Frank Thomas Has Milton Bradley's Back

You know, for a guy who seemed so allergic to Chicago for so long, Frank Thomas sure is showing up a lot lately. He's doing regular spots covering the Sox-Cubs rivalry -- woo! everybody freak out! -- for Comcast Sports Net this week. He's mending his relationship with Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen. And, in his latest turn, he's speaking supportively of Milton Bradley.

That's good, because Bradley could use the support. After signing in the offseason with the Cubs he's presided over a mediocre team record and uninspiring individual stats, and he's begun to hear the boos regularly at Wrigley Field. It's not a good place to be. Who knows if Frank Thomas's support means anything to Cubs fans. Either way, it can't hurt.

"I think Milton is a great teammate," Thomas told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He's very passionate and loves to play the game. But sometimes he has things that happen." Note: "Things that happen" is in this case shorthand for "Milton's kind of crazy sometimes." Which he is. But he's also a good hitter, and praise like this doesn't come every day:  "But it's early," Thomas said. "Milton shows up in the second half. We wouldn't have gotten to the playoffs in Oakland [in 2006] without him. Don't be too quick to judge Milton Bradley. The guy has a flare for the dramatic. He was a teammate of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with him."

Good to know, we guess. We're not sure Frank Thomas is the most reliable judge of character, considering his ugly departure from the White Sox, but still, if you're a Cubs fan, it's hard not to respect the man's opinion. Milton will get plenty more opportunites. But patience for him -- no matter how many former teammates sing his praises -- is waning fast.

Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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