A Milton Bradley PSA
by Matthew on Dec 20, 2009 5:37 PM PST
in Miscellaneous
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PrintDear fans of Milton Bradley's former teams,
It may come as a shock to you, but we up here in Seattle are aware of Milton Bradley's past behaviors. I know Seattle seems isolated from the rest of the country, but we have this interweb thingy that keeps us quite informed whilst we stay indoors from all the rain. Also he played for two of our divisional rivals so we've had some experience seeing him. We understand. Really. He's a malcontent. He's violent, explosive, unstable, unhinged, arrogant, pick your adjectives of choice.
We get it.
We know. We already knew. We knew two years ago too when we wanted to sign him then. It's part of the risk of Milton Bradley and we know that risk exists. If it didn't, Bradley would be one of baseball's stars, and one of its most-hyped given his hitting prowess and a lack of Black role models in baseball of late.
We get it.
It would be one thing if Seattle's postseason hopes hinged on Milton Bradley staying healthy and level-headed. If that were true, we would be a lot more cautious about this. But they do not. Realistically, Bradley pencils in as a 1-2 win improvement at DH over what we currently had. Milton Bradley is not the lynch pin on which our entire season rides. He is merely a possible high-upside addition. A guy who could explode for 4 WAR as he did in 2008. We welcome his arrival based on that potential, the positional flexibility he provides as a fill-in outfielder and his switch-hitting.
We get it.
We're not expecting Bradley to reform himself and become a model clubhouse citizen. We have merely pointed out that Seattle might be such an environment where Bradley might find himself comfortable in. We're pretty low-key up here and we have a good support staff in place in the coaches and even fellow Black teammates. Pointing out that Bradley might not be a total nutcase in Seattle does not mean we expect it to happen. Just as pointing out that he has high upside as a hitter doesn't mean we're going out and buying playoff tickets. Please stop confusing the acknowledgment of a possibility with asserting that it is the most probable outcome.
We get it.
We'd also understand a little more if we were, say, gaining Milton Bradley on a 2Y/$30 million contract. There would be a lot more discussion about his attitude and likely playing time issues if that were the case. Milton Bradley did not arrive here in a vacuum though. Pardon me for the assumption, but you know how much you seem to hate Milton Bradley? We hated Carlos Silva similarly and no matter how jaded you are, you have to admit that Milton Bradley has more upside as a productive player than Carlos Silva. That's all we are caring about right now.
So If you want to feel better about yourself by coming here and trying to enlighten us all about the dangers of Milton Bradley, please keep one thing in mind and go find somewhere else:
We get it.
Hugs and Kisses,
Matthew Carruth
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Better watch it
He’ll start calling you all racist—he certainly did in Chicago without any obvious provocation. Of course, I wasn’t there and didn’t hear what he did, but being a Cubs fan, I know the vast majority of the fans there, while yes typically drunk, are rowdy but not racist. They’re too busy enjoying the day in the bleachers to be racist.
"There is no tomorrow for you, and that makes you very dangerous people."--Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) The Replacements
Time is an illusion--lunch time doubly so.
It's just another token race card excuse.
Milton obviously created this aberration of racist cubs fans so he can attempt to get sympathy. Oh wait, what’s this…
http://bases.nbcsports.com/2009/10/kerry-wood-black-cubs-players-got-racist-hate-mail.html.php
Well Kerry Wood’s probably in on it too, I mean after being another Bl…wait, what? Kerry Wood’s white?
It may be worth mentioning here that one of the last sundown communities in the USA was Grosse Pointe, a suburb of Chicago.
Also, I remember learning in sociology back in the early 90s that Chi-town was the least racially integrated city in the nation (Seattle was the most, with the caveat that there aren’t a lot of black people living here in the first place). Chicago and Boston are as racist as just about anywhere in the Deep South.
by Johnny Slick on Dec 20, 2009 9:34 PM PST up reply actions
On the charges of calling 'racism'?
He is not the first
It seems like every reporter in Chicago decided before he even arrived that there was going to be trouble.
Torii Hunter specifically had Chicago and Boston on his no trade clause list.
There’s good reason for this, as he’s made it public that he’s received numerous racist taunts from the fans of both cities.
But yes, I’m sure Milton just “made it all up” in an attempt to make chicago fans feel guilty.
by Eldukey on Dec 21, 2009 8:42 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I was going to just type
“white power!” without comment, but then I realized the majority of people here probably haven’t heard his album.
by Liebkartoffel on Dec 20, 2009 6:49 PM PST up reply actions
He seemed to have a good rapport with Chill Mitchell on "Ed".
That puts him in good with both Blacks and Handicaps.
by Johnny Slick on Dec 20, 2009 6:50 PM PST up reply actions
It's ok.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with capitalizing Black, Brown, White or whatever else when discussing race.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
We get it.
By the way, this is Bradley trying to stop his catcher from going back into the fight.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marksobba/2508030624/in/set-72157605150883518/
Milton Bradley was an above-average hitter last year when he was able to play.
I’d just like to point that out.
Obviously it was a poor season by his standards, but his standards are really high. All the whining about him hitting terribly last year is ridiculous. If you’re coming over here to tell us everything that’s wrong with him, please at least leave batting average at the door.
I have noticed a typo in this comment
“at least leave batting average at the door” was clearly meant to say “fuck off”
by Graham MacAree on Dec 20, 2009 6:47 PM PST up reply actions 9 recs
Not necessarily
his standards last year that was the problem. He never could have lived up to the hype going into Chicago like he did, coming off the year he did, unless he single handedly led us to the promised land. My primary problem with him, other than the aforementioned attitude problems, is that he is not a true switch hitter. His splits were horrible. If he had been there for a full season and been able to get into some type of routine or rhythm then I think he would have done a lot better and he might not have been run out of town. I hope he does well for you guys.
"There is no tomorrow for you, and that makes you very dangerous people."--Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) The Replacements
Time is an illusion--lunch time doubly so.
He has about a 100 point drop batting left-handed, both career and 3-year.
That’s not horrible.
Last year's difference was 66 points.
Even less horrible.
by Johnny Slick on Dec 20, 2009 9:14 PM PST up reply actions
"Milton Bradley is not the lynch pin on which our entire season rides."
How racially insensitive of you, Matthew. For shame!
by DKCecil on Dec 20, 2009 7:03 PM PST reply actions 3 recs
Dear Cubs fan in particular,
We once had a manger here, that you may be familar with, who was also very angry and violent. He was alot more explosive than what he is now we you guys. And he would easily give Milton Bradley a run for his money when it came to temper tantrums. And guess what? We loved him for it.
We also had our own crazy black man, in Jose Gullen. And we liked him too. Why? Because he performed well while he was here. And that’s all we give a shit about.
All Hail Zduriencik!
While the sentiment is correct,
to be fair, Jose Guillen is latino, not black. Minor point.
I was going to say something about the manger
But I think I’ll stay out of th- oh, wait….
"Let this big fucker come in and walk the world here." - Dave Niehaus on JJ Putz
Good post,
and loved the comment about “this interweb thingy”.
by Bart's Evil Twin on Dec 20, 2009 9:24 PM PST reply actions
I agree with everything the author of this FanPost has said...
especially the “We get it” parts. You have it, now may God have mercy on your souls.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Dec 20, 2009 9:32 PM PST reply actions
Thanks for the input!
Now why don’t you make like Star Trek and Boldly Go.
...and now I'm here
How's God been treating you the last 100 years?
by Brian Floyd on Dec 20, 2009 11:34 PM PST up reply actions
Oh about the same as he treated you for the last 32 years.
0’fer for both of us.
That’s not true!!! WHY THE F*CK WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU AHOLE!! Ok maybe your right but you gotta give a little something here for it to work. I don’t know what I’m going to do this is the worst thing I’ve ever read, this day could not get any worse. Fine, F*ck it, you’re right.
by Ditkavsworld
No, Slica is open
De Gutibus non disputandum est
by Bearskin Rugburn on Dec 21, 2009 8:03 AM PST up reply actions
Out of all the players on our roster, I am rooting for Bradley to breakout with a monster season and win the Comeback Player of the Season.
I should note that the reasons for this are 99.9% selfish. However the inner troll in me wants to be able to run my mouth off at a few Cubs fans when he has a 3 WAR season for us.
I'm not going to lie
Pretty much the same exact thing came to my mind. I don’t necessarily want to brag to other people, I am really looking forward to rooting for the guy. As far as I’m concerned he’s a bit of a headcase, but from a lot of the accounts coming from people who aren’t mad at Bradley for ruining their team, he’s just mostly really really hard on himself, and I can completely relate to that.
One thing that worries me
The left field bleachers are cheap seats I sit in from time to time. I’ve heard really intelligent baseball conversation going on there, and also run into some real idiots. I just hope the former types can hold the latter in check, because we’re inevitably going to have some yahoos who want to yell things and bait him.
Sure we have our share of idiots at the stadium,
but the difference is I think in general these are just plain old idiots rather than spiteful, malicious idiots. I really would be surprised if there is a lot of Bradley hate from M’s fans, especially because the vast majority, from what I’ve read and heard from people, both the “sabermetric” crowd and the casual fan, view this trade in a good light. I think there would be a way higher chance of fans turning against him if this was a terrible trade or a huge FA signing that didn’t end up working out. I really think the Seattle fans are in love with this particular Mariners team, for on and off the field reasons, and that really works in favor of Bradley.
Picking up Milton Bradley is like picking up a flyball left-hander
Might not work out, but I defy you to find a better situation.
That Bradley has blown up before doesn’t matter. What matters are the reasons behind those events, and those reasons should be minimized in a place like Seattle. This is such a god damn important point to understand.
Thank you, Matthew.
Ah, well apparently a number of our members have gone to their SBN sites recently to post various thoughts on Bradley et al.
No wonder they have decided it is okay to come here again. That is why I do not sign up for their blogs or comment. Intra-SBN commenting never turns out well, unless it is with one of the 2 or 3 blogs we like.
...and now I'm here
There is nothing wrong with other fans posting here as long as their input is fresh and interesting.
Most of our members have been defending Bradley and the decision Seattle made at other blogs around SBN. I see no problem with this as long as it is not done in a trollish manner.
by EnglishMariner on Dec 21, 2009 5:24 AM PST up reply actions
It still encourages them to come here.
And much like when they come here, our comments there are not appreciated with the spirit they were intended. It is also important to note that many of those other SBN sites are absolutely not statistically minded, and going there to explain that there is some sort of non-emotional benefit to these trades isn’t going to sway any of them. It’s only going to sound one of condescending or ignorant. I don’t really see how commenting on those websites is helpful in any way, really, unless it has nothing to do with our team or how our team views their team. If people want to go to the Braves Blog and talk about how good a player Maddux was, that’s fine. But representing the Mariners on their blogs doesn’t seem the slightest bit useful.
...and now I'm here
Personally I don't think that's the spirit of SBN.
We shouldn’t be fearful of upsetting morons if they don’t understand a well presented argument or our use of statistics.
by EnglishMariner on Dec 21, 2009 7:17 AM PST up reply actions
So yeah, as an A's fan, I've come to warn you about this Milton Bradley fellow...
Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.
It's just way easier for Cub fans to try to rationalize
the trade by saying Bradley is going to run the M’s into the ground than to accept that they have Carlos Silva as a pitcher now.
As a Padres fan
I actually came here to tell you how jealous I am that we weren’t able to reacquire Bradley.
http://thesacrificebunt.com/
One has to have him first
before they can reaquire him
Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.
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