Milton Bradley got ejected again
This time he actually said something after striking out. By the way, Doug Fister also got hit by a liner to the right forearm.
almost 2 years ago
Jeff Sullivan
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We just allowed an inside-the-park homerun.
Better to get the suckiness depression out of the system now than during the season.
It's spring training, he should just shutup and go back to the dugout..
I had no issue with the ejection the other day, but I don’t care who you are, getting ejected in back to back games is ridiculous (warranted or not)..
It's not ridiculous if both of the ejections were complete bullshit
He said something as he walked back to the dugout. The pitch was a pretty egregious ball that most hitters would argue. In spring training yeah, he should probably just let it go, but that wasn’t a call most hitters would just let go.
And what I mean by that is
Bradley’s reputation should have absolutely nothing to do with umps tossing him, they should be evaluating an ejection based on the situation at hand and that alone and I don’t think they did that in either of these cases.
That's fine, but at what point does a player realize that he's being
targetted and as a result instead of saying something to the ump, just walk back to the dugout.
Why should he be made to shut up more than other players because Umps are treating him unfairly?
The fault doesn’t lie with him in that case and he shouldn’t have to pander to umps treating him unfairly versus other players, the umps are at fault in that case because they are violating their objective premise.
I totally agree that the umps are looking for any excuse to toss him.
That being said, his actions in both games have allowed the umps the right to toss him (as unfair and trivial as the actions have been)… The dropping the bat after a called third strike can be seen as showing up the ump.
If he keeps his mouth shut going back to the dugout tonight he isn’t tossed. Is it really too much to ask that a player just go back to the dugout after a bad calll (in ST) and not curse at the ump?
I would think after getting tossed the other night (unfairly) that a player would be a little smarter and not cause further attention to himself and embarrassment by getting thrown out of another ST game.
Yeah his reputation should have nothing to do with umps tossing him,
but that’s not the reality. He needs to understand that and move forward accordingly.
TouchMyIchiro
The point is that it shouldn't be reality.
Umpires are supposed to be impartial, unbiased enforcers of the rules. This is one of the reasons why we keep screaming “ROBOTS!” whenever an umpire fucks up. We don’t need “human elements” continuing to determine the outcome of baseball games. All we need are the 25 players on each side playing the fucking thing.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Mar 20, 2010 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I understand that it shouldn't be reality.
And I agree, it sucks. But it is what it is, and it’s not going to change (unless/until robots). So it’s part of Milton’s job to adjust. It’s not like he has this bad reputation for nothing, he dug himself this hole.
TouchMyIchiro
Okay. It sounds like it was a ball, but you make it out like it was so far out of the
zone it was absurd, and having not seen the pitch, Im not sure how you can make it out to be such a terrible call.
Cherry on top
The game ends with Jack Wilson as a base-runner running from 1B during a pop-up (fly-out?) into LF….with one out.
Today sure did suck. Oh well.
Ruh-ohz
Wak on Bradley ejection: "To me, it’s almost like a witch hunt. It’s almost embarrassing.It’s pretty blatant some guys have it out for him.
Get suspended Wak.
Let someone in MLB have to actually take a look at this crap and start realizing just how off base the umpiring really is.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Mar 20, 2010 1:11 AM PDT up reply actions
I was standing behind home plate when Bradley got ejected
The pitch was painfully obviously a ball. Bradley had thrown his bat and started jogging to first and then the ump called strike three. Bradley slowed to a walk and walked slowly to the dugout. He didn’t obviously say something, it’s possible that he did, but I didn’t see it if he did. Wak instantly came out of the dugout when he was ejected and had a pretty extended, but calm conversation with the home plate ump.
by edddgar on Mar 19, 2010 10:52 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Wow.
Awesome on Wakamatsu to have Bradley’s back. That’s tremendously cool to put himself out there like that in defense of a player.
I agree it looks like a witch hunt...
and i dont know whats up with the m’s right now, but it seems like nothing can go right right now. pitching rotation is completely fubar right now, there isn’t firm word on infield positions (put them back where they normally play, i’ve watched lopez play 3rd and its bad….) we have to find space for sweeney because if we dont, the red sox or yankees are going to pick him up and hes going to be the al mvp, and poor bradley cant catch a break… come on. hopefully this slump will end by 5 april.
by mariseanerhawk on Mar 20, 2010 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions
I think Wakamatsu will pick up his first MLB ejection this year...
arguing in defense of Bradley. The first time he tells an ump that they are persecuting Bradley or anything to that effect is going to get him ejected.
I have no idea what the outcome of that will be, but I’m pretty sure it will happen. Wakamatsu may be a very patient man, but if this sort of thing continues into the season, especially in division games, he may reach his limit of tolerance.
by Ike Clanton on Mar 20, 2010 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions
In the seven stages of having Milton Bradley on your team...
Some are clearly in the denial stage … I’ll check back in June when you guys are in the bargaining stage.
You're an idiot.
Right now I'm dreaming of Carl Crawford. Maybe next year...(or this year at the trade deadline)...
by SeaKoala on Mar 20, 2010 5:45 AM PDT up reply actions 9 recs
Just another self-important sport fan who troll sites of other teams and think that their opinions would be respected.
by svart aske on Mar 21, 2010 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Because clea
rly the only respectable people on this planet are Mariners fans?
... Paul Hoynes is a really great guy ...
We're already at acceptance.
We’ve realized that we unloaded a sunk cost in Silva, meaning that Bradly’s true cost to us is something like $1.5 million per. He could go completely crazy and force a release and we wouldn’t care because we’ve got so little invested in him.
by BrianL on Mar 20, 2010 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions 7 recs
It does seem to me like Bradley fucked up in this last ejection though
He absolutely shouldn’t be saying anything to the umps, ever.
by Graham MacAree on Mar 20, 2010 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
is that who ran him?
Angel Hernandez is pretty much the poster boy for “hey look at me!” umpires.
by Jeff Nye on Mar 20, 2010 9:15 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That was the ump
That started the thing in San Diego where he hurt his leg, right?
by ExiledToSoCal on Mar 20, 2010 9:18 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I didn't know about that one.
Wow, some of these guys have serious Little Dick Syndrome. Threatened by the guest singer? Not to draw too much from the occasion, but I would think that a minimum level of self-confidence would be a major component of the umpire profile.
Displays like that, letter-of-the-law or not, are clearly not indicative of self-confidence.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
To be fair, Steve McMichael is sortof a dick himself
But yeah, ejecting the 7th inning stretch singer is a little over the top. And, well, if Angel Hernandez was a better umpire, he wouldn’t have the guest singers questioning him!
No
This would be the bargaining stage … acceptance is when you realize it was a mistake and the only value MB is being off your team.
by Toxicadam on Mar 20, 2010 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
So, here's what's going to happen
Whenever a Cleveland fan or a Cubs fan decides they want to show up and whine about Milton Bradley, I am going to warn them. If they do it twice I am going to ban them.
Troll away. On your site. Don’t pollute ours.
by Graham MacAree on Mar 20, 2010 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
Huh, he did play with the Indians
What do know…
by vivaelpujols on Mar 20, 2010 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions
*you
(mods: feel free to hide all of this)
by vivaelpujols on Mar 20, 2010 11:00 PM PDT up reply actions
You don't remember the cereal and board game tandem?
(Coco Crisp and Bradley)
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
Yes!
Falling, fallen, we all fall down, it only really matters how we stand our ground
If and when we rise to our feet again, we'll be on our own
-Tomas Kalnoky/Streetlight Manifesto, If and When We Rise Again
by kentcheesehead on Mar 21, 2010 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Why are fans of other teams so intersted in how Mariners fans feel about Milton Bradley?
My Mariners blog SodoMojo, My Twitter Feed
by Griffin Cooper on Mar 20, 2010 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Because they have to believe that their stance on "chemistry" and MB being baseball's TO are accurate.
Or they just can’t understand life anymore.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Mar 20, 2010 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Milton Bradley wore #22 when he played for the A's.
22 divided by 666 rounds to 30. He signed a $30 million contract with the Cubs last offseason. Coincidence? I THINK NOT
by Aaron Campeau on Mar 20, 2010 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 10 recs
Interesting
mILton braDlEy, mix around the letters a little… DEIL, there’s a letter missing let’s think about it for a sec Milton Bradley is a board game maker, board games like Monopoly, mono is one or a kissing disease, won a world series in over a hundred years the Cubs have not, so M must be a clue some how… M’s are a team, one that traded Bradley for Silva, Silva likes sandwiches.. A HA! SANDWICHES! Sandwiches is the letter missing. DELI SANDWICHES THINK ABOUT IT!
You got slurved!
22 ÷ 666 rounded= 30, is news to me
by tdot mariner fan on Mar 21, 2010 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Hmm
22 divided by 666 rounds to 33%. 33% is the percent of the contract Bradley signed with the Cubs that he actually spent with the Cubs. Coincidence? I THINK NOT
Determined, Jonesing Commentor
by Corco on Mar 21, 2010 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I second acblue's "What?"
My Mariners blog SodoMojo, My Twitter Feed
by Griffin Cooper on Mar 20, 2010 11:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Do you want a serious answer?
Or would I get warned, and then banned, for offering one?
Mariners fans, and LL regulars, are under the microscope on this. It’s a fascinating look at how a fan base can twist their perceptions of an individual player and fairly routine events based on a guy suddenly wearing your uniform.
Just as one example, Toxicadam (whose posting history is very familiar to me) posts a very dry and even obvious remark, and LL folk (including the mod!) interpret it as “angry.” I know this guy. He’s not angry. But anyone disagreeing with the group here on this issue is presumed to be bitter, angry — whatever it takes for you to conclude that his views are outrageously biased and should be rejected.
Let me be clear, I don’t assume that LGT regulars and Indians fans are any smarter or more objective than LL regulars and Mariners fans. In fact, it’s just the opposite — I assume that we’re very nearly the same in both respects (including the over-the-top chest-beating about how “intelligent” you are). All that vaunted objectivity, and yet every fan of seven different teams is now just wrong about everything — despite actual experience as a Bradley fan — while M’s fans are presumed to be right and even intellectually superior?
And that’s what makes this so fascinating. You are us … and you’re also kind of crazy … which just means that in a similar situation, we probably have been crazy and probably will be crazy, too.
Don’t worry … I’m not planning on having an extended conversation about this, which I’m sure would get ugly fast. I just wonder how many folks here are really capable of stepping back and having a moment of self-reflection on this subject. You don’t have the same perspective we do, no matter how “intelligent” the collective may be. You haven’t rooted for a team with Bradley on the roster before … and you haven’t gotten a chance to watch your alter egos going a little crazy in a bubble.
by Jay on Mar 22, 2010 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I believe the biggest issue here is that nobody's adding anything
We are all very familiar with the Milton Bradley story, and with the potential our situation has of blowing up in our faces. We don’t need to be reminded every single flipping time his name gets mentioned in a post. It riles people up while contributing nothing. Nothing.
No, Toxicadam didn’t say or do anything wrong. But what’s the point? What’s the point of posting that comment? Milton Bradley has made a lot of fans of his previous teams upset. We get it. We would like the opportunity to watch him play now uninterrupted, thank you.
by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 22, 2010 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
I think you guys have two perspectives on Bradley, which is why you’re getting these comments. On the one hand, as you say, “We are all very familiar with the Milton Bradley story, and with the potential our situation has of blowing up in our faces.” And yet, on the other hand, whenever Bradley is involved in an incident, there are lots of Mariners fans on this board assuming that he is the innocent one, and that he was somehow done wrong.
Right or wrong, if a fan who has been through the Bradley experience sees a post like that, the immediate reaction is, “Oh man — they have NO idea.”
Bradley needs to learn to shut up about Chicago and take some responsibility for himself
With that you’ll find no disagreement around here.
However, there’s no disputing the fact that these most recent ejections were absurd, and that Bradley didn’t deserve to get tossed out either time. We’re not defending Bradley because he’s Bradley. We’re defending Bradley because the umpires are stupid.
by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 22, 2010 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions
no criticism intended
But precisely what several folks have tried to explain here — and what I know several LL regulars already realize — is that umpires, league officials and cops are all going to do unfair things to Bradley at this point. The dice are in fact loaded against him, that’s the reality, and that’s not going to change.
While it’s unfair on the micro level, it’s also self-inflicted on the macro level. I know you probably get this as well. I think any M’s fans who can just resign themselves to the fact that MB probably will do a few dumb things, and that also a few dumb and unfair things will be done to him by officials, those M’s fans are going to save themselves a lot of anguish and blood pressure spikes.
Expect the worst, expect unfairness — can you tell I’m a Cleveland fan? — and this is all going to go better for you, regardless of how it turns out.
So he’s got a massive “detriment of the doubt” at this point, and as many others have noted, the only way he can overcome this would be to adopt a truly Jackie Robinsonesque stoicism in the face of it. Few if any people think he’s capable of that — mostly because he seems to have no interest in committing to that strategy. So there it is.
Incidentally, I think Chicago was a screwed-up situation all the way around. His comments to ESPN didn’t bother me, nor did I think it was wrong for the reporter to coax him into saying them. (Another example of where the LL reaction was kind of baffling.) Bradley isn’t dumb, not at all, and he isn’t necessarily a bad guy. But he is crazy, and that was a bad situation to put him in on top of everything else.
by Jay on Mar 22, 2010 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
So here's my question to you
Absolutely, Bradley’s on a short leash for a reason, and that certain umpires will treat him unfairly will come as no surprise. One might even argue that he has it coming. It would do us all a lot of good to get used to it.
But does that mean we should just take it lying down? There should always be some degree of outrage whenever any player is treated unfairly, no matter who it is.
by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 22, 2010 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
good question
I think getting mad about it ultimately does more harm than good, because realistically, nobody is going to give a crap.
Again, the perception around the league, officials and fans alike, is that he brought this on himself. The dilemma for M’s fans is that he brought it on himself while wearing other uniforms, but now the M’s will suffer for it.
On the other hand … that’s why you got him basically for free.
Bottom line? Call it what it is … then move on quickly. That would be my advice, since you asked.
Honestly, I think that's what we've been doing
Is anyone still angry about Bradley being ejected? I mean, push comes to shove I still think the one I watched was absurd, but it’s not like the image of random AAA ump #1 tossing MB is going to haunt my dreams.
by Graham MacAree on Mar 22, 2010 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions
As long as he's not being suspended I don't care
But if the big league umps treat him like this I might care.
the point
First, Jeff, you know that I’m a fan of the site. Others here may not know it, but you know it.
Second, as a pretty strict mod myself, one with very specific ideas on cultivating a great community, I am definitely sympathetic to the idea that there’s little point tolerating something negative that adds nothing to the discussion.
Did this add nothing, as compared with the typical post here or elsewhere? That’s murkier. It’s clear that people didn’t like it, but that surely does not mean that it added nothing. What it adds, if anything, is the timely re-asking of the question — should we the basic question of whether Bradley is worth the trouble on this roster?
It is also re-raising the meta-discussion, i.e., “How Mariners fans react to this stuff.” Asking whether it isn’t time, even in mid-March, to reevaluate the defensive posture many of you have taken. But I certainly get that (a) that meta-discussion is a lot more interesting to us visitors than it is to you regulars, and (b) it isn’t unreasonable to see it as something very close to out-and-out trolling. I get that.
I would even propose that, for anyone who has a serious interest in the meta-discussion, come and have it over at LGT. We can handle it, it won’t irritate our regulars. Besides, by posting over here, we’re kind of contaminating the experiment anyway.
In isolation, that's fine
We should be reminded every so often that Milton Bradley is an experiment, and a volatile one. But the “timely re-asking of the question” you refer to – that’s great, but we deal with it on what’s practically a daily basis. It’s seldom Indians fans, but we get Cubs fans here all the time, so in a sense we never stop being asked the question. It’s annoying.
I do however encourage further scientific examination of our community, because LL could probably make Science.
by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 22, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Incidentally, since you guys were asking at LGT
The reason we require subject lines is after playing around with SBN’s moderation tools we’ve found that flags don’t link back to their comments properly unless said comment has a subject line. The ability to hide pictures and .gifs is also nice, but the main reason is to allow us to find flagged comments more easily (especially old ones).
I would have posted it there but hey, 24 hour waiting period.
by Graham MacAree on Mar 22, 2010 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions
From Kirby Arnold
Plate umpire Jon Merry ejected Bradley in the fourth inning tonight after a pitch that many observers thought was high. Whether it was a strike or not, that’s not the point..
None of the reporters who cover the Mariners saw the ejection because we were in the clubhouse talking with starting pitcher Doug Fister, who’d undergone his own drama when a line drive hit him on his right forearm and knocked him from the game (it appears to be a bruise, but he’ll be X-rayed today). An Associated Press story said Bradley tossed his bat after he was called out.
Wakamatsu said Bradley did say something after Merry rang him up, unlike Wednesday when he dropped his bat and started to take off his gloves after ump Dan Bellino called strike three. Wakamatsu said Bradley mistakenly thought it was the third out, and that he did nothing to show up the umpire in that one.
Tonight?
"He was just about in the dugout (when he said something), but I’m standing in the dugout and I couldn’t tell what he said," Wakamatsu said. "It’s pretty blatant that some guys have it out for him."
They've infiltrated the Seattle Times blog too.
And gloated about how Silva’s mechanical tweak had returned him to his Minnesota form.
I love the link in that article that says
“Customize a Silva jersey”.
No thanks.
~I once gave Jose Canseco $15. ~
I hope that doesn't happen
I know it’s hard to believe but there are intelligent baseball-knowledgeable Cub fans. I first came to this site when the Silva-Bradley trade happened to see Mariner fan reactions and was glad to see that the response was mostly positive and that in general, most were willing to at least give MB a chance.
Bradley certainly has a different attitude towards a lot of issues but if you listen to him, he’s a pretty thoughtful, intelligent guy. Part of the problem (in Chicago at least) is that he doesn’t give the standard pat answers to media questions but actually gives his honest opinion which can be hard to translate into a quick quote or soundbite.
As far as the things I care about, he just had a mediocre year in 2009 – bad start and a period of struggling mechanics. He has one of the best batting eyes I’ve seen in recent years and I hope he has a monster year for the Mariners.
On a side note, I enjoy stopping by this site a lot. The series on statistics and analysis were great. Sorry for the long first post here.
by cwolf2 on Mar 21, 2010 6:47 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
media unfriendliness is part of the issue with Bedard, too.
Granted, Milton Bradley has other stuff going on too, but we shouldn’t take what the media says about any player for granted. Their own agendas color what they tell us, even if it’s not intended.
by Jeff Nye on Mar 21, 2010 8:55 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Good post
Really, the main issue isn’t just about fans of Milton Bradley’s former teams. It’s about the fact that so far (mainly Cubs fans due to the fact that they had him most recently) they’ve just shown up and trolled this blog simply because we don’t automatically hate Milton Bradley with a passion. It’s always assumed that we’re somehow uninformed and naive. It’s never assumed that we’re just level-headed about Milton Bradley. It has gotten to the point where Matthew had to issue A Milton Bradley PSA for people who think we somehow don’t know what we’re getting.
These people do not understand the difference between signing Milton Bradley to an expensive contract and trading an unmitigated disaster (Carlos Silva) for Milton Bradley. You better believe we’ll give Bradley a chance considering he was exchanged for what had been the biggest problem for the roster. A player who could potentially give us 2-4 WAR over the next two years if he doesn’t run into a whirlwind of problems? In exchange for a player who needs a miracle just to get to 2 WAR!? Yes, please!
I’ve seen more than enough knee-jerk reactions on other teams’ blogs regarding Bradley’s two ejections that I strongly support Graham’s low-tolerance approach to keep that kind of trash off this site.
Good discussions are welcome for the most part.
I didn't see that PSA post before I commented.
It’s well done. Far too many Cub fans (and to be fair, probably fans of other teams) are so Cub-centric that they have no idea that there are other teams in mlb that have fans who actually understand the game. A good number of these Cub fans don’t even realize that Bradley had a disappointing but certainly not awful season last year. I also doubt that his personality affected on-field performance very much on a veteran team with guys like Zambrano, Ramirez, Lee, Soriano and Dempster.
You're fine.
Obvious trolls are obvious, but I don’t mind letting the non-retarded Cubs fans stick around here.
Is that the light at the end of the tunnel, or the headlights of an oncoming train?
please dont ban me
CUBS WIN CUBS WIN CUBS WIN
by GarlicFryCubFan on Mar 21, 2010 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions
You're not off to a great start.
Try using punctuation and capitalization.
Right now I'm dreaming of Carl Crawford. Maybe next year...(or this year at the trade deadline)...
OK.
My mistake. I was thrown off by the whole Cubs fan thing. Should still use my advice, no?
Right now I'm dreaming of Carl Crawford. Maybe next year...(or this year at the trade deadline)...
Yep, advice will be taken.
CUBS WIN CUBS WIN CUBS WIN
by GarlicFryCubFan on Mar 22, 2010 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions
I hope Bradley starts using one of those axe bats Buhner was pimping.
Just to keep the umps on their toes.
by Sec 108 on Mar 22, 2010 8:23 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Full disclosure first
I am a Tribe fan. I don’t condone trolling and try not too. But truthfully, Bradley is like a really bad car wreck that you drive by. You can’t help but slow down and stare a little. Maybe even stop and talk to the gawkers by the roadside.
Still, best of luck. I was hoping the Yankees would acquire him for what I think are obvious reasons.
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