Longtime big-league catcher, World Series-winning manager, and current Cubs television analyst Bob Brenly, on Milton Bradley:
It took less than half a season for Cubs fans to turn on Bradley after he signed a three-year, $30 million contract this winter and naturally he’s blaming everyone but himself for that, but Brenly has it exactly right with the analogy about lightning rods, thunderstorms, roofs, and golf clubs. I’m sure there are specific incidents where Bradley has been unjustly criticized and treated worse than he deserves by fans or the media, but at the end of the day when every city you play in quickly gets fed up with you despite the fact that you’re a career .279/.373/.453 hitter ... well, at some point the only constant in that equation is you.
The bottom line is, just get the job done. He can point fingers and assign blame wherever he wants and laugh in the face of critics that he can swing the bat from the left side and he can stay healthy, but do it all year long, don’t just do it for a month of the season and proclaim yourself the guy we were looking for.
I think Milton Bradley is a much better offensive player then we’ve seen this year, I just think he’s allowed too many distractions to get between his ears, I think he incorrectly blames everybody else for making him the lightning rod. Well if you don’t want to be the lightning rod, then don’t stand on the roof in a thunderstorm with a one-iron in your hand.