Every team wants to win in sports.  And every fan wants his or her team to win a championship.  Some of them are even willing to sacrifice character and teamwork for talent that will bring instant success.  Earlier this year the Chicago Cubs traded Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians.  DeRosa was not a star, but he was a well-respected clubhouse leader who was nicknamed “The Pulse” for overcoming a heart procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat and because of his heart as a player.  And he was very productive with the Cubs in 2008 with 21 home runs and 87 RBIs in addition to playing as many as six positions, but that wasn’t good enough for the Cubs.  Because Jim Hendry wanted “left-handed power” and that is why he selected the switch-hitting Milton Bradley. 

This is the same Milton Bradley who changes teams with about the same frequency as George Clooney changes girlfriends.  The same Milton Bradley who got into an altercation with Eric Wedge of the Indians when he played for Cleveland and was traded days later to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The same Milton Bradley who got into an altercation with an umpire in 2007.  The same Milton Bradley who in 2008 attempted to confront Royals tv announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box after a game because Bradley took offense to something Lefebvre said about him.  The same Milton Bradley who as a Cub threw a fly ball back into the stands because he thought there were three outs when there were actually two.  The same Milton Bradley who got into an altercation with manager Lou Piniella and attacked his teammates, the Cubs front office and their fans in the press.  And what about that left-handed power he was supposed to have provided?  Bradley’s final stats for 2009: .257 average, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.  DeRosa’s final stats for 2009: .250 average, 23 home runs and 78 RBIs. 

Some guys in Major League Baseball are known for not being “team players.” Bradley is one of them.  So is Manny Ramirez.  But so long as guys like Bradley and Ramirez put up huge numbers and continue to produce, fans and management will overlook their indiscretions and unsportsmanlike conduct so long as they help them win a championship.  And it goes beyond baseball.  Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings has flip-flopped more than Mitt Romney and John Kerry combined over the past couple of years.  Favre has had almost as many “farewell tours” as Cher, Elton John and KISS combined.  Here’s a guy who is excused for his selfish behavior because he’s a “future Hall of Famer.” Well, call me crazy, but that makes about as much sense as saying that O.J. should have been found “not guilty” because he’s got a bronze statue in Canton, Ohio. 

Sports is a competitive business.  Probably more so now than at any previous time in history.  Players get paid a lot more money today than they ever have and they are much bigger and stronger than in the past even without performance-enhancement drugs.  But it sets a bad example for future generations of athletes when society not only looks away at bad behavior, but rewards it when the athlete happens to have talent and helps a team win a championship ring.  Conduct detrimental to the team whether on or off the field should be dealt with swift and fair disciplinary action.  The sports media has an obligation and a responsibility to be fair, accurate and objective.  “Cherry picking” sports heroes when they attack one athlete for posing when he hits a home run and then dismissing another athlete for doing the same thing with a shrug of the shoulders and a chuckle sends an inconsistent and wrong message to people.  If they’re going to criticize Alfonso Soriano for “hot dogging” as he rounds the bases, then do the same thing with Manny Ramirez and enough of this “Manny being Manny” crap.  How about Manny being a Dodger? 

No question it is very tempting to pursue potential free agents or players who are on the trading block who have lots of talent.  However, teams should also take into consideration any emotional baggage and unsportsmanlike conduct as past behavior prior to signing someone.  I look at Milton Bradley and you know who I see?  Todd Hundley.  Like Bradley, Hundley was a switch-hitter who could hit for power, but he also had a history of injuries and not getting along with teammates, management or fans.  Hundley once gave fans the middle finger in a 2002 game as he was rounding the bases after hitting a home run.  He claimed to be acknowledging Reds fans who were heckling him behind the Reds dugout, but most people didn’t believe Hundley.  Oh yeah, in 2007 Hundley’s name was mentioned in “The Mitchelll Report” for allegedly taking performance-enhancement drugs. 

All athletes make mistakes and some of them make ones that are more revealing of their character or lack thereof than others.  However, it’s one thing to mess up and learn from your mistakes than it is to be a repeat offender.  Milton Bradley falls into the latter category.