Cubs lose to Nats; Bradley says comments 'a dead issue'

Milton Bradley grounded out to end the Cubs' 5-4 loss Thursday to the Washington Nationals, and he heard boos from the announced crowd of 35,174.

Bradley once again was the center of media attention after the game, as reporters followed up on his comments to writers the previous day about feeling hatred at Wrigley Field and how he wants games there to get over quickly so he can get out of the ballpark.

The Cubs were not happy with Bradley's comments, and general manager Jim Hendry talked with Bradley in private Thursday. Hendry declined to speak for the record about the conversation.

Bradley claimed his words were "twisted."

"I'm always the story, whether I hit .500 or hit .100," he said. "Somehow, some way, everything revolves back to me. I guess I'm kind of a big deal or something. People like talking about Milton Bradley, not to my face, but only behind my back.

"I'm not getting more into it. I see more and more people coming in trying to make more of a story. It's a dead issue. I'm here to play ball. I came here to win a championship. I'm going to tell you this: Ain't nothing I'd rather do. If I could do anything, No. 1, I might cure the lupus my aunt has or give my aunt who got both her legs cut off with diabetes, I might give her her legs back.

"No. 3 on my list would be win a championship in this city so the people can have what they deserve, the good people. The bad people can jump on the bandwagon when the time comes."

When asked what was twisted in the stories about Bradley's unhappiness at Wrigley Field, he did not get specific.

"It's not really a need to get into it because you can't win in this situation," he said. "I'm not trying to win. I just go out there and give an honest answer, and people can't respect that or respect how you feel. You can't say that a person's feelings are wrong. That's one thing you can't do. Unless you've been paid $30 million to play right field for the Chicago Cubs, you can't speak on how I feel, because you don't know."

Bradley said his teammates could give "politically correct" answers and that he would continue giving it "straight."

On the issue of racism, which Bradley implied but did not directly cite Wednesday, he was vague again.

"That's what they (the media) make it out to be," he said. "I don't read the paper for that very reason. USA Today is the only legit source of news to me. If it ain't in USA Today, it doesn't' really matter to me. When it comes to issues like this, there's no way you can give fair opinions, because you just don't know."

Bradley termed most Cubs fans "awesome."

The Cubs signed Bradley to a three-year, $30 million contract last winter. It's not out of the question the Cubs will try to trade Bradley this coming off-season because of their growing dismay about his behavior. At the plate, he's batting .259 with 11 homers and an on-base percentage of .387, which is tied for team high with Kosuke Fukudome among Cubs regulars.

Manager Lou Piniella seemed weary of the whole topic before Thursday's game.

"We've had enough problems here with injuries and so forth that we don't really need any more controversy of any sorts," he said. "That speaks for itself."

Scouting report

Cubs vs. New York Mets at Wrigley Field

TV: Comcast SportsNet today; Channel 32 (Fox) Saturday; Channel 9 Sunday

Radio: WGN 720-AM

Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Ted Lilly (9-8) vs. Pat Misch (0-1) today at 1:20 P.M.; Ryan Dempster (7-7) vs. Bobby Parnell (3-6) Saturday at 3:10 p.m.; Carlos Zambrano (7-5) vs. Nelson Figueroa (1-3) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.

At a glance: This is a series between two of the most disappointing teams in baseball. Like the Cubs, the Mets have had their share of injuries, with Johan Santana, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and others being on the DL. The Mets entered Thursday last in the NL in home runs. Luis Castillo is among the top 10 in batting average. These two clubs meet in New York next weekend.

Next: Houston Astros at Wrigley Field, Monday-Wednesday

<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' Cubs tracker</p> <p class="News"><b>How it unfolded:</b> The Nationals scored 3 in the first off Randy Wells, with Ryan Zimmerman hitting his 27th homer. The Nats had a 5-0 lead by the third, when Adam Dunn hit a solo homer.</p> <p class="News"><b>Cubs power:</b> Aramis Ramirez hit a 2-run homer in the third, and Derrek Lee added a solo shot in the fifth. Lee's homer was his 25th, marking his first season with at least 25 since 2005.</p> <p class="News"><b>The quote:</b> "It's been a difficult month. We're not very good right now. It seems we're finding ways to lose rather than finding ways to win."</p> <p class="News"> - Lee on the Cubs' 9-15 record in August</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=317148">Defiant Piniella: 'Take your shots'<span class="date"> [8/27/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=317159">Heilman, Harden could be claimed<span class="date"> [8/27/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>