There was something poetic in watching the winning hit sail over the head of Chicago Cub outfielder Milton Bradley in yesterday’s 8-7 loss to the crosstown rival White Sox.

Because amidst the hoopla of baseball bragging rights for Chicago it perfectly symbolized Bradley’s relationship with the city.  Since signing a three-year, $30 million contract last January, there’s so much about Chicago Cub baseball that, simply put, is over Bradley’s head.

If there was ever an ill fit for a baseball team or for that matter, a city, Bradley is it.  And the fact that Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was not only able to find the mis-fit, but sell it to the organization is sick genius in itself.

For as much as Bradley doesn’t “get” Cub baseball or the fervor of its fans, Cubdom doesn’t “get” Bradley. Take for example, Bradley’s revelation of his current team and half the city’s adoration for it.

”It’s something else,” Bradley said. ”I played in L.A., and I thought L.A. was over the top, but this is a whole different level. It’s fanatic fans. It’s constant cameras and things. It’s a lot more than you expect. But this is what I signed up for, so I can accept that.”

Memo to Milton: Chicago’s love for Cub baseball is not a new phenomena.  Pull your self-absorbed head out of your helmet and pick up a newspaper.  Watch Sports Center for God’s sake.

Bradley’s utter lack of awareness is why Friday’s much publicized blow-up between Bradley and Cub manager Lou Piniella shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  If anything, I’m confused why more people haven’t asked the question, “What took it so long?”

Take two volatile personalities - one a selfish, underachieving player and the other a demanding, old school manager - toss in a team that’s closer to the bottom of the Central Division standings than it is to the top and the recipe for disaster is just waiting to be served.

Seemingly, everyone in and out of major league baseball knew what the Cubs were getting in Bradley.  Everyone, that is, with the exception of Hendry.  Maybe the Cubs GM just got confused and thought he was Father Flanagan instead of second in command of the team’s baseball operations.

The Cubs are Bradley’s seventh team since breaking into the big leagues in 2000.  Outside of his stint with the Dodgers, Bradley basically bounced from one minor market to another.  Bradley’s trek has gone from Montreal to Cleveland to Los Angeles to Oakland to San Diego to Texas and now, Chicago.

And for the present - and most likely the next two-and-a-half years, the Cubs are stuck with him.  It’s not going to be a pretty stay for him or Cub fans.