Milton Bradley was never known to play the game quietly. The Chicago Cubs outfielder wore his heart on his sleeve and showed that he lived and died by each pitch. An out meant frustration, sometimes peppered with helmet and/or bat tossing along with abusing the beverage machine inside the Cubs' dugout.

Manager Lou Piniella had enough of Bradley's tantrums last Friday at US Cellular Field. During the top of the sixth against the cross-town rival White Sox, after Bradley flew out, tossed his helmet to the ground and attacked the beverage machine, Piniella asked Bradley to take off his uniform and leave the game. Bradley left the dugout and began to exchange words with Piniella well into the tunnel to the clubhouse.

Until last Friday, Piniella "looked the other way" when Bradley blew up after a bad at-bat. The next day, both Piniella and Bradley cleared the air of the incident after Cubs' General manager Jim Hendry discussed the matter with Bradley.

Bradley is not the only burning soul in the Cubs' clubhouse. A month ago, ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano came off the mound from a tough inning and took to the same beverage machine the same way Bradley did last Friday. No one tried to stop Zambrano as he almost destroyed the machine. Both Ryan Dempster and Carlos Marmol also took to showing fits of frustration in front of the Cubs' manager as well.

Do the Cubs appear to be the only team with these types of issues? We've seen enough video of similar tantrums by players across baseball, so this is not isolated. It is the frequency and volume of these issues and Piniella's reaction last Friday to it that is being noticed.

Is Piniella not doing a good job in keeping his team focused and professional on the field? It should really be the opposite as Piniella's one of the toughest managers in the Major Leagues. Players play for him, learn from him and will perform well for him. Love him or hate him, you have to respect what he has done for over two decades behind the helm of the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and the Cubs for being uncompromised in his quest to win.

There is a saying that goes "the coolest heads will prevail." Perhaps they will with just several days before the All-Star Break.

"Baseball is my refuge"

This was an honest response from Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds. If the game was his refuge, then why did the first baseman and Toronto native step away from the game on May 30 and place himself on the disabled list?

Though Votto mentioned to the press that it was a "personal matter," in truth, he dealt with some issues involving anxiety attacks and depression. This is not exactly a pulled muscle or a bone breakage, but something more complex that would prevent one from playing the game in top form. Today's baseball player not only needs to be in top physical form, but his mind and self must be in good health as well.

Votto is not the first to deal with this kin the Major Leagues. Khalil Greene of the St. Louis Cardinals, Dontrelle Willis of the Detroit Tigers and Zach Greinke of the Kansas City Royals all had similar bouts of emotional issues. What triggered Votto's problems was dealing with the death of his father last August. From there, Votto reported to experience some "panicky moments," where he was pulled in the middle of the game, along with two trips to the hospital.

Votto returned Tuesday night to the Reds after a short minor league rehab assignment. After a brief meeting with the press and a talk with his team, Votto went back on the field to face his former hometown team, the Blue Jays.

When I was a child, any discussion of emotional and mental health was considered taboo. Issues of anxiety and depression were kept quiet and treatment required a hospital stay in a ward separate from the rest of the population. Today's care now includes some form of medication. It just seems so easy to deal with today's issues at a pop of a pill.

Yet, there is a lot more than just a pharmacy script. Votto deals with the rigors of the 162-game regular season along Spring Training and year-round conditioning. Top-notch athletes know this pressure well. When expectations of excellence become overwhelming, compounded with outside forces, such as family and environment, the athlete's emotional health is indeed affected.

Fans should not dismiss a player if our expectations fall short due to emotional issues. If you scan the stands, I'm certain there are plenty of fans who are dealing with what Votto has gone through.

I have. I'm sure you have, too. We work through these issues and do what we can to maintain our equilibrium through our home, work and social lives. It's a delicate balance, but we persevere every day, just as the Cincinnati Reds first baseman does.

Joey Votto is indeed fallible, just like the rest of us.

After coming down off of the euphoria of my Yankee Stadium visit two weeks ago, it appears that a few things occurred that needed to be weighed in. My apologies - I got real busy with a literary arts performance at the Guthrie Theater here in Minneapolis. Even baseball was put on hold until that evening was over.

First of all, do you think it's strange that Major League Baseball had the list of 104 players that tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs sealed by a court only to have it leaked to the press? What was the prize for this intrepid reporter and the source that leaked the sealed document to the press?

Sammy Sosa.

In 2003, it appeared that a lot of Major League players were also randomly tested. Even as Alex Rodriguez's name was confirmed as someone that tested positive for PEDs, no one dared to release any other names prior to Spring Training from the 2003 list.

This brings up a lot of questions on the ethics of this report. Was this list part of what was supposed to be on the Mitchell Report? If these were court-sealed documents, then how come someone had the gumption to release at least one of 104 names to the press? Would it be advantageous, if not outright scandalous to release all of the names?

Frankly, no one is that stupid. The actions made by the lawyer that leaked the information to the press crossed various ethical lines. Now, the word's out. Bad move? I certainly say so!

What about Sammy Sosa?

The Baseball Hall of Fame denied entry to Mark McGwire on the first ballot this winter. Though the voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America was transparent, there was no specific reason communicated as to why McGwire received so few votes during this year's vote. One would assume when Sosa's name appears on the Hall's ballot to the BBWAA he will get the same cold shoulder on the first ballot.

Still, if you recall that Sosa testified to Congress stating he did not use any PEDs. His testimony occurred two years after the tests were made which his name appeared on that court-sealed document. Now, Sosa is at risk of further action by Congress based on his testimony.

Is Sosa screwed? One would assume so.

Enough of the bad press, a couple of good things happened this week.

How about Ivan Rodriguez's mark for most games played behind the plate? As the veteran Houston Astros' catcher strapped on his protective gear and mask, Pudge passed Carlton Fisk in one of the most unsung achievements in baseball. Through the years with the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and the Astros, Pudge was a natural leader by action and motivation. There was no ego behind the plate; only hard work to push his pitchers towards achieving their best on the mound. Sounds like Fisk, Johnny Bench and a few other catchers past and present to me!

Lastly, the Boston Red Sox not only achieved the longest streak of home sellouts. They reached their 500th home sellout. Fenway is indeed a special place that invites fans and players alike to its quirky field, sharing the moment where legendary baseball is played. No one goes to a Red Sox game just to watch it. You go for the atmosphere inside the ballpark and out. You take in the history and the sightlines. You admire the Green Monster.

Besides, where else can you squeeze a few more seats into the old yard?

To mark the occasion of the 500th sellout, Jason Bay of the Red Sox got to meet a national hero of his: One of hockey's greatest players, Bobby Orr. Oh yeah, the Sox won, too. How cool would being there be?

Photo by Randy Stern

On the subway en route to Yankee Stadium, I was reminded by a podcast of a radio show from Australia. The episode of "Street Stories" (on ABC Radio National) featured a group of international students trying to adjust to life in the Melbourne area. One such university student, a technology major from Indian-controlled Kashmir, remarked about how he always seen the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on television. For Cricketers, the 100,000-plus seat MCG is considered one of the great arenas for the sport. The student said that when he was able to see it up close and in person, he was in great awe.

This is how a lot of us around the game of baseball feel about Yankee Stadium, whether it is the old Cathedral or the new one. It's one thing to watch a game on television or to look at old clips of past triumphs of the Bombers at this hallowed ballpark. Being there is a completely different feeling.

What transpired today was perhaps the best game experience I ever had. All misconceptions I had of Yankees fans and the stadium staff was thrown out the window. Was the new Cathedral a kindler, gentler Yankee Stadium? If it was, then the efforts made by the Yankees to ensure that the new Cathedral is a place cherished by the club and its fans for a long time was truly achieved.

What makes the new Cathedral very special was the integration of the lore of the Yankees within the building. To visit Monument Park was to experience a true "garden of the Gods." No matter what generation you come from, there is a reminder of Yankees lore either at Monument Park or the team's museum on the 200 Level that will bring back memories of your younger years. For me, that was Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and Thurman Munson.

As I wandered the ballpark eating potato knishes and Hebrew National hot dogs - a distant reminder of my growing up on the West Coast in a casual Kosher household - I was even amazed how fantastic the fans were. The stories of belligerence, violence and just plain insanity were moot. I only saw a couple of upset fans, but nothing to the extent of the stories I heard from the old ballpark across the street in the past 25 years.

On the field, we were treated to a good matchup between Joba Chamberlain and Matt Garza. This is the kind of pitching matchup I'd pay more money for, since there are so many stories behind these two arms that whet the appetite of any baseball fan. Both starters expended their 100 pitches within six innings, but Joba threw the best set with a few strikeouts accomplished for good measure.

Overall, I have to give Joe Girardi's club a lot of credit. After being thrown back by the Tampa Bay Rays to the tune of 3-1, an eighth inning rally set by walks from Grant Balfour and J.R. Howell enabled the home Yanks to grab the win. Hideki Matsui's key hit sealed the deal, setting up Mariano Rivera to gain the save. Yet, Mark Teixeira completely impressed me. Despite one mishap due to Jorge Posada's bad throw, Teixeira showed his fielding muscle again to continue ensuring his value of his current contract with the Yanks. He earned his money today!

If you are an open-minded person, you can set aside your allegiances for one day. For just one day, you can admire the history of the Yankees and the Cathedral's celebration of it - and not scoff at it. You wander around the ballpark and just feel the awe in a building looking for a person to call its own.

Today, I celebrated the Yankees and their new Cathedral. Tomorrow, all allegiances return to normal. In the end, I gained a new respect for the Yankees. Hopefully, it is something my fellow Red Sox Nationals and Twins Territory denizens can forgive me for one day.

It wasn't your usual Big Unit game. His heat was on a lower flame, but he accomplished his feat in just 78 pitches. After his 78th delivery, he felt it. It was a result of a day plus 36 minute delay from immortality.

The Nation's Capitol was the stage for the 24th pitcher to accomplish 300 wins. Steps from the Anacostia River, underneath the ghosts of lost souls that trolled in an old warehouse district which the ballpark sits upon, Randy Johnson sat down after 78 pitches to punch his ticket to be considered for enshrinement at Cooperstown.

For Johnson, it was a long, hard climb. He was considered too tall to play baseball. His arm was considered too lanky for the toil of the starting rotation. He didn't score his first Major League win until the age of 25, which was abnormal back then. Now, at age 45, he recorded his 300th, down the street from the Capitol.

In a San Francisco Giants uniform, he joins Christy Mathewson, Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch and Gaylord Perry to represent this storied franchise among the 300-win club. You may never have heard of the first three names since they played when the Giants were in New York many decades ago. Still, the long history of this ball club welcomes yet another great name to their record book.

This is no ordinary Giant. He was never an ordinary Mariner, Diamondback or Yankee. He didn't intimidate pitchers with the death stare of Dave Stewart or a simmering anger of Bob Gibson. Batters dared to look at the tower on the mound as the left arm sets for possible heat to be released towards the batter's box.

Last night, that tower felt humbled by his feat. He is still the Big Unit, but at the end of game one of a doubleheader, with more rain threatening to pour onto the District of Columbia, he hugged his wife and his children. The pockmarks on his face, framed by a longish mane, his signature moustache and a grey soul path on his chin, spoke volumes of his long, hard climb to 300. Four Cy Young Awards and a slew of strikeouts meant nothing last night. His eyes wanted to pour before the rain stopped play in the nightcap as he saluted the fans at Nationals Park as they witnessed a different kind of history in their town.

After last night, it will be a long time before we celebrate another 300-game winner. This one is worth celebrating into eternity.