Just had to get that off my chest. I have never hated a Cub player more. (except maybe that poser Ernie Banks. Mr. Cub, my ass)
Why, oh why does Milton Bradley suck so bad? What could possibly be in it for him to suck so hard? Is he one of these guys that just has to sabotage a good thing? Is his self esteem so low he believes himself somehow unworthy of that which he received?
More on that to come eventually.
But first, what about that racism nonsense that has been directed at Wrigley Field Bleacher Bums? Puh-leeze. I have happily stumbled in and out of the right field bleachers at Wrigley a few hundred times over the last 25 years. Left Field sucks, by the way. Never once have I heard more than one racial epithet hurled at the players on the field. One thing I can promise you is that Chicago Cubs fans pretty much exclusively police themselves. If you’re screaming some racist garbage (especially at a Cub for god’s sake), not only will security be alerted post haste, but you’ll most likely end up showered in Old Style and peanut shells.
I have a theory regarding the origin of the ridiculous insinuation that Cubs fans are somehow racially prejudiced en masse. And, as usual, it goes back to a lousy Cub and general finger-pointing douche, LaTroy Hawkins. When I worked for the Twins organization back in the 90’s, it was well known that Hawkins had a giant racial stick up his ass. There were plenty of other high profile black guys in the organization…including the great Torii Hunter and former University of Cincinnati basketball star Keith LeGree…but it was always Hawkins that hinted at a racial angle when some problem or another seemingly went against him. As a white guy, do I have the right to criticize the man for his perceived racial slights? Certainly not. Was I surprised when those same ‘issues’ cropped up when he became a Cub? Certainly not.
So, that being said, one of Hawkins teammates and good buddies back in those Twins days was a young idealistic outfielder named Jacque Jones. (not for nothing, but I was lucky enough to hold his 1996 Olympic bronze medal in my hands when we greeted his taxi outside the ballpark upon his arrival in Ft. Myers)
It is well documented that Jones eventually surmised his own difficulties with racial animus during his tenure as a high profile Cubs right field bust. Since I, as a lifelong Wrigley Field die hard, had never heard of another Northsider uttering any such gibberish about racism from Cub fans, and knowing of the former Twins’ history together, I have always thought it possible, if not probable, that Hawkins poisoned Jones’ mind towards the mere prospect of fan bigotry. Since the power of suggestion is such a commanding influence, especially within the confines of a tiny major league clubhouse, it isn’t too farfetched to believe Jacque Jones simply overheard the bad and underheard the good out of the right field bleachers. Not only did Jones’ career stall after his stint in Chicago, it virtually ended.
How does this all tie into the very next African American after Jones who attempted to take up permanent residence in right field for the Chicago Cubs? Well, the year Jones was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, 1996, Milton Bradley was drafted by the Montreal Expos. Both players hail from talent poor Southern California. Bradley tried out for Team USA, for which Jones starred, and they both played against each other in many grapefruit league games before making the majors. Baseball players have little to do but talk
In retrospect, is there a smoking gun there that proves my hypothesis of racial over-sensitivity? Admittedly no, these are just the ramblings of a dude who thinks about things like these far too much. However, it would come as no great surprise if Jones indeed spoke with Bradley after his free agent signing and ‘warned’ him, as Hawkins did, of the horrors of playing in front of 40,000 championship starved and beer soaked (mostly white) fans every afternoon.
