Milton Bradley

On his way out of Chicago, Milton Bradley burned a number of bridges.

When asked about his lackluster season with the Chicago Cubs, Bradley didn’t refrain from playing the blame game. He blamed the coaching staff, the media and the fans for an unprecedented level of expectations and pressure.

Milton Bradley is a hot head. He has some anger management issues that are well documented. Bradley is more likely to explode within his own head than have the ball explode off his bat, but he has the talent and potential to really contribute to a team’s offensive success.

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , my blog covering all things Chicago Cubs.

Let’s take a look at an alternate universe, one where nobody ever has to take accountability, then gets to do an interview on a major network without being asked about your play.

It’s a world where, if you screw up, the world is just against you. It’s not your fault. Why should you take the blame when people are trying to hold you down?

Chicago Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry, had some good words of advice for Milton Bradley on Wednesday. Hendry told ESPNChicago.com that it is time for Milton to look at himself in the mirror and take some responsibility for his unsuccessful season in Chicago.

Bradley recently did an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez. He told her that he felt like a prisoner in his own home when he was in Chicago. Also that he received hate mail with no postage mark on it. When asked if this mail came from inside the organization, Bradley told her that he hoped not but maybe it could've.

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me."

That was not a quote from Milton Bradley, formerly of the Chicago Cubs, and about a fourth of the teams in baseball.

He's probably not good enough. He certainly wasn't in Chicago.

I don't know how smart he is, but does a guy that acts like him have anything upstairs? 

As for people liking him—well you know the answer to that one.

People can't stand him—from his teammates, coaches, managers, GM's, and the fans.

Have I left anyone out?

"I was a prisoner in my own city," Milton Bradley told ESPN. But that was not all he said.

He was asked if race played a role in the "city's hatred" for Bradley. The response he gave to ESPN was repulsive.

"I got the same mail Latroy [Hawkins] probably got; the same mail Jacque [Jones] got," he told Colleen Dominguez on ESPN.

News flash Milton: Cubs fans everywhere didn't hate you because you were black. We hated you because you got paid an enormous sum of money and you sucked. You sucked beyond the acceptable level of sucking.

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , a blog dedicated to giving you quality Cubs content.

The Cubs were pretty quite this past off-season. They didn’t make too many moves, and the ones that they did make were more to sure up the bench rather than to provide a punch to the lineup.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Seattle

Not a creature did stir, nor squeak, nor rattle

The seats were placed 'round the diamond with care,

In hopes that a playoff berth soon would be theirs.

The fans were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of championships danced in their heads.

This year, the team really closed up the gap

When it comes to the Mariners and Cubs, I’m fairly split in terms of my opinions. I’m a fan of each team, and it’s hard for me to distinguish my fandom. The two teams have played only six games against each other outside of spring training, so there hasn’t been a lot of reason to root for one over the other.

Actually, the Cubs and Seattle hold some history together, as Lou Piniella managed the Mariners for several years, and Ryne Sandberg, the Cubs' Hall-of-Fame second baseman grew up in Spokane, WA.

How do you think that conversation went?

Cubs GM: "I'll give you a career .277 hitter with average power and average fielding ability."

Mariners GM: "Alright. We could use an outfielder to fill a hole in our team. Never hurts to have a decent bat."

Cubs GM: "What could we get in return?"