Milton Bradley felt like he had a kindred spirit in Mark Kotsay. The two outfielders are next-door neighbors in the Athletics' clubhouse and are close in other ways too. "I look in his eyes and I see the same fire I have in my eyes," Bradley said. "It's tough not seeing him in there and not playing with on an every day basis." Kotsay was scheduled for back surgery Thursday in Los Angeles and likely will be sidelined for three months. Dr. Robert Watkins was to repair a herniated disk that has bothered the 31-year-old for the past two seasons. "We'll have to deal with it," said Bradley, who becomes Oakland's starting center fielder. "I know he agonized over it the past couple of years. It's good he's taking care of it so he doesn't have to go out and play in pain."