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Often injured as Indians, they excel to make All-Star teams this season
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
NEW YORK: This is not a story outlining how the Indians misjudged two players who will make their first appearance in the All-Star Game tonight at Yankee Stadium.
Milton Bradley took his last swings for the Tribe in spring training of 2004, when he literally left town for good in a cab. Ryan Ludwick made the Indians' roster out of training camp in 2005, but by June, he was batting .220 and was sent to Triple-A Buffalo, where he languished the rest of the season.
Nobody questioned whether Bradley had talent, but he was constantly getting hurt and inevitably, because of his behavior, he became too much trouble. Ludwick couldn't stay healthy long enough for Tribe operatives to know whether or not he could play.
For example, in his final season with the organization, before signing with the Detroit Tigers for 2006, Ludwick strained his left calf and fractured his elbow bone.
Finally healthy, both players have blossomed. Ludwick is batting .289 with 21 home runs and 65 RBI for the St. Louis Cardinals. After stops with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A's and San Diego Padres, Bradley eventually landed with the Texas Rangers, where he is batting .316 with 19 homers and 57 RBI.
Until this year, missing big chunks of the schedule because of injury was commonplace for Bradley. But when he did play, there were attitude problems.
He seemed bent on turning himself into a pariah when he was with the Tribe. The final straw occurred in an exhibition game against the Houston Astros in Kissimmee, Fla. After failing to run hard to first, he and manager Eric Wedge had words in the dugout, and the manager pulled Bradley from the game.
Bradley walked to the clubhouse beyond the right-field bleachers, changed into street clothes and called a cab to take him back to Winter Haven. A few days later, he was traded to the Dodgers, where he was ejected twice and suspended twice in his first season.
''I don't know where things went wrong in Cleveland,'' Bradley, now 30, said Monday during player interviews for the All-Star Game. ''I had a great relationship with Eric Wedge when I was in Triple-A (and Wedge was manager). Maybe when a manager is in the big leagues, he has different responsibilities.
''I don't know if he wanted everybody to be clones of each other or what. I've always gotten the greatest satisfaction out of doing things my own way. Somewhere along the way, we just got our wires crossed.''
Of course, Bradley's erratic personality didn't show itself only in Cleveland. He had problems in Montreal with the Expos before he was traded to the Tribe, and he has made his unique presence felt since leaving the Indians.
''I've never been apologetic enough,'' Bradley said. ''I'm emotional. I go on what I feel. But I know if I stay steadfast and never look back, I'll get where I want to go.''
Of his current manager, Ron Washington, Bradley said, ''He knows me. He knows I'll be on time, play hard and follow instructions. And sometimes a guy like me is under a microscope.''
Bradley told this story about Washington calling him into his office to tell him he had been selected as an All-Star.
''He congratulated me and hugged me. That hug was like a father and son moment that I never had.''
Is Bradley tolerant of other players who have had difficulty staying out of trouble?
''If I had a team, I'd have Barry Bonds on it,'' he said. ''But if I have baggage, he's got Louis Vuitton baggage. He's had to deal with a lot more than I have.''
In contrast to Bradley's career path, that has been distinguished by repeated chances to succeed, Ludwick's ability wasn't quite as obvious. And since he had trouble remaining healthy, most teams looked at him as more of an afterthought.
In his final opportunity with the Indians, Ludwick played part time and failed to gain the consistency he needed to earn a bigger role.
''When they sent me to the minors, they said Juan Gonzalez was coming up, and they wanted to get him at-bats,'' Ludwick said Monday. ''I know that Eric Wedge and [Indians General Manager] Mark Shapiro were pulling for me, but this is a business.
''I was heartbroken, especially when I found out that I cleared waivers, which meant nobody wanted me. I knew then that my prospect years were over.
''I had a bad attitude when I went down. I was basically hurt for four years, but I was trying to play.''
The Tigers came to the rescue in December 2005, signing Ludwick to a minor-league contract and sending him to Triple-A Toledo, where he hit 28 homers and scored 81 runs to rank among the leaders in the International League.
''That year was a big confidence booster for me,'' said Ludwick, who will be 29 on Saturday. ''I finally stayed healthy and was able to prove I could play the game.''
Now that he has avoided injuries for a while, Ludwick can joke about the topic.
''When I go through (airport) security, I don't set off the metal detector, but when they wand me, they wonder what's going on,'' Ludwick said. ''I tell them there's a metal rod in my hip, but they don't understand how a 30-year-old would have one of those.''
Some people don't understand how it happened that a 29-year-old and a 30-year-old ended up as first-time All-Stars this year.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
NEW YORK: This is not a story outlining how the Indians misjudged two players who will make their first appearance in the All-Star Game tonight at Yankee Stadium.
Get the full article here.
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