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.

With its underachieving core of players signed to multi-year contracts its unlikely that another general manager would bite anyway.  No, the kind of change I’m talking about requires more than just a “C” change.

This is change Cub fans could believe in.  What the Chicago Cubs really need is a new theme song.

With all due respect to the late great Steve Goodman and his wonderful ode to Cubs baseball, it’s time for “Go Cubs Go” to … well, go.

1. Get Back - The Beatles.  The perfect song for the directionally-challenged Cubs.  These Cubs appear so lost at times not even a GPS or a trail of bread crumbs would help.  There’s been several times in this young season the Cubs have looked to be headed in the right direction - only to find out later that its been four successive left hand turns.
2. Ball of Confusion - The Tempations.  Any team that spends $134 million on players’ payroll should be better than .500 - with or without Aramis Ramirez.
3. 19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones.  This one’s for Chicago Cub manager Lou Piniella.  Nearly half of the Cubs games this year have been decided by two runs or less.  And with Kevin Gregg as the Cubs’ closer, Piniella knows in his heart of hearts no lead is safe.  The only good thing about this year has been the dugout shots of Lou shaking his head.
4. Dream On - Aerosmith.  Give the Cub players this much - they continue to say the right things.  As does Piniella and general manager Jim Hendry.  Cub fans continue to pack Wrigley Field.  So what makes me think third place in the Central Division is the most likely place for a Cub finish?
5. One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer - John Lee Hooker.  This is for Cubdom, which no matter stands for its beloved Cubbies.

And if any of us needed a reason to imbibe, the Cubs just dropped another one to Detroit - 6-5.

That Sosa was found among 104 other players testing positive from a 2003 survey could be considered mildly surprising at best from even the most casual baseball fan.  If anything the Times story confirmed what many, if  not all in and out of baseball, suspected.

And sadly, it’s taken us one more step down the path of wondering - and unfortunately, wanting - to know one simple question. Who else?

Last Tuesday was Sammy’s turn and in no way do I feel a single fiber of remorse that it was Sosa exposed while the majority of those on the list remain in the legal shadows of anonymity.

Such is fate.  And, in my opinion, karma.

Ever since the specter of Sammy’s involvement with PEDs came to the light, he like the majority of others, chose the path of denial.  Surprising? Not in the least.

Sammy, if you remember, was the guy who got caught red-handed using a corked bat and then feigned innocence.

“I use that bat for batting practice,” Sosa claimed at the time. “It’s something that I take the blame for. It’s a mistake, I know that. I feel sorry. I just apologize to everybody that are embarrassed.”

And as Chicago Cub fans - we forgave Sammy.  For if there was one area where Sosa excelled,  it was public relations.  Sammy knew how to play to the crowd.  From his wide smile to blowing kisses to his showing of American patriotism when he carried the American flag around the bases after a home run following the September 11th attacks. it was his offering of a buy-in.  Cub fans gladly accepted.

Eventually, even the best pr machine hits a glitch.  Sammy’s persona began to lose its shine when he testified before the House Government Reform Committee on steroid use in major league baseball.

“To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs,” Sosa testified in 2005.  “I have never injected myself or had anyone inject me with anything. I have not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean.”

And as recently as June 4th in an interview with with ESPNdeportes.com, Sosa remained firm in his denial of any alleged steroid use.

Maybe it was that one denial too many that set the wheels in motion that led to the Times report and his association with PEDs.  In the end, the release of Sosa’s name was meant to bury him, not to praise him or any of his baseball accomplishments.

Sosa’s reputation is shattered like the boom box some Cub smashed after his final game with Chicago.  Whether history is kind to Sosa, only time will tell.

For this Cub fan, however, the Mighty Casey has struck out.

These two offensive outbursts come just four days after Hendry replaced fired hitting coach Gerald Perry with Von Joshua.  And at a time when the Cubs downward spiral was beginning to look more like a leap into the abyss.

Today’s 8-7 win was only the fourth time this month the Cubs had scored six runs or more and the 24th time in the club’s 63 games this season.  Coincidentally, the Cubs are 22-2 when they do reach the six-run mark.

There’s no doubt the wins were nice.  That one came against the White Sox and both came after trailing in the late innings was - well - unexpected to say the least.

Come-from-behind wins have been virtually non-existent this Chicago Cubs season.  Nail-biters have been the norm.  Nearly half of the Cubs games have been decided by two runs or less and the club is an even 16-15 in those affairs.

These past two days have not been an exception.  But a funny thing may have happened to these 2009 Cubs on the way to posting a couple of late June wins.

These Cubs may have discovered themselves.

The Chicago Cubs forever have been an enigma in the baseball world.  Or at least to most of us who’ve lived long enough to watch the ebb and flow of good baseball and bad.  Good Cubs and Bad Cubs.

Of the many constants throughout the franchise’s modern day history, the Cubs have been the equivalent of the consummate money pit to their fans.  No matter how much unwavering loyalty is given, no matter how much money is thrown in the Cubs direction, they somehow find a way to keep the love-hate relationship alive.

Welcome to 2009, Cub fans.  And a new era of “I love ‘em, I hate ‘em.”

Ever since all-star third baseman Aramis Ramirez went down with a dislocated shoulder on May 8th, the Cubs offense has slowly devolved into its own funk.  The sheen was peeling away from its $130 million payroll and the glitter of all of the team’s star power.

Two come-from-behind wins in two days certainly shouldn’t be mistaken for a team that’s turned the corner and is heading towards prosperity.  But it does mean that maybe these Cubs have finally realized they’re good enough to win without Ramirez.

No matter who’s the hitting coach.

Professionally, Hendry’s come a long way from the days as head coach of the Creighton Bluejays.  And no one can blame him for leaving the Creighton program to accept a job in the Bigs.

Creighton plays its home games in a crappy little ballyard not far from campus, and as a private Jesuit university, the college isn’t known for its generosity when it comes to paying its coaches.   Coupled with the fact that Nebraska weather isn’t the most conducive for building a baseball program it was little wonder Hendry parlayed his success, leading the Bluejays to the College World Series to special assistant to Florida Marlins’ GM Dave Dombrowski.

That was 1991 when Hendry was still a baseball man. Now as a business man for a baseball team, Hendry signs players to multi-million dollar contracts and fires the hitting coach when they fail to perform.

That’s how far Hendry’s come.  Or gone.

On Sunday, Hendry fired hitting coach Gerald Perry.  When a club is hitting .246 collectively and is 14th out of 16 National League teams in run production, something - or in this case - someone has to go.

Exit Perry.  Enter new hitting coach Von Joshua.

“Obviously, we’ve been struggling for a long time,” Hendry said of the move. “I’m not one to dump all the blame on coaches. I’ve never made a coaching change to my knowledge in the middle of the year. I think sometimes you need a different voice.”

So that’s it.  All Chicago Cub hitters need is a different voice telling them the same things.

If that’s all it takes, I throw my vote to WGN baseball broadcaster Len (Judas to the Truth) Kasper as the new hitting coach.  At least Kasper offers a novel approach to the Cubs hitting woes - albeit wreaking of desperation.

During the eighth inning of Sunday’s game between the Cubs and Minnesota, Kasper joked (at least I hope so) that maybe Alfonso Soriano could loft a fly ball that somehow would miraculously land on the back of one of the birds circling Wrigley Field.  The bird would then fly to the bleachers where it would dispose of the ball in the crowd.

At least that’s what I hope Kasper was referring to when putting bird and dropping in the same sentence.  Then again, he could have put Perry’s firing as plainly and bluntly as Soriano.

“When the team’s doing wrong, somebody has to pay,” Soriano said. “Last year, nobody said anything, we had the best year offensively, and [Perry] is the best hitting coach. This year, we have a little problem, and now he’s the worst. That’s the game.”

No.  Jake Peavy is smiling because he knows deep inside the trade that never happened probably saved his career.   Peavy may or may not have been singing “Go Cubs Go” when rumors of his trade to Chicago were in overdrive, but I’m fairly certain the theme song isn’t in his playlist any longer.

For good reason.  This year’s version of Chicago Cubs baseball just isn’t very good.

Nor does it look to get better any time soon.  With the core of the club signed to long term contracts “More of the Same” may become the club’s new theme song.

The potential is there.   And there’s still over 100 games left in the 2009 season before the Cubs can officially put their gear away for good.

Reasons enough to continue to show up at Wrigley or to tune in to watch or listen.  Or, as if any Cub fan needs a reminder: To hope.

With each passing game, however, objective Cub fans have to wonder whether hope does indeed float or if they’re witnessing a season sinking to the depths not seen since 2006.  That was the year the Cubs finished with the National League’s worst record and the team’s payroll was a mere $94 million - about $40 million less than it is today.

Unfortunately from my angle, it looks like the Cubs are closer to 2006 than duplicating the mini-miracle of 2007.  If you remember, Chicago held a 30-35 record on June 14th of that year, but went 55-42 the rest of the way to clinch the Central Division title and a playoff berth.

That was then and this is now.  And what I’m seeing now is a team without confidence and without chemistry.  Sure, the player are saying all the right things.  And the starting pitching is equal to the best staffs in either the American or National Leagues.

But you can’t win if you don’t score.  Which is why Peavy is smiling.  He’s already on a team that can’t hit.  Why would he leave the sunshine of SoCal for the Windy City?

The answer is, he won’t.  On the bright side, maybe it’s time to get the Brian Roberts rumor rolling again.  At least it would give Cubdom some hope.

On the field, Lou Piniella and his coaching staff supposedly call the shots.   The north side of Chicago claims them and a case could be made that many ofAmerica’s baseball fans cherish them.

So with all these hands in the mix, why do I wonder who actually runs Chicago Cubs baseball?

Maybe it’s because of incidents involving a player like Carlos Zambrano that continually blur the lines between who’s in charge and who’s really running the show.

Last week, for instance, just five days after receiving a six-game suspension for “violent and inappropriate” conduct, Zambrano skipped the team charter’s flight without notifying club management.  Reportedly, this wasn’t an isolated incident as Zambrano regularly misses at least one chartered flight a year.

Chicago management’s response?  A 20-minute meeting between Piniella and Zambrano that resulted in a possible fine and a “it’s been handled internally” comment from the Cubs’ skipper.

Piniella may have been fuming privately as it was reported.  But for Zambrano?  It was just another day at the office for a man with a $91.5 million contract.

Evidently when you’re the highest paid player on the team, an apology is never in order nor contriteness ever a consideration. According to the Chicago Tribune report, Piniella will not make Zambrano apologize to the team.

Nor does it seem Zambrano cares what Chicago management or for that matter, anyone thinks.  When asked for comment, Zambrano replied, “You want to go find a story? Go to Afghanistan.”

Why yes, Carlos.  There are many stories in Afghanistan.  Most of them, I’m sure, very sad and disturbing.  But we’re talking baseball here, not international affairs.  And my guess is there isn’t one person in Afghanistan who wouldn’t gladly trade places with a privileged, overpaid, and obviously selfish man-child baseball player.

But that’s hard to see when one thinks they’re the attraction.  And worse yet, those running the show privately fume, but publicly act as enablers.

Of the many sad aspects of this story is that Zambrano isn’t the first Chicago Cubs player to behave badly.  One only has to look over his shoulder to see the shadow that Sammy Sosa left behind. And it’s certain both will have plenty of company before all is done.

Zambrano, through often times remarkable play, has painted himself as the face of Chicago Cubs baseball.  The question now is, is it a picture worth having?

Besides entering the third leg of the 2009 season the same way the second ended - with Tuesday’s embarrassing loss - the Cubs continue to look more like a team ready to tank than a club certain to meet pre-season expectations.

Confused.  Discombobulated.  Lethargic.  You pick the adjective.  As long as it doesn’t include words like confident,  competent or energetic we’d be talking about the same team.

Looking at this 2009 edition of Chicago Cubs baseball, it’s hard to imagine that the core of this club won a National League best 97 games last year.  Then again, last year’s team included veteran players like Henry Blanco, Jim Edmonds and Mark DeRosa, any of whom would be a welcome sight in a Cubs uniform this year.

Instead, Chicago gm Jim Hendry shuffled the deck in the off-season, clearing payroll and steady play for the likes of switch-hitters Aaron Miles (.204 BA, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs) and Milton Bradley (.220 BA. 5 HR, 14 RBIs).  Throw in backup catcher Koyie Hill (.269 BA, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs)  and you’ve got the Replacements.

Hendry and manager Lou Piniella wanted left-handed bats after 2008’s October collapse in the NLDS.  I guess neither got the memo that reminds us to be careful of what we wish for.

All three of the above are switch-hitting position players.  But if you combine their statistics (.244 BA, 7 HRs, 25 RBIs), it still doesn’t equal one DeRosa (.263 BA, 9 HRs, 37 RBIs).  And if that’s not WTF enough for you, consider that when third baseman Aramis Ramirez got hurt, Hendry and the Cubs had to go out and pick up utility player Ryan Freel, who got exactly 18 at-bats in before joining Miles, Ramirez and starting pitcher Rich Harden on the disabled list.

Speaking of injured players, it would be unfair to go on  without mentioning the man with the Golden Calf - Milton Bradley.  I should say it’s the Golden Calf for this month.  In April it was his quadriceps and in spring training it was the groin.

And for the $30-million man, you can also throw in a one-game suspension for arguing with an umpire.  It was a suspension he could have served during those times of healing.  Instead, Bradley waited till he was healthy to take a day off.

Still, the excuses continue to drip off the lips of Hendry and Piniella.  Even with the injuries, it’s a hard pill to swallow - this continued lackadaisical effort and underachieving performance from a team that comprises a $134 million payroll.

I have news for both general manager and manager.  This team doesn’t need coddling - it needs a cattle prod.

How special?  Even Ryan Dempster couldn’t have predicted “Big Z’s” on-field accomplishments - or antics.

If anything, Chicago Cubs baseball fans have learned when you think you’ve seen everything Zambrano possibly could do - they haven’t seen anything yet.

And last week, Zambrano proved it again.

By now even the most casual baseball fan has either heard or seen Zambrano’s latest blow-up.  Which on a scale of one to 10, was somewhere between between the volcanic eruptions of Vesuvius in 70 A.D. and Mount St. Helens in 1980.

At last report the city of Chicago withstood Zambrano’s blast and no one, fortunately, was injured.  The only entity to appear to have taken a hit has been Zambrano’s reputation - and wallet, if you can call a $3000 fine to a multi-million dollar player punishment.

If anything, last Wednesday’s meltdown and subsequent ejection added yet another unfortunate asterisk to Zambrano’s somewhat amazing career and status as one of the best athletes in baseball.

Through six-and-a-half seasons as a full-time member of the Chicago Cubs, Zambrano has managed averaged 15 wins a season and is one shy of reaching 100 victories for a career.  He’s logged nearly 1,500 innings in that span, which shows remarkable durability considering the rate at which today’s players find their way to the disabled list.

Zambrano’s a three-time all-star and a two-time recipient of the Silver Slugger Award as the best hitting player at his position.  Oh yeah, and he can pinch run in a pinch.

All of which makes these yearly outbursts that much more the pity.  When people - baseball analysts and professionals - talk as much about a player’s antics as they do about that person’s accomplishments it does nothing but cast a pall on that player’s entire body of work.

When Zambrano’s final entry is written in the Great Scorebook, which will take precedent - his sometimes overpowering, occasional dazzling efforts as a major league player, or the fact that he was, at best, a caricature of himself?

Like his teammates, I admittedly found it hilarious when Zambrano mocked umpire Mark Carlson’s ejection.  The rest of his tirade, meanwhile, put him alongside his manager, Lou Piniella, in terms of legendary blow-ups.

Did the meltdown spark or inspire his Chicago Cub teammates?  Counting Wednesday’s game, the Cubs have won three of their last four, including two over the Los Angeles Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball.

While the initial jolt may have had the same impact as downing a couple of Red Bulls, the laws of gravity tell us that what goes up eventually comes down.  And sometimes it just never goes away.

If Zambrano needs proof, all he needs to do is consult a teammate.  Like Milton Bradley.

“Unfortunately, I just think it’s a lot of ‘Oh, you did this to my colleague,’ or ‘We’re going to get him any time we can,” Bradley told the Chicago Tribune. “As soon as he gets two strikes, we’re going to call whatever and see what he does. Let’s try to ruin Milton Bradley.”

Yes, Milton, it is unfortunate.  And be a good teammate and tell Big Z the error of your ways.

In case you missed it - well, you really didn’t miss anything.  Besides going winless on the road and dropping their seventh game in a row overall, the Cubs offensive output was as pathetic as you’ll have found since the 2006 season.

That was the year from April 29th to May 6th, the Cubs offense managed six runs in eight games and was shutout in four of those contests.

Funny how the more things change the more they stay the same.  Dusty Baker was manager then and the payroll was a mere $94 million.  Oh yeah, and the Cubs finished 66-96 that year.

One of the few constants through it all, however, has been the presence of general manager Jim Hendry.  In fact, Hendry has been in his gm’s role since July 2002 when, coincidentally, the Cubs were in the midst of an identical 67-95 season.

Only staff ace Carlos Zambrano remains from that 2002 team, while the remainder of the Cubs roster has gone through enough complete makeovers to warrant a discount on the next face lift.

Instead, Chicago’s payroll has steadily increased over the years under Hendry’s hand - with the exception of the 2005 season when salaries dropped nearly $3 million.  If only the Cubs fortunes corresponded to the payroll hikes.

Sadly, for the franchise and Cub fans, that hasn’t been the case.  In Hendry’s six full seasons the Cubs have posted winning records in four of the six years with three Central Division titles and three exits from the post-season - without, needless to say, reaching the World Series.

Which puts him in the same company as 18 other big league general managers for that same span.  And whatever success Hendry has been able to reap at the helm of the Cubs brain trust, it hasn’t come without a price.

Since 2002 the Cubs payroll has increased from $75.6 million to 2009’s $134 million.  Not only have salaries increased but many of the high-end players have been signed to long-term contracts with steady increases with each subsequent year.

Has Hendry’s tenure been worth it?  It’s hard to judge.  There probably hasn’t been a general manager in Chicago Cub history who’s had the luxury of an open checkbook or access to as much talent.

Heading into tonight’s game, the 2009 Cubs are 21-21.  Since taking over in 2002, Hendry’s winning percentage as Chicago’s GM isn’t much better.