Bradley feels 'blessed' to be on the North Side

Milton Bradley was OK until he started talking about his mom.

"I didn't call my mom and tell her because I wanted her to just find out from watching TV," Bradley said Thursday, just after his three-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs was formally announced. "But she called and left me a message. And I played it back several times. I could hear her voice cracking on the message.

"My mom worked 35 years as a grocery clerk. Thirty-five years and was able to retire a few years back. Just a tremendous blessing."

At that point, Bradley stopped and had to wipe a tear from his eye.

The 30-year-old right fielder used the word "blessing" several times as he and the Cubs officially came to an agreement on a contract after a courtship that began over dinner with general manager Jim Hendry back in November.

All that was lacking from Thursday's festivities was the echo of old Yankee Stadium.

"I'd like to take a little wordplay and switch up Lou Gehrig's speech about being the luckiest man," Bradley said. "I don't believe in luck. I believe in blessings, and I consider myself the most blessed man on the face of the earth today. I've been through trials and tribulations and adversity. Standing here today, I'm pretty humbled."

Bradley, who will wear No. 21 (popularized by Sammy Sosa) certainly has the skill, and he and the Cubs will need a little luck and some blessings if he's going to produce over the full three years of the deal.

Last year with the Texas Rangers, Bradley batted .321 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI. More important, he led the American League in on-base percentage with a Texas-record .436. He also led the AL in OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), at .999.

The Cubs say they signed Bradley to play right field - meaning Kosuke Fukudome will move from right to center on most days - and bat in the middle of the lineup.

However, Bradley's bio lists 12 stints on the disabled list.

He was slowed at the beginning of last year after tearing up his right knee during a confrontation with an umpire at the end of the 2007 season (the umpire was punished for that confrontation).

Bradley was well aware that his reputation for controversy followed him to Chicago. He had a bottle-throwing incident with a fan in Los Angeles while with the Dodgers in 2004. He also clashed with Cleveland manager Eric Wedge while with the Indians and ripped Dodgers teammate Jeff Kent, who has his own reputation for being difficult to deal with.

Bradley seemed to want to get out in front of that issue Thursday and put it behind him.

"The past," he said. "If we could leave it there ... I've seen a lot of cute headlines about me talking about everything. People that never met me speaking about me. I think it's not very intelligent to speak about someone you've never met."

Bradley cited the honesty of Hendry as a main reason for signing with the Cubs. The deal calls for Bradley to get a $4 million signing bonus spread over the first two years of the deal. He'll get a total of $7 million this year and $11 million in 2010, with $12 million coming for 2012.

However, the Cubs do have contract protection against injury. If certain incentives aren't met the first year, the third year becomes a club option.

Both Bradley and the Cubs insist he's healthy. In addition do meeting with Bradley and doing his homework on Bradley's background, Hendry said team trainer Mark O'Neal worked extensively with the player, and the results satisfied all parties.

"He's a real solid guy," Hendry said. "I think he understands his past is his past. I think he's going to be a real good addition. I really do."