the Cubs signed him in the offseason for $30 million dollars. Bradley has had one decent year in his career, and his trouble with umpires, mangers, and players always gets in the way of his playing. He has only been a nuisance to teams. It shows when you see that he has been with 7 different teams in 9 years. Teams have shown that they will not deal with him.

So why did the Cubs sign him? Who knows, but let me say it was a bad choice. Bradley is hitting .236 with 5 homeruns and 16 RBIs. His lack of defense has also shown. He sometimes can’t remember how many outs there are, as shown when he threw the ball into the crowd after he caught a fly ball. He thought that catch ended the inning, but it was only the 2nd out.

The Cubs don’t need stuff like this happening when they are already two games under .500, and 3.5 games out of first place. The Cubs need to get back on track if they want any chance to make it to the playoffs.

* – Milton Bradley photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times via Houston Chronicle/AP