Milton Bradley has had a rough season so far with the Cubs since signing a three-year, $30 million contract last winter. The pressure of trying to perform up to the standards of his contract must finally be getting to him. But then again, most of us knew that Bradley is a bit of a loose cannon when he arrived on the team.
This week, the Cubs’ outfielder says he has been the victim of ‘racial abuse’ by fans at Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune. But when pressed to provide examples, he declined to give specifics. He also added that this behavior has happened before and is quite common, though he gave no anecdotes to support his point.
How can any of us believe Bradley's story if he doesn’t back up his claims? I suspect that whatever Bradley hears from fans is not nearly as bad as he makes them out to be nor are the comments racially motivated. He isn’t the first Cubs player to accuse Chicago fans of racial abuse; Jacques Jones and LaTroy Hawkins also expressed their frustration with fans several years ago. Both were experiencing subpar seasons at the time.
The truth is fans are going to jeer, criticize and make fun of players at the ball park; that’s all part of the game. Most players know that and take the comments in stride.
Perhaps that’s part of Bradley’s problem; he’s paying too much attention to what’s happening in the stands and not enough attention to what’s happening on the field.
Bradley could learn a lesson or two from his teammate Alfonso Soriano, who gets booed as much as any other player and has learned from experience to simply tune out the fans. It’s time Bradley does the same.
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