Risk, Monopoly or The Game of Life

Milton Bradley, love him and hate him, is now the Cubbies right fielder. I, for one, remember watching when he went after his manager, Eric Wedge, as an Indian and grabbed him by the throat in 2005. I said, "Indians, you do not need this crap...bleeping get rid of him, Scalp the bastard"!
...It so happens shortly after that incident I was attending one of my baseball drafts. I was outside smoking and near the end of the draft of this N.L.(Only) 13angry men draft. When one angry member in the league starts asking how much $ does each of have to spend? It came down to that I had more money ($13) to bid than any other team owner for Bradley. Little did I know that this person was reading the ticker tape on espn as I was not aware that Milton had been traded. Anyway, I would not have ventured his way at all. I had the feeling he was going high when the bidding suddenly begun for him. I put up $0 for him. I believe that the player I draft must be clean, noble, and know how to play the game. The latter praise is all I have for Bradley. I instead opted for that year to draft Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson and Chris Young for the $13.

I have never enjoyed having the Clemen's, Sosa's, Palmiero's on any of my teams. Ever! Never Will! This league is special as we are allowed to draft anybody not in the major leagues as future keepers. Often times my wife finds me reading many a Baseball America and checking on the potential young stars. NOT THAT YOU SICK BASTARDS! I find that I pick those who will have to claw and fight their way to the SHOW!

Enough about fantasy ball; even though it is real. Milton Bradley poses upsides/downsides for the Cubbies. He is older (30) and has claimed to have matured with the game. Is he soft? Injuries may answer that. The Cubs have an out clause in the first year that protect them from his ability to get injured. Can he contribute? Hell Ya! In that lineup and in that field! He is the same hitter from both sides of the plate - rare for a switch hitter. "He takes too many walks", I hear. Let him! He has hitters behind him! The cubs are in a rare position in the National League where their patience and power equals that of any AL powerhouse that enjoys the luxury of the DH. And their pitching is the envy of all of baseball (outside the Angels).
Will he respond to Lou? Will they have it out? How will he interact with Aramis, Lee and Soriano? The guy could not be better fitted for this team as is the team for him.
Bradley will be rested often...125 games started is my goal for him with pinch hitting duties - this helps replace Ward.
"Santi", you scream, "You Idiot"! While this is true 98.723% of the time (Calling me an idiot is a game of percentages on beers consumed), I defer that we still have Reed and Fukudome. "Santi, are you even dumber than you type?" No, I reply. The ploy is that cubbies are signing another Japanese hero to keep the other Jap happy. This means we still enjoy great defense in right field with fuku... and maybe a ressurgence of his offense. (And YES am I stupid for believing that after watching him against ML pitching)

At the end of the dealings I think they cubbies came out winners - this is only possible with a healthy Bradley (Miles and Gregg need to perform as well). There is still talk between the Padres and Cubs on Peavy who might make an interesting mid-season deal. The end goal is winning it all.
And that said, I like the off season Cubs moves. They have made themselves more liquid for the new ownership (whomever that might be - I am glad it is not crazy guy from Dallas) to make some immediate moves. (Don't forget the MLB blocking of Carl Crawford coming to us in 2006 for fear of the ownership would not be liquid enough). The Nuclueus is still there. I would love to have seen Lee gone and Giambi playing first for a season or two. Anyway, Roberts is still on the table!