Milton Bradley was punished for bad behavior. Then he called his momma for help.
Just days after Bradley was suspended indefinitely from the Chicago Cubs, and ostensibly booted from the team, his mother, Charlena Rector talked to the Chicago Tribune’s David Haugh about the whole ordeal.
She said Bradley’s bad behavior isn’t his fault. Milton is just a papa bear protecting his cub from racist bleacher bums, whom, she or he alleges turned their foul mouths on Milton’s son.
"There is more behind the scenes that bothered Milton and made him uncomfortable in Chicago," Rector said without giving many details. "Milton called me and said, 'It's bad enough what I am going through, but I can take it and go to the ballpark and pray games don't last any more than nine innings. But my son?' "
Last month Bradley made the accusation that Cubs fans lobbed racial epithets at him during games, now he’s expanded the complaint to include his immediate family.
If the story is to be believed – and one wonders how Cub fans would be able to pick out Bradley’s son -- shame on Cubs fans. Then again, Bradley hasn’t exactly built up a lot of credibility during his stint with the Chicago club.
For one, he says Cubs fans vilified him because of the Mark DeRosa trade that facilitated his arrival.
"He told me he could feel the hatred from fans and he didn't have anything to do with them trading DeRosa, but he got the abuse anyway," Rector said.
But that line of thought ignores the fact that the impetuous outfielder never produced anything close to major league statistics during his first few months at Wrigley.
Regardless of the reasons, Bradley’s time in Chicago is all but over.
His mom, however, believes it’s a blessing.
"Milton sounded fine," Rector told Haugh. "He was raised in a Christian home. He believes that God don't make mistakes. ... And if that door in Chicago closes for him, he thinks another one will open. It always does."
Hopefully that door opens at one of the Cubs’ division rivals. Let the Cardinals or the Brewers deal with Bradley.
