ryno4ever
Apr 14th 2009, 11:44 pm
...but I do see where these players are coming from....
Milton Bradley says he's aware of Wrigley Field's reputation for fans who not only boo their own players, but also have a history of getting racial.
He also says he's ready for it.
''I can be like that guy that you watch all the time for whatever reason,'' he said, referring to his track record of angry outbursts and run-ins. ''But I really think I've outgrown it, a lot of the stuff that I did when I was younger.''
Still, this seems at first glance a curious marriage between the Cubs and their newest big-money free agent, who's expected to return from a groin injury during this weekend's home series against the St. Louis Cardinals. And it might prove to be the biggest test of the new man Bradley says he is at this point in his life and career.
Wrigley seems like the last place an African-American player with such a well-traveled reputation for confrontations would choose to sign a multiyear contract. In the last five seasons alone, Cubs outfielder Jacque Jones and pitcher LaTroy Hawkins said they were the targets of racist taunts and fan mail. Jones also said in 2006 that he became the victim of racial slurs and threats on his cell phone when the number got out.
Former Cubs manager Dusty Baker said that same season that he received enough threatening, racist mail in Chicago that his wife and young son no longer would attend games.
Visiting ballplayers are even easier targets for the more vicious slurs.
''I've heard a few things [from the bleachers],'' Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron said. ''But I don't really get into it with them unless a situation calls for it. I try to stay out of those situations.''
Generally considered by players among the roughest crowds in baseball for their habit of booing players on the home team, crowds at Wrigley and Boston's Fenway Park also are considered among the worst by African-American players for a racist element comprising at least vocal minorities.
Besides Jones' experiences, another black former Cubs outfielder who declined to be identified said in a private conversation during a recent spring training that the Wrigley crowd might have been the worst he'd experienced for racist taunts.
''I've heard that from a lot of the players who played there,'' Cameron said.
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said that was one of the reasons he had the Cubs on his no-trade list for years while in Minnesota.
So what's the potential for a flash-point incident at the intersection of a beer-swilling, slur-spilling lout and a player with a well-earned reputation for not backing down from a perceived wrong?
''You never know what may throw somebody off,'' said Cameron, who was a teammate of Bradley's in San Diego. ''Those are the things you really have to think about. You'd hope people don't get personal, but sometimes it does. And it can be hard on players.
''But Milton has so much ability that I don't think that will come into play because the guy's so good. He's going to be fighting tooth and nail on every single pitch until the last out is made.''
The Cubs made no secret of their offseason background work on Bradley, checking not only the health of his rebuilt knee, but also his reputation for volatility that resulted in anger management classes a few years ago.
But general manager Jim Hendry said Bradley's top-end hitting ability and fitness to handle right field were his only considerations once he was told how well-liked and respected Bradley was by former teammates, managers and GMs.
''I think the fans are going to love him, too,'' Hendry said. ''I don't know why race would ever come into it. He's no different than the rest of us. We've all made a few mistakes in our day and certainly when we were younger. But so many people he played with and played for the last couple years [spoke well of him]. I've felt very comfortable with him coming in here all along.''
It doesn't figure to help that Bradley is off to a 1-for-17 start -- the kind of slow start that led to fans booing All-Stars Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano in their first seasons with the Cubs.
Lee -- who was hit with chants of ''Hee Seop Choi! Hee Seop Choi!'' for the first baseman the Cubs traded to Florida to get him -- was one of the veterans who talked with Bradley before spring training to let him know what to expect in Chicago.
Asked if they discussed the racist tendencies of some fans, Lee said: ''I'm not going to tell you what we talked about. I think it's going to be a good fit. He's a great player. He gets along great with everyone in here. It's going to be a great situation.''
Bradley, who turns 31 today -- the day baseball celebrates the 62nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson's big-league debut -- says he's more prepared at this point in his life to handle whatever comes his way.
If he gets booed, ''I'm not a stranger to people not liking me,'' he said.
And if it's more personal, even racial?
''I've heard about that,'' he said. ''But, I mean, what can you do? You just hope that ushers, security do their job and kick those people out of the stadium. Because there's no place for that anywhere.
''People are going to do what they're going to do, and you really can't control that. But whatever reaction I get, it's not going to change anything I do.''
In his past, Bradley has accused teammate Jeff Kent of not being able to get along with black players; called a black beat writer an ''Uncle Tom''; picked up a plastic bottle that had been thrown near him from the stands and threw it back at the feet of the fans, and last summer, left the clubhouse in uniform to find a Kansas City broadcaster who made comments referencing his personal life.
But most of the incidents occurred when Bradley was much younger and, he says, less mature. He says he has better perspective -- and don't underestimate the comfort level of his first long-term contract.
''I understand how to deal with things and people,'' Bradley said. ''Having a start like this, I might have tore some stuff up by now. But I truly believe in my approach and the swings I'm taking, the extra work I'm putting in.''
And he believes in himself. That's why the fans at Wrigley played no role in his decision to sign with the Cubs.
''I don't consider the fans when I'm deciding on a team,'' he said. ''I consider the guys there and the personnel, the staff, because that's who I've got to deal with every day on a personal level. Fans are going to do what they're going to do.''
I get so frustrated sometimes when I go to games and people are falling down drunk.... or paying more attention to their buddies...or the other intoxicated buddies instead of what is actually going on. Those tickets sell out so fast and there are actually people who want to go out and enjoy a baseball game but can't because these people who get the tickets are there to enjoy everything but the game...then they leave early to go visit the establishments in Wrigleyville!
After Lilly gave up the hit in the 7th inning on Monday, one guy asked why everyone was standing and applauding for Lilly giving up a hit.... and he laughed when he was told what had been going on! Are you serious? Man.
And to hear what some of these "so called fans" put some of the players through! I'm sorry, but I don't think I would classify those people fans at all.
Milton Bradley says he's aware of Wrigley Field's reputation for fans who not only boo their own players, but also have a history of getting racial.
He also says he's ready for it.
''I can be like that guy that you watch all the time for whatever reason,'' he said, referring to his track record of angry outbursts and run-ins. ''But I really think I've outgrown it, a lot of the stuff that I did when I was younger.''
Still, this seems at first glance a curious marriage between the Cubs and their newest big-money free agent, who's expected to return from a groin injury during this weekend's home series against the St. Louis Cardinals. And it might prove to be the biggest test of the new man Bradley says he is at this point in his life and career.
Wrigley seems like the last place an African-American player with such a well-traveled reputation for confrontations would choose to sign a multiyear contract. In the last five seasons alone, Cubs outfielder Jacque Jones and pitcher LaTroy Hawkins said they were the targets of racist taunts and fan mail. Jones also said in 2006 that he became the victim of racial slurs and threats on his cell phone when the number got out.
Former Cubs manager Dusty Baker said that same season that he received enough threatening, racist mail in Chicago that his wife and young son no longer would attend games.
Visiting ballplayers are even easier targets for the more vicious slurs.
''I've heard a few things [from the bleachers],'' Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron said. ''But I don't really get into it with them unless a situation calls for it. I try to stay out of those situations.''
Generally considered by players among the roughest crowds in baseball for their habit of booing players on the home team, crowds at Wrigley and Boston's Fenway Park also are considered among the worst by African-American players for a racist element comprising at least vocal minorities.
Besides Jones' experiences, another black former Cubs outfielder who declined to be identified said in a private conversation during a recent spring training that the Wrigley crowd might have been the worst he'd experienced for racist taunts.
''I've heard that from a lot of the players who played there,'' Cameron said.
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said that was one of the reasons he had the Cubs on his no-trade list for years while in Minnesota.
So what's the potential for a flash-point incident at the intersection of a beer-swilling, slur-spilling lout and a player with a well-earned reputation for not backing down from a perceived wrong?
''You never know what may throw somebody off,'' said Cameron, who was a teammate of Bradley's in San Diego. ''Those are the things you really have to think about. You'd hope people don't get personal, but sometimes it does. And it can be hard on players.
''But Milton has so much ability that I don't think that will come into play because the guy's so good. He's going to be fighting tooth and nail on every single pitch until the last out is made.''
The Cubs made no secret of their offseason background work on Bradley, checking not only the health of his rebuilt knee, but also his reputation for volatility that resulted in anger management classes a few years ago.
But general manager Jim Hendry said Bradley's top-end hitting ability and fitness to handle right field were his only considerations once he was told how well-liked and respected Bradley was by former teammates, managers and GMs.
''I think the fans are going to love him, too,'' Hendry said. ''I don't know why race would ever come into it. He's no different than the rest of us. We've all made a few mistakes in our day and certainly when we were younger. But so many people he played with and played for the last couple years [spoke well of him]. I've felt very comfortable with him coming in here all along.''
It doesn't figure to help that Bradley is off to a 1-for-17 start -- the kind of slow start that led to fans booing All-Stars Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano in their first seasons with the Cubs.
Lee -- who was hit with chants of ''Hee Seop Choi! Hee Seop Choi!'' for the first baseman the Cubs traded to Florida to get him -- was one of the veterans who talked with Bradley before spring training to let him know what to expect in Chicago.
Asked if they discussed the racist tendencies of some fans, Lee said: ''I'm not going to tell you what we talked about. I think it's going to be a good fit. He's a great player. He gets along great with everyone in here. It's going to be a great situation.''
Bradley, who turns 31 today -- the day baseball celebrates the 62nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson's big-league debut -- says he's more prepared at this point in his life to handle whatever comes his way.
If he gets booed, ''I'm not a stranger to people not liking me,'' he said.
And if it's more personal, even racial?
''I've heard about that,'' he said. ''But, I mean, what can you do? You just hope that ushers, security do their job and kick those people out of the stadium. Because there's no place for that anywhere.
''People are going to do what they're going to do, and you really can't control that. But whatever reaction I get, it's not going to change anything I do.''
In his past, Bradley has accused teammate Jeff Kent of not being able to get along with black players; called a black beat writer an ''Uncle Tom''; picked up a plastic bottle that had been thrown near him from the stands and threw it back at the feet of the fans, and last summer, left the clubhouse in uniform to find a Kansas City broadcaster who made comments referencing his personal life.
But most of the incidents occurred when Bradley was much younger and, he says, less mature. He says he has better perspective -- and don't underestimate the comfort level of his first long-term contract.
''I understand how to deal with things and people,'' Bradley said. ''Having a start like this, I might have tore some stuff up by now. But I truly believe in my approach and the swings I'm taking, the extra work I'm putting in.''
And he believes in himself. That's why the fans at Wrigley played no role in his decision to sign with the Cubs.
''I don't consider the fans when I'm deciding on a team,'' he said. ''I consider the guys there and the personnel, the staff, because that's who I've got to deal with every day on a personal level. Fans are going to do what they're going to do.''
I get so frustrated sometimes when I go to games and people are falling down drunk.... or paying more attention to their buddies...or the other intoxicated buddies instead of what is actually going on. Those tickets sell out so fast and there are actually people who want to go out and enjoy a baseball game but can't because these people who get the tickets are there to enjoy everything but the game...then they leave early to go visit the establishments in Wrigleyville!
After Lilly gave up the hit in the 7th inning on Monday, one guy asked why everyone was standing and applauding for Lilly giving up a hit.... and he laughed when he was told what had been going on! Are you serious? Man.
And to hear what some of these "so called fans" put some of the players through! I'm sorry, but I don't think I would classify those people fans at all.