Why Milton Bradley Needs To Get Out Of Chicago

The Chicago Cubs have suspended Milton Bradley for the rest of the season.

Bradley was signed to a three year, $30 Million dollar contract. How has Milton Bradley justified his fat pay day? Bradley batted .257 with 12 homeruns and 40 RBIs! Let's compare that to some of the other outfielders who were paid less yet produced way more.

Raul Ibanez of the Philladelphia Phillies was signed to the same deal as Bradley (Three Years, $30 Million) yet his stats are way better! Ibanez has a .277 average with 31 homers and 87 RBIs.

Bobby Abreu was signed to a one year, $five million dollar deal. Abreu has a .295 average with 13 homers and 96 RBIs.

Adam Dunn signed a two year, $20 million deal, and he may have put up the best stats of all! Dunn has a .278 average with 37 homeruns and 101 RBIs.

Milton Bradley just could not handle the heat that comes with playing on the North Side of Chicago. The fans want to see their team win a championship so badly, and if you are not producing, they will let you know it, as Alfonso Soriano was booed mercilessly this season despite playing with only one good knee.

I was not a fan of the signing of Bradley, as I just felt like he would not fit in Chicago. Now, it seems like Milton Bradley may have burned his last bridge with the Chicago Cubs.

The MLB 2010 Master Schedule Is Out!

The 2010 MLB Master Schedule is out.

The New York Yankees will start and end the 2010 season playing the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The season begins April 4th with a TBA matchup. The opening Red-Sox Yankees series begins April 5th.

On April 12th, the Red Sox will be the first team to play against the Twins in the new Target Field.

May 21st could be Milton Bardley's first visit back to Arlington, as the Cubs will play the Rangers in an interleague matchup.

June 18th might be Manny Ramirez's first trip back to Fenway Park since he was traded to the Dodgers.

The 81st Annual All Star Game is going to be played July 13th at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

The final game between the Giants and Dodgers will be played August 1st.

The Atlanta Braves play host to their division rival Florida Marlins September 27-29th.

On October 1st through the third, Lou Piniella's Chicago Cubs will play their final series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Alex Rodriguez Passes A Yankee Legend

Alex Rodriguez hit career homerun number 564, surpassing Reggie Jackson on the all time homerun list last night.

The Windy City Showdown is under way this weekend. The Cubs played the White Sox, and Milton Bradley is alienating people. After hos 0-3 performance, he became the latest Cub to attack the water cooler. He then got into an argument with manager Lou Piniella, who told him to change clothes and leave. Milton is expected back in the lineup tommorow.

Andre Ethier put on a show at Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers beat the Mariners.

Milton Bradley's Adventures In The Outfield

Milton Bardley had a tough day today as the Cubs lost to the Twins 7-4 in interleague play. He hit a two run double in the sixth inning, but good starts don't always lead to good finishes, at least in Milton Bradley's case.
An inning later, Milton lost a ball in the sun and was charged with an error an inning later when he made a bonehead play by catching a ball for the second out and throwing it into the bleachers. Milton forgot how many outs there were! The guy makes 10 million a year for the next three seasons and forgets how many outs there are in an inning!
The more I see Bradley play, the more I compare it to Raul Ibanez and how he's playing for the Phillies, there's no comparison in how these two moves have played out for their teams.

Watch the video! Major League Hillarity will follow!
"Milton Bradley's Adventures In The Oufield"

2009 MLB Preview: NL Central

In 2008, The NL Central saw the Chicago Cubs win the division for the second straight season. The remaining teams seemed to stockpile for players for the following season.

What is in store for 2009? Let's take a look.

Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs played well during the 2008 season. However,They ended up their worst baseball of the entire season in the playoffs against the Dodgers. So, what do the Cubs do? They realize that they have to become more left handed, so they end up trading Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians, opening up a roster spot for the Left handed Mike Fontenot. To "replace" De Rosa, the Cubs signed Aaron Miles, a guy who has also played all over the field. The Cubs also signed Milton Bradley, a Switch Hitter who has run into trouble in the past but can really make a difference in a lineup.

The Cubs roatation is still the best in the NL Central. Carlos Zambrano threw a no hitter last year, but despite that, he was a real "tale of two Zambranos" as there were moments when he was lights out, and other times when he couldn't get anybody out.

Ted Lilly won 17 games last season, but the key to how well the Cubs will do in 2009 depends on whethr or not Ryan Dempster can replicate his career season from last season.


Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are getting up there in age. Taht's putting it nicely. Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada will be tested this season. Carlos Lee swung a hot bat last season. He will have to it again for Houston to hang around. Mike Hampton returns to the Astros, I don't see that working out to good. Everyone in the rotation outside of Roy Oswalt has questionmarks.


St Louis Cardinals
The St Louis Cardinals have a good ammount of young players, but their season will hinge on ALbert Pujols and Chris Carpenter. If Carpenter returns to the Carpenter of old, Yhe Cardinals could battle with the Cubs for the division title.

Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers still have J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun, but the Brewers do not have Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia in their rotation. Expect Milwaukee to take a step back this season.

CINCINNATTI REDS
The Reds could be Baseball's biggest surprise in 2009. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto make for an interesting season in 2009.

PIITSBURGH PIRATES
Not this year. Again.
My Division Projections:
1. CHICAGO CUBS
Expect Milton Bradley to help this Cubs lineup return to the playoffs. Their rotation will be key to how well they fare in the division.
2. CINCINATTI REDS
The Reds young talent could hang around.
3. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals still have baseball's best hitter, but their young players will have to step up for St. Louis to be cometitive.
4. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
It's more about the loss of Sheets and Sabathia that will do in this team.
5. Houston Astros
They had better be thankful for the Pirates.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
They are not going to compete again this season.

Chicago Cubs Sign Milton Bradley

The Chicago Cubs have signed a Switch-Hitter.

The Cubs and outfielder Milton Bradley agreed Monday on a three year, $30 million contract.

In Chicago, he'll fill the Cubs' need for a left-handed bat in the middle of the order and will be used mostly in right field even though he has played 100 games in the field just once -- in 2004 with the Dodgers. The Cubs will likely spell him with Kosuke Fukudome, who will also platoon with Reed Johnson in center. Fukudome was in right field last season.

This is a great pickup by the Cubs. They finally have a guy who can switch hit. Bradley can also light a fire under his new ballclub. Some may criticize Bradley because he came from a "launching pad" of a ballpark, but Bradley is well on his way to another launching pad,

Another criticism may be that the Cubs have signed a guy who was a Designated Hitter last season, but that was hopefully for nothing more that to ensure that Milton's knee healed properly.

Hopefully Milton Bradley will channel his desire to win in a healthy manner. If he does that, this gamble will pay off in a big way.

Joey Gathright Heading To Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs have not found a Swattin' Southpaw yet, but they did sign a Speedin' Southpaw.

The Cubs signed former Kansas City and Tampa Bay Outfielder Joey Gathright to a one year contract.


Gathright has speed, and he can use it to beat out infield singles and steal many bases. I think the Cubs will end up putting him in Center Field with Reed Johnson, allowing Felix Pie to fine tune his skills in the Minor Leagues.

The Cubs are still looking for a left handed outfielder with some pop, and they are looking at former Texas Ranger Milton Bradley.

On a second note...

I am glad the Chicago Cubs did not get Jake Peavy. It was obvious from the start that San Diego was asking too much to get him, and we were walking a tightrope as we were trying to get three or four teams to make a deal for us to land Peavy. Jake is a great pitcher, but I firmly believe that his numbers are inflated due to him playing inside the ultimate Pitcher's Park, PetCo Park. I do not think Jake would have done as well in Wrigley Field.

Hopefully our regular rotation gets the job done this season.