Apparently Milton Bradley is worth negative 13.5 million dollars

Milton Bradley…has a reputation…the kind of reputation that earns you the nickname on Sports Center as Milton ‘Crazy’ Bradley.

That’s why it comes no surprise to us that the Cubs would do just about anything to get rid of him. Seriously, anything. The problem was the Cubs couldn’t give Bradley away. Not even his .378 OBP was good enough to simply give to any teams. No they had to take on another team’s headache, the Mariners Carlos Silva.

Silva signed arguably one of the worst contracts in baseball history in 2007. Following consecutive seasons with an ERA above four, and an opponent’s batting average above .300, the Mariners inexplicably gave Silva a $48 million contract over four years.

Whoops.

Now the Cubs inherit Silva’s $11.5 million for next year, and a $2 million buyout in 2011.

Here’s why they’re willing to do that:

2002: Bradley taken to the Hospital after having ‘too much to drink’

2004: Bradley threw a bucket of balls onto the field after being ejected

2007: Bradley tore ACL trying to argue with Bud Black after being called out at first base

2008: Bradley attempted to accost a Royals broadcaster after he heard things he felt was unfair about his character.
2009: Bradley was suspended by the Cubs after saying there was “negativity: in the city of Chicago. “You understand why they (Cubs) haven’t won in 100 years here.

Quotes:

“..It’s not funny to Milton Bradley.”-Milton Bradley

“I want people to say Milton Bradley was a pretty good ballplayer and a pretty good person. Anybody who is going to stand between me getting there, then they need to be eliminated.”-

Milton Bradley

If the Mariners think it’s smart to take on Milton Bradley, it’s not funny to YardYoder.

(editors note: While I understand Bradley will earn $9 million in 2010, he will at least provide some sort of output, were Silva's contract is completely empty)

Game Over Milton Bradley

That rush of wind you hear from Chicago's North Side isn't just the Cubs 2009 season taking its last breaths, it's also a collective sigh of relief as Wrigleyville says goodbye to Milton Bradley. Bradley, the volatile Cubs OF, was suspended for the remainder of the season by GM Jim Hendry over the weekend. Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun-Times must have read my Brett Favre piece, because he has a nice expose chronicling Milton Bradley in his own words as a Cub, which I encourage everyone to read. So, while we can't do that here at RSS, we can revisit how we got to this point where Bradley has been told to go away, and hopefully, to never return to the Cubs.

Anyone and everyone, besides Jim Hendry and to some extent Lou Pinella, knew this marriage would never last. During the past offseason, Sweet Lou and Jim decided to forsake team chemistry for a left-handed bat. This led to the Cubs first mistake, trading Mark DeRosa to the Indians. Not only did they trade a productive, versatile player, but they gave up a man who was integral to the team's chemistry. Of all the Cubs, DeRosa was the one who could handle the bright lights of Chicago, who could be counted on to answer the media's tough questions.

With DeRosa gone, the Cubs then went searching on the free agent market. Due to their ownership situation being in limbo, the Cubs claimed they couldn't make a legitimate run at former Pinella favorite Raul Ibanez (.277, 31 HRs, 87 RBI with the Phillies). The Cubs also took a pass on other proven left-handed outfielders like Adam Dunn (.278, 37 HRs, 101 RBI with the Nationals) to set their sights on Milton Bradley. Bradley's past anger-management problems and other bizarre behaviors that caused him to be on 6 teams in 9 seasons were overlooked by the Cubs. Hendry was enthralled with Bradley's numbers in Texas in 2008, mostly his .446 on-base percentage and .326 average. Rather than go on a typical Y1 rant about MoneyBall, let me just say that if there was ever an example for baseball being a game that is more than just numbers, it is Milton Bradley.

Ever since Bradley signed his 3 year, $30 million contract, the Cubs 2009 season has been a freefall. Except for one brief glimpse of hope after the All-Star Break, the Cubs have been the biggest disappointment in baseball this season with Bradley a microcosm of their failures. Currently, the "World Series favorites" are 10 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the field, Bradley has been a disaster from the left-side of the plate, where he was to be the Cubs missing piece hitting only .234 with a paltry 31 RBIs, contributing to his grand total of 40 RBIs. His lack of production at the plate has only been compounded by lazy outfielding and baserunning, taking himself out of games at random, and oh yeah, forgetting how many outs there were! But that's just on the field...off the field has been even worse!

In all my years of being a sports fan, I've never experienced a player as neurotic and paranoid as Bradley. Every time Bradley had another rough day in the field, he would let loose on the media. Some days the umpires were out to get him. Other days his teammates weren't being his friends. There was his manager, calling him a worthless piece of excrement. Then, the fans were being racist. Let's not pretend that being a black outfielder is easy for any Cub, but that can't serve as Bradley's excuse for his pathetic season. Some of the most popular Cubs of all time were black: Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Sammy Sosa (when we weren't worried about steroids). But the final straw that broke the camel's back was Bradley calling out the fans and organization for being a bunch of losers.

And with that, the Milton Bradley era is over. If the Cubs are lucky, maybe someone will give them a bucket of balls to take Bradley off their hands, of course, at a very steep price. Let this be a lesson for GMs who want to use a wrecking ball to repaint the bedroom. However, amidst all of the second guessing and regret, finally, for one day in this miserable season fans, teammates, and media can unite in joyful song. For the first time this season, it seems as if the sun is finally starting to shine on Wrigley Field. The birds are chirping, the beer tastes a little colder in the bleachers, and the hope for next season is already starting to build, even if only because Milton Bradley won't be there. So, we, the lovable losers, wait for the renewal of the next spring to come and wash our sins away, for that next best chance at reaching the unreachable star. Such is the life in Wrigleyville, a population of one less today.

5-4-3 Baseball Roundup

Does it seem like there's only 6 weeks left in the baseball season? With football season coming on, at least it means we're getting closer to the MLB playoffs. Let's cover the big stories out of MLB this week in our 5-4-3 Roundup. This week we look at 5 Climbers, 4 Flops, and the 3 Races to Watch as we come down the stretch in the marathon that is the national pastime.

5 Climbers

1. Washington Nationals - The Nationals shocked the baseball world by actually signing Stephen Strasburg. Did anyone out there in the blogosphere actually think the Nats could get it done? (Paging Yard Yoder) Even though pitchers taken #1 don't have a great history, the Nats will have an All-Star if he's 1/4 of what the experts think he is. Either way, good on the Nats for actually creating good news for once, honestly, where else can they go but up?

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - The quietest great team in sports. (BTW, isn't that name incredibly annoying when it's spelled out like that? Imagine if the Yankees were the New York Yankees of the Bronx??) Anyways, when August rolls around, expect the Angels in first place. If they hold on, it would be 5 out of 6 AL West titles. 1B slugger Kendry Morales has led the charge (.353, 7 HR, 20 RBI in August) as they sit one game behind the Yanks in the L column.

3. Matt Holliday/Chris Carpenter - Each has played an immense role in bringing the Cards to the front of the NL Central, and making them pennant contenders in a stacked NL. Carpenter is 6-0 since the All-Star Game with a sub-2 ERA and Holliday has seen his AVG/SLG/OPS jump from .286/.378/.832 to .414/.451/1.158 from Oakland to St. Louis. You know, about that Billy Beane guy...

4. Cliff Lee - Well played Cleveland, well played. (Faux tipping of cap) Couldn't everyone see this comin? Lee is 4-0 with a miniscule .082 ERA, 2 Complete Games, and 34 K's. But hey, at least Cleveland got a lot in return, right? Oh, we won't know for 3 years? That's ok, Browns season is right around the corner! Oh, wait, no that's no good. I mean, enjoy LeBron's last year in Cleveland!

5. The Yankees - Where else could I go here people? How warm it made my heart to see the Evil Empire finally beat the White Knights of Boston and extend that AL East lead to 6.5 Games. C.C. Sabathia (where was he originally again?) has evidently been fed some beer and brats and is pitching like his Milwaukee days and A-Rod is staying out of the tabloids, at least until he gets involved in a love triangle between Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn, he does have a thing for older women ya know.

4 Flops

1. Chicago Cubs - Oh, Wrigleyville. Mr. Yoder II's Cubs have fallen to 7 games behind the hated Cardinals and 6 games out of the Wild Card race. Sweet Lou pulled the plug on the great Kevin Gregg a little too late, and the Cubs have performed incredibly poorly on the road in August. Hey, there's always next year, just like there has been for the last 101 years.

2. Big Papi - Where is the outrage? Where are the tough questions? Where is the Peter Gammons sit down? If any other player was hitting .188 in August and had seen their power numbers drop from highs of 54 HR's and 148 RBI's to current season totals of 19 and 70 amidst being found out for TESTING POSITIVE FOR PED's, wouldn't there be a mass rush to judgment? Wouldn't there be an Outside the Lines investigation? Wouldn't there be wall-to-wall coverage? Nope. Since it's the hero of the Nation and ESPN, we get to hear David Ortiz hide behind a union suit and see ESPN give him the favored son treatment while trying to wish the story away.

3. J.J. Hardy - If I would have told you at the end of the 2008 season that a 26 year old All-Star shortstop would be in AAA less than a year later, I'm guessing you would want a little bit of what I had. Nevertheless, this is the Ballad of JJ Hardy. Batting .229 with only 11 HR's has led to Hardy's demotion. With the Brewers' top prospect Alcides Escobar taking his place, JJ's time in Milwaukee is most likely done. At least he'll have a lot of time to deal with the blues in the Nashville honkytonks.

4. Cincinnati Reds - 6-12 in August including part of a pesky little 1-14 stretch put the Reds season back in the grave where their playoff hopes have resided for the past decade. At least you can't blame ace Johnny Cueto's injury on Dusty this time, perhaps. The real reason I mention the Reds is that it gives me a chance to share one of my most favored articles of all-time.

Check out this entry from Fire Joe Morgan to see the brilliance of Reds manager Dusty Baker.

3 Races To Watch

1. AL Wild Card - (Boston, Texas, Tampa) My heart says Texas, but my head says Boston. Who do you think Uncle Bud is rooting for here? Texas has yet to prove that they can come through in a playoff race, while the Bo Sox have been here many times before. Tampa sits 4 games back, but they've been just off enough all season long to not threaten either team seriously. I guess I'll pick Boston, ugh.

2. NL Wild Card - (Colorado, SF, Florida, Atlanta) What is in that humidor that the Rockies can make these late season runs? They sit 2 in front of the Giants and 4 in front of Florida and Atlanta. However, I think the Giants will end up stealing it in the end. Would you bet against Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain?

3. AL Central - (Detroit, Chi Sox) The only real division race in the Majors is really one of the most uninteresting. Neither of these teams will do any damage if they get into the playoffs, but one of them has to make it. If Jake Peavy gets healthy, he'll help the South Siders overtake their rivals to the Northeast.