You knew it was only a matter of time. You knew it was as inevitable as death and taxes, as anticipated as a Terrell Owens tantrum. I?m talking about the annual Milton Bradley Meltdown. It took longer than expected, but it finally arrived this past weekend, when the volatile outfielder took exception to criticism levied at his hustle, or lack thererof, by the Dodgers? Mr. Warmth, Jeff Kent. For those worried that Bradley had truly dealt with his anger management issues, fear not. It?s only August, and true Milton watchers will remember that Bradley saved his best performance last year for September, smack in the middle of a pennant race. In other words, we may not be done yet. To be fair, Bradley?s behavior in 2005, at least up till Saturday night? Dodgers-Marlins game, has been exemplary. There have been no bats broken over knees, no water bottles tossed at fans, no hissy fits in the outfield, no wardrobe malfunctions. To expect that Bradley, only months removed from anger management counseling, could go an entire 162-game season without incident might be expecting a lot. To expect that Bradley could go an entire season without a blow-up with Kent seems, in retrospect, laughable. But while Bradley may have gained some control over managing his anger, this weekend?s blowup proved that he still has a lot to learn about managing his emotions. The trouble started in the seventh inning, when Bradley failed to score from first base on a Kent double to the gap in right-center, a run that would?ve given the Dodgers a 7-6 lead. Though Bradley eventually did score, and the Dodgers won the game, Kent apparently felt that Bradley?s lack of hustle was endemic of a season?s worth of missed opportunities and unmet expectations. In a closed-door clubhouse meeting that included Dodgers manager Jim Tracy, Kent got in Bradley?s face, and the two had what anonymous sources described as an ?ugly? confrontation. Afterwards, Bradley took a private meeting with Tracy, who referred to the meeting as an informal ?chat?. Uh-huh. It?s hard to imagine a more oil-and-water combination than Bradley and Kent. The dour Kent is never shy about criticizing when he feels it?s warranted?just ask Barry Bonds, who tangled with Kent physically on more than one occasion.. Bradley is over-sensitive to criticism?just ask the fans who serenaded him last September at Dodger Stadium. Any Dodgers fan could see this one coming like a traffic jam on the Harbor Freeway. What?s surprising is that it took so long. Had Bradley not been who he is, the entire incident might never have been made public. Saturday?s night?s game was not televised in Los Angeles, so fans didn?t see the play. (I watched the hit on mlbtv.com, but since the TV feed was the Marlins, they didn?t have an isolated replay of Bradley running the bases). And since the media was forced to wait outside the Dodgers clubhouse for 20 minutes after the game, they weren?t privy to what happened. But Bradley chose to go public. Still seething over what he obviously felt was a personal attack, he lashed out at Kent without naming him, claiming the second baseman cared more about his personal statistics and Hall of Fame credentials than about the team. ?Some people, that's all their life is -- is baseball ... how many hits they get, how many runs they drive in, how many plays they make," Bradley told reports after the game. "They're working for a plaque. I'm not working for a plaque. I'm working to put food on my table." Bradley?s points are not without merit ? Kent is definitely concerned with his stats and his legacy, perhaps overly so. As Bradley pointed out, Kent is not the world?s most popular teammate, and keeps both players and reporters at a firm distance. On the other hand, Kent has also been the one consistent veteran player who has delivered time and again in what has otherwise been a disastrous year for the defending NL West champs. As one of the few team leaders on a team largely devoid of them, Kent took it upon himself to speak up. The day after the incident, Kent addressed Bradley?s comments. ?I?m one of the only veterans on this team, probably the only veteran?, he told reporters on Sunday morning. ?When things happen, something needs to be said. I?m not one to hold back.? He added, ?It has been a buildup of the frustration of our season?. This isn?t pinned at Milton.? Milton Bradley accused Jeff Kent of putting himself before the team, but it?s Bradley who?s guilty. Had Bradley been more mature, he would?ve taken Kent?s outburst as constructive criticism and saved his anger for the baseball field. Had Bradley been concerned about the good of the team, he would?ve kept the matter a closed-door affair, rather than further eroding clubhouse chemistry by screaming at Kent through the media. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers have dropped two games in a row. They?re 12 games under .500, yet still alive in the pennant race because the Padres, the alleged NL West leader, are two games under .500. Incredibly, there?s still time for the Dodgers to pull themselves together and make a run? just like there?s still time for Milton Bradley to remind fans of the impact player he was in 2004? and to prove that what happened last weekend in Miami was an isolated incident, not an omen of worse things to come.