=== Jack Wilson and Milton Bradley ===

I/O:  Wilson opened up to the press about retirement.  Wakamatsu reached a big paw in and pulled him out of the ocean by the nape of the neck.

CRUNCH:  Bradley's recent frank conversation about thoughts of suicide have a professional parallel here, IMHO.

Those who have worked in the trenches on this subject will tell you:  nobody wants to die.  There is no such thing.  What people want is for the pain to stop. 

This might take on confusing and misleading manifestations, but the point is always the same. A person is in too much pain, for too long, and they come to sincerely believe that it is not going to get any better. 

The head overrides the natural hardwire survival instinct, and sometimes action is taken.  This action seems completely rational to the victim.  In my opinion, if you were talking from a strictly non-spiritual standpoint, this decision might be more rational than we would think.  Isn't it possible that some person, somewhere, in fact is going to remain in pain -- a degree of pain that makes life unappealing?

Sure it is.  (But from my own worldview, there is always a spiritual solution to this problem.  In my view of the world, everybody has hope -- the job is to find it.)

..............

In Milton Bradley's case, the Mariners apparently succeeded in showing him a light at the end of the tunnel -- and he rediscovered a belief that the pain/pleasure ratio could improve.  Good on them.

This relief can be immense, once it arrives, and SSI construes Bradley's mid-inning "victory lap" in this light.  The apostles remained in doubt and despair for many days after the crucifixion - and then the re-establishing of their hope created a positive spiritual-explosion type effect that did in fact, even from a secular standpoint, result in a religious movement that affected billions.

The 1995 Mariners' push to glory occurred only after the darkness of 20 years' worth of crushed hopes -- and 1995 itself was, in the first half, more despair.  When that despair finally vanished, the joy was amplified manyfold.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.  It's a strange paradox of human nature that (1) the worse the prelude, (2) the greater the joy following.

................

Feasibly, Milton Bradley could now assume an attitude that will result in his best state-of-mind ever.  The joyful release of tension could, in theory, last for years.

..............

I'd like to have Jack Wilson's accomplishments in life.  I'd like to have his bank account, his physical fitness, his celebrity, his opportunities, his contacts, his strength of mind competitively, yada yada yada.

Everybody hits a point at which they can't play baseball any more ....

• Wilson had a 51 OPS+ in the AL last year
• He has a 1:14 EYE ratio this year -- far below any practical minimum
• He is 32, and most hitters of his talent level are done at 32
• He has looked overmatched to me, since he got here
  

Jack Wilson talks to the press about how frustrating his injuries are, and no doubt they are.  But a big part of his professional-suicide thinking could also come, I suspect, from his fear that he's going to embarrass himself in the batter's box.  

If he's going to hit .220, all singles, no walks, and even the singles are just pepper-shots through the right side, then the dugouts full of eyes on him are going to be more than what he can bear.

If Jack realizes that he can't help the ballclub any more, then it becomes rational to end the pain.  He's young, rich, and he's got a great life ahead of him.

..............

The story goes that Lou Gehrig, in his final season, made a 3U putout and a teammate, running off the field with him, patted him on the back and said, "Nice play, big guy."  Gehrig, realizing that he was being congratulated for an easy play, retired.  

Hey, I'd like to retire from MLB this year :- )

.

That's my opinion I could be wrong,

Jeff