Milton Bradley: 'I Never Had A Problem In My Life Until I Started Playing Baseball'

Milton Bradley's latest media boycott lasted about as long as Kramer's vow of silence on that episode of Senifeld. For someone who's not talking, there sure was a horn 'o plenty of quotes on Thursday.

Bradley, who was benched on Wednesday by Cubs manager Lou Piniella until he's completely healthy, did a little venting on Thursday after a 7-1 home loss to the Reds. Chief complaint: The media is treating him unfairly.

"It's been frustrating," Bradley said after Thursday's game. "You come in here and all they want to talk about is how often you get hurt and your attitude and everything. I've given them an example right off the bat. I just don't feel like getting caught up in all the negativity.

"I'm a positive person, an upbeat person," he said. "I'm trying to focus on what I'm trying to do here. My teammates are behind me and the more reporters get in my face, the more I talk, the more things get written the way I don't say them or they're taken out of context, and that's when you lose teammates and you lose fans."

Of course it's hard to take Bradley seriously when he makes a big deal about being a changed man who is too mature now to lose his temper, and his very first game back he gets ejected for blowing his top over a called strike. Still, it's the media's fault.

On Thursday, after the Cubs lost 7-1 to the Cincinnati Reds, reporters tried to ask Bradley a question but he chose not to answer.

"When I turn around and people are standing at my locker every time, I'm trying to figure out why, because I've already told them I don't want to talk," Bradley said. "That's the only thing — I never had a problem with the media until I started reading stuff that wasn't what I said.

"I never had a problem in my life until I started playing baseball," he said. "All of a sudden, there are all these things. I just want to be me. I just want to be that guy who plays baseball and enjoys his teammates and has a good time. That's what I do."

Hey, I thought you weren't talking.

OK, starting NOW.

Bradley also feels that his two-game suspension and fine for slight contact with plate umpire Larry Vanover on Thursday "was kind of harsh," and will appeal. Even though the suspension starts Saturday, and he wouldn't have played this weekend against the Cardinals anyway.

Out Until Healthy, Bradley Adjusting [MLB.com] Milton Bradley Breaks Silence After 7-1 Loss [Chicago Tribune]