Unhappy birthday to Milton Bradley, unredeemable waste of oxygen

A few minutes ago I was explaining to a friend that sometimes when I write these posts I work backwards. If I’m not feeling particularly creative, or if I haven’t drank enough coffee yet to string together coherent sentences, I’ll start by choosing a cover photo, then customize a related link set, and so forth. In this case, as I told Grant, “All I’ve got left to do is write two or three paragraphs of ‘F*** that guy’.”

Grant, in turn, replied with the truest thing anyone has ever said, which was, “Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to write a few paragraphs about ‘F*** that guy’.”

Seriously, f*** Milton Bradley.

Put aside for a moment, if you can, everything Milton Bradley did on or around a baseball field. Forget about him throwing a bag full of baseballs on the field after being ejected; don’t think about the time his knee got wrecked during a playoff push when his manager had to restrain him from doing god-knows-what to an umpire who was actively baiting him. Disregard all his clashes with teammates, opponents, and seemingly every manager he crossed paths with; try not to remember that time he stormed the press box after a game because he heard something he didn’t like while he was watching the game in the clubhouse. Set all of that aside. While it hints at a dangerous mindset, his pattern of behavior around the game of baseball is absolutely nothing compared to his path of terror away from the diamond.

I am absolutely not going to go into detail about the horrors Milton Bradley has inflicted upon the women in his life, but the information is readily available to anyone who is interested. Before clicking on any of these links, you should be forewarned that they go to detailed descriptions of terrifying physical and psychological abuse.

Most recently, less than a week ago, Bradley was charged with spousal battery toward his current wife after an occurrence that was documented by numerous witnesses. In addition to the current charges, Bradley was still on probation for his previous domestic violence convictions.

While he’s currently free to celebrate his fortieth birthday, you and I both know there’s nothing there to celebrate, and we can only hope that for years to come, April 15 will be just another day in a correctional facility for him.