"This time, it wasn't about Milton Bradley's bad attitude. He was just bad, period.

Bradley, the mercurial and tormented outfielder, spent 101 games over two seasons with the Mariners and left the saddest impression of his controversial career. The problem wasn't his notorious temper, though. The problem was his skills, which had allowed him to get opportunity after opportunity despite his emotional problems.

He can't play anymore.

Therefore, he is done. With the Mariners. And, likely, with Major League Baseball.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said it best in a news conference explaining why the team cut ties with Bradley: "We just felt that Milton was not part of our future, and he is not part of our present."

All of baseball should feel that way.

There are only three career killers in professional sports: devastating injury, long imprisonment and insufficient talent. History shows that barring any of those terminal traits, an athlete can commit mistakes repeatedly, become a glutton for the mulligan and they always can find another understanding victim, er, team.

Bradley has played for eight teams in 12 seasons because he was too good to quit. He never reached his potential, only showing flashes, but left teams thinking he could give them more. In 2003, he hit .321 in 101 games with Cleveland. In 2008, he led the league with an incredible .999 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in Texas. Bradley teased just enough for the next manager or team executive to believe his bat was mightier than his issues.

That's not the case now. He failed in Seattle because he failed. This time, his temper didn't obstruct his talent. His diminished talent obstructed his temper.

Sure, there were problems. Bradley infamously left the ballpark after being removed from a game last season, which led to him taking a leave to address his mental and emotional problems. This past offseason, he was arrested for threatening his wife, Monique, who has since filed for divorce.

But Bradley was as comfortable and happy in Seattle as he is capable of being. When he made mistakes, the Mariners supported him."