Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams wants the Cubs to keep Milton Bradley:
“I talked to him many times. I really, really wanted him to get through last year. I wanted him to get to know what being a Cub is all about,” said Williams, 71.
“I remember going into the clubhouse one particular day, and all of the other guys were in the other part of the clubhouse. I walked into the training room and he was sitting on one of the training tables, eating his food. That just showed the isolation that he had from the ballclub. That is not good.
“If we could turn him around, that would be a magnificent story,” said Williams. “There were times when you saw the left-handed hitter we wanted to get, because he was swinging the bat well. But it seemed like when he was swinging the bat good, something would come up.”
That last bit pretty much sums up Bradley’s career. He’s an excellent hitter, but something always gets in the way.
Posted by David Pinto at 8:41 pm | Players | Permalink | 1 Comment
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November 11th, 2009 @ 5:47 am
I remember, in Bill James’ book on managers, James writing of Charlie Dressen after, like, the 1952 World Series, I think. James said along the lines of, at that point, Dressen had one foot in the Hall of Fame, and the other on a banana peel. Unfortunately, he chose to put all his weight squarely on the peel, in choosing to reject Walter O’Malley’s 1-year contract offer, the job went to Alston, and the rest is history.
That’s Bradley, too. Something always does get in the way just when things seem to be going great. He steps on the banana peel, and he does it repeatedly, every time in fact. Part of growing up, maturing, and becoming an adult is learning that the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune will fly at you and strike you no matter what you do or who you are, and that the only way to continue on successfully is to bear them with answerable grace, moderation, and forbearance. Bradley (not unlike a good number of other athletes) simply has not learned this yet, and it’s beginning to appear doubtful that he ever will.