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Milton: Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Posted by: THernes on September 21, 2009 at 5:43PM EST

In a time when the economy is still tanking, and many folks have lost their jobs, leave it to another overpaid, underperforming athlete to complain about the working conditions.

Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley has been nothing but a big pain in the rear end, and General Manager Jim Hendry finally had enough, suspending the moody player for the final two weeks of the season.

The boiling point came over the weekend after Bradley said the Cubs didn't provide a good atmosphere for winning, and now understands why they have gone more than a 100 years without winning a World Series. Never mind the fact this guy signed a three year, $30 million contract during a time when the poor economy didn't allow for many big free-agent deals with the exception of the New York Yankees.

Manager Lou Piniella said he attempted to make Bradley as comfortable as possible. Some of Bradley's teammates said playing in Chicago for the Cubs is one of the best jobs in baseball with a large and loyal fan base, along with a great city to live in.

There's no doubt in my mind a productive season would have put Bradley feeling better about the microphones in his face in the small Wrigley Field clubhouse, and Hendry and Piniella would have looked the other way at some of the outfielder's strange behavior.

Problem is, Bradley got off to a terrible start, and never recovered, batting a paltry .257 with 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in. Compare that to the other free-agent outfielders the Cubs could have signed: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia: .277, 31 HR, 87 RBI; Adam Dunn, Washington: .278, 37 HR, 101 RBI; Bobby Abreu, Anaheim: .295, 13 HR, 96 RBI, 29 stolen bases.

Even with the bad season, most rational human beings would hope Bradley quietly goes about his business, collect his paychecks and work on having a bounceback season in 2010.

Not with this guy.

He wants a better, more positive atmosphere. He claims some of the boos at him from the Wrigley bleachers are racially motivated.

Complaints, complaints, complaints. Fans aren't buying it, especially in this economic climate when plopping down a couple hundred dollars for a family to attend a game is more of a luxury than in previous years.

Priority No. 1 in the off-season should be unloading Bradley, even if the Cubs have to eat most of his salary, for the good of the team.

- Tom

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