Milton Implosion #1
We knew this was part of the deal when the Mariners traded for Milton Bradley. He is who he is. And, so now, we have our first Milton Bradley Situation. Per Mike Salk:
According to a source, Bradley yelled at the umpire from the bench before being told by Don Wakamatsu to cool it. Wakamatsu said that he would handle the umpire himself. Bradley responded that someone had to say something and that if Wak wouldn’t, then he would.
According to the source, a few minutes later Bradley walked back over to the skipper and said, “I’m packing my stuff. I’m out of here.” And then he left.Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik said Bradley is still a member of the team. “Milton is part of what we’re doing,” he told me this morning. “Anything that happens between a manager and his players should be handled internally. Sometimes tempers flare over the course of a season. Wakamatsu thought it was time for Milton to come out.”
I really doubt Milton is in the line-up tonight.
Wow, I wonder what is to become of this? Hopefully Milton can work whatever is going on out, and come back with a clear mind. He obviously has a lot going on right now.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2011790839_milton_bradley_to_mariners_can.html
Yeah, evidently Milton went to Wak and Mr.Z and has asked for help, in a meeting today. Who’s to tell what’s to come of it, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction for a guy (purely speculating here) who appears to have some severe depression problems (which my family is very familiar with– ie, the flame-out, over the top outbursts when dealing with emotional difficulty).
Link (don’t know how to use the link feature, sorry):
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/13351791/mariners-bradley-asks-for-help-with-personal-issues?tag=headlines;headlines
I wouldn’t doubt that if he can get some of this under control he could improve greatly in both his life, and his profession, and faster than one might think. In all seriousness, I wish him the best and applaud his initiative.
Get well, Milton.
An anger management class is a lot different than say… taking medication for manic depression or Asberger’s (sp?).
As an elite athlete (at least in his mind), getting to the point to ask for help with an issue such as this probably forces one to overcome quite an ego conflict. Maybe the environment of the huggy clubhouse helped him to do that after all.
Jack Z stars in Milton Impossible…
dah dah daaaah dah, dah dah duuuh dah
I have two thoughts:
1) Bradley’s personality has been a wash so far. If childish outbursts are tempered with outbursts/antics that are pro-Mariners (like screwing with division-rivals’ hecklers or making damn sure that one Mariners fan in KC got a ball), I can live with it. If he balances that with production along his career average, he may be my favorite Mariner come September.
2) Who wasn’t expecting at least a couple outbursts like this. The key isn’t keeping Milton from melting down, it’s handling the inevitable meltdowns properly. That’s how you keep Milton a productive member of the team. Let us see how Wak handles his first Milton test. He’s our manager because he’s good at keeping players happy and productive, not because of his on-field managing or his lineup writing prowess (obviously). If he can’t handle this, we need a new manager.
That’s funny you mention Asperger’s Disease, an Autistic Spectral Disorder. I work with two children that deal with it. It is impossible to tell, just by press commentary, if that may be what ails Bradley but it is still a fairly unknown disorder and some of what has been reported sounds eerily like what I deal with every day. It also has some earmarks of Bi-Polar disease, which I also deal with w/r/t my roommate. Regardless, I believe that Milton could use our compassion, thoughts and prayers more than sheep-like bashing at this point.
Can Milton be fired from the universe?
Because I am insensitive, I find it always interesting that a guy making $10mil a year has to ask help from is employer rather than saying that he is seeking help.
Zduriencik is basically the head of the Mariners’ HR department, Wak is his direct supervisor. Bradley asked the right people for help unless you think he should have just left a note on his locker and left to do it on his own. Because money cures all things. And a real man would try to handle his problems on his own rather than seek help. Christ.
That he trusts Wak and Zduriencik enough to ask them for help is a big deal in itself. Best of luck to him.
I personally have Asperger’s (pronounced ass-purgers) and I can tell you that Milton probably doesn’t have it. Bipolar disorder? Probably. A major headache for Wak and Z? Definately.
I know from the comments that it won’t matter to many of you, but I just am embarrassed having Bradley on my team. Doesn’t matter if he might produce somewhat, doesn’t matter if there’s no other options. To me, I can’t stand watching him, and it detracts from my experience having to think about him on a daily basis.
And I don’t really think he’s going to be helping us win a whole lot either, not with 1/3 of the time not being in the lineup for various overly dramatic incidents and/or minor injuries.
This is from an ESPN article about Bradley’s, er, issues:
Man, Sweeney really is a professional hugger. He’s a pro. An All-Star, even.
I’ve got to say, though, this whole thing actually makes me really proud to be an M’s fan. Bradley really is going through something profound, and the M’s are going to do everything they can to help him. It puts the team in a tough spot in the short term, yeah, but I bet Bradley comes out of this happy and ready to rake.
If this incident is the worst thing Bradley does during his Mariners tenure, and he actually hits, then it was a good investment in my book. At worst he told off Wak and stormed out of the stadium. No, I don’t want players doing that, but it’s a lot better than getting physically violent or committing a crime off the field. Let’s keep this in perspective.