Monday's first pitch

Leading Off
Milton Bradley did it again.
Just when we thought he was out of the water, Bradley found a way to let his off-field actions overshadow his on-field performance.
Bradley was suspended for the rest of the season thanks to his words in this interview.
The funny thing is, while his production this year has been down we think he's right.
In the games we've seen, he played harder than some other Fuzzies, namely Alfonso Soriano.
Of course, neither player is a Derek Lee, but Bradley deserves some credit.
His reputation as a malcontent seemed to have gone by the wayside during his tenure in Texas.
However, this should be the last straw.
Bradley is 31. He's never played in more than 141 games in a season, driven in more than 77 runs, stolen more than 17 bases or hit more than 34 doubles. His averages are nice, but he's not worth the trouble because it's clear now he's not going to change.
Regional Roundup

• Here's something Phillies fans like to read: Bullpen holds lead; gives Phils win. Jimmy Watch: 1-for-4, two runs scored, walk, strike out, double. Magic Number: 6


• The O's could not beat the Red Sox this season, losing 16 times to the men from New England. Nick Markakis should have taken September off.


• The Nats are two losses away from 100.


• The Pirates were shut out for the 15th time this weekend.

Best of Rest

• Ken Griffey Jr. is not saying what he plans on doing in 2010. All we know now is that he still owns the Yankees.


• How good a pickup has Jason Giambi been since being picked up by Colorado? He's batting .400 and has had a couple of clutch hits.


• Prince Fielder has quietly had one of the best seasons in Brewers history. Not only does he now own the organization's single-season RBI mark, he owns the walks record as well. Yovani Gallardo also had a strong campaign.


• The Red Sox are playing really well right now.


• John Maine looked good.


• Wolfie outdueled Timmy. Joe's boys now have a Magic Number of Four.

Today in history
1970 -- Oakland's Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter in his eighth major league start, beating Minnesota 6-0.

1981 -- Steve Carlton struck out Andre Dawson in the third inning for the pitcher's 3,118th career strikeout, the most in the NL. But the Phillies lost to Montreal 1-0 in 17 innings.

2000 -- Colorado's Jeff Cirillo doubled twice in a 13-4 win over San Diego, giving him 51 doubles for the year. Cirillo and Todd Helton (57) became the seventh pair of teammates in major league history to reach 50 doubles in the same season.

The Closer
The Southpaw has always had a soft spot in his heart for the Twins.
But we also admit we love Placido Polanco.
We would go out of our way to put him on our team if we could.
So it was bittersweet Sunday when the second sacker practically knocked the Twins out of the playoff picture.
Polanco doesn't get much credit for how important he is to an offense.
His .332 OBP and his .762 OPS rub some statheads the wrong way.
But seamheads like the facts he moves runners over and rarely strikes out. He hits well with two strikes (.265), with men on (.315) and in late and close situations (.287).
While he doesn't swipe many bases - just 71 in his career - he doesn't get caught when he tries (.71 percent success rate.).
A 19th-round pick, Polanco wasn't expected to have this successful a career, but at 33, he's still going strong.
When he retires he'll have been to an All-Star game, won an ALCS MVP and a batting title.
Now he should get some more face time in the playoffs.