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But, pity, some people still think that about Milton Bradley.
They see the body language. They see the fire. They see the emotion that Bradley wears on his sleeves, on his chest, on his everywhere.
And some of those people -- Kansas City Royals announcer Ryan Lefebvre, among them -- watch him and they think they have the Texas Rangers' outfielder all figured out.
But is it even possible to figure out Milton Bradley?
As Milton himself said in Kansas City before Thursday's game, "I'm complex. I'm extremely complex.
"If you're trying to understand a guy, I'm not easy to understand."
Milton said that when he bounded up four flights of stairs to the Royals' press box after Wednesday night's game, he was only intending to introduce himself to Lefebvre. And I believe Milton.
Yet, the yellow headlines around the country Thursday ranged from Bradley goes after broadcaster to Bradley tries to attack Royals announcer.
For Milton, reputation has blurred reality. And in this season of all seasons for Milton Bradley, he apparently wants to set the record straight one announcer at a time.
That was no temper tantrum teammates and media witnessed Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. That was a cry for help.
Milton is trying to turn the page. Why do announcers, lazy media and boorish fans persist in dwelling upon the old chapters?
"I'm tired of people bringing me down," Bradley announced when he returned to the Rangers' clubhouse Wednesday. "It wears on you.
"I love you guys, all you guys. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had."
In the beginning, frankly, he scared me. At spring training in Arizona, Bradley seemed angry -- at everybody. But Milton didn't know me any more than I knew him.
In due time, however, we began to hear his teammates sing his praises, how they admired his focus and his unbridled passion for winning. We listened to manager Ron Washington applaud Bradley, without reservation.
And we watched Bradley hit. Teammate Josh Hamilton has had a remarkable season, without question. But there have been nights when Milton Bradley, not Hamilton, has played like the best player in the American League.
By the dim light of hindsight, Lefebvre tried to explain Thursday that he was mostly trying to praise Hamilton, not vilify Bradley. Oh, please. Lefebvre's remarks were personal and clearly meant to be disparaging.
Even worse, they were lazy. If Lefebvre had done his homework, if he had interviewed anyone in the Rangers' clubhouse -- if he had walked 10 feet down the press box hallway and asked any of the Rangers' announcers -- he would have learned that Milton Bradley has been a valuable and positive addition to his new ballclub.
But don't take my word for that. Take this guy's:
"He really has been a good teammate for us, and our guys really respect him. We absolutely couldn't ask for a better job from him this year."
Those words, spoken on Thursday, were from Nolan Ryan, Rangers club president.
For decades, baseball has lined its birdcages with newspaper articles that players didn't like. Some of us being old and slow, we make easy targets. If we write something critical about a player or someone in the clubhouse, we're usually easy to find -- and lecture -- the next day.
Team broadcasters, however, have a different line to walk.
In most cases, they work for the club. Most should know, then, that critiquing an opposing player beyond his performance crosses a delicate line.
Not once during the Kansas City series, by the way, did I hear Rangers TV announcers Josh Lewin and Victor Rojas dwell upon Royals pitcher Zach Greinke's 2006 emotional troubles or remind viewers that Jose Guillen was suspended for buying steroids and human growth hormone.
Nor did Lewin and Rojas make any assumptions, four floors above the playing field, about what Guillen was saying to the fans in right field or behind any dugout.
For Bradley, reputation has blurred reality.
He will always play with passion, he said Thursday. His body language speaks volumes.
"That's how I play," Milton said. "That's my edge."
If that edge is causing a problem with his teammates, his manager, his general manager or with the Hall of Fame club president, they would say so.
Milton Bradley would like to turn the page on the Milton Bradley story, thank you.
Anyone who doesn't see that this season, of all seasons, deserves an introduction and a lecture.
To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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