Tale of two big baseball contrasts

Only something significant enables baseball to muscle between football games on a September Saturday.

Jake Peavy and Milton Bradley provided it.

Together they formed one huge example of why White Sox fans are encouraged about 2010 and Cubs fans are just a little frightened.

On this day Peavy pitched for the Sox against the Royals and Bradley sat out for the Cubs against the Cardinals.

Peavy's return from the disabled list tasted like a sip of fine wine for the Sox, while Bradley's stay on the bench was like more fine whine for the Cubs.

You see, Peavy went out and made his Sox pitching debut when there was little reason to. Meanwhile, Bradley implied to our Bruce Miles that he wouldn't mind never hitting for the Cubs again.

None of this is to insinuate that Bradley could play Saturday. If a player says he's hurt, he's hurt. Case closed.

But no injury Bradley has, had or will have - and he surely will have more - can compare to how bruised his feelings are.

Bradley sounds like he feels fans wrong him, the media wrong him, traffic cops wrong him, movie-house ticket takers wrong him and the neighborhood butcher, baker and candlestick maker wrong him.

Apparently the Art Institute, Goodman Theatre, deep-dish pizza, hot dogs without ketchup, Oprah and Michael don't impress Bradley enough to make him want to be here.

Every vowel that drips from the man's lips is a cry for a presidential pardon. Oh, if only his wish were presumptive Cubs owner Tom Ricketts' command.

It's easy to say the Cubs should eat the remainder of Bradley's contract, so I will: The Cubs should eat the remainder of Bradley's contract as if it were a steak at Gibson's.

Ah, but it isn't our money, is it? It soon will be Ricketts', and he might find it less appetizing to swallow $20 million.

For that amount of cash you would think Bradley would choose to stick a sock in it, stick around and stick it to every Wrigley Field fan who booed him and every critic who criticized him.

Instead Bradley is behaving like he wants to leave, and maybe the Cubs miraculously can find another team dumb enough to take him like they were to sign him.

Meanwhile, Peavy was something that Bradley never has had a reputation for being: Eager to play despite the chance he might reinjure himself, embarrass himself or do both.

Peavy, who came from San Diego on July 31 and hadn't pitched in four months, gave the Sox everything he had against Kansas City.

It wasn't pretty. Peavy wasn't particularly sharp. He yielded 3 runs and 3 hits over 5 innings and 73 pitches while coming back from a bum ankle and bruised elbow.

As far as Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was concerned, enough was enough. As far as Peavy was concerned, he wanted a sixth inning but was voted down.

Peavy and Bradley represent that whatever happens the rest of this month, Sox fans can be optimistic about next year and Cubs fans can think wait 'til next year is a worse curse than ever.

Only another Peavy injury and a Bradley ticket out of town could change that.

mimrem@dailyherald.com