Milton Bradley is my Favorite Current Dodger

Look, I freely admit that Milton Bradley is probably a little nuts. However, he puts up pretty numbers for a CF. I will take a .346 OBP with 20 HRs with excellent defense from that position. Plus, he is a little nuts in a way that is really endearing.

Like Paul LoDuca, Bradley really seems to care about every single at-bat. From time-to-time, that works to his disadvatage. During the gem Pedro was pitching last weekend, Bradley seemed to be trying to win the game all by himself. But when you are paying to watch the best athletes in the world, don't you want them to care that much? It is also possible Bradley is trying that hard, because he is playing for the Dodgers. He is a local, who is from Long Beach. Coming back to So Cal has a either great for a player (i.e. Jeff Weaver), or terrible (i.e. Darryl Strawberry). However, I am always a sucker for that storyline. Every slow start from Shawn Green (an OC local) was a little more acceptable than one from Raul Mondesi.

Plus, Bradley is a great quote. There was recently some sort of dust-up in the locker room between Bradley and a team mate. This required a closed door meeting Dodger Manager, Jim Tracy. The beat writers then probed Bradley for the hostile athlete quote. This is what they got:

Bradley, who acknowledged he hasn't always done things "the right way," said he had no issues with Tracy and has gotten along well with the manager since joining the Dodgers last year."That's my pops," Bradley said, tears welling in his eyes. "From Day 1 he has treated me with respect. I know if I go 0-for-5, he'll still put his arm around me."

Is he emotional? Sure, but he is also mature enough to take responsibility for his own actions. To me, that sounds like something you would hear from a person with a very high emotional intelligence. He is experiencing strong emotions after talking to Tracy, but he is able to put those emotions into the context of his whole relationship. Therefore, he can actually hear the critique of his behavior. That is the type of guy you want leading your team in a pennant race.