Boy, isn't it startling when a major league baseball player doesn't appeal his suspension?

Regardless of what you think of the severity of the punishment, and regardless of the forces that may or may not have influenced his response, I think that by accepting his five-game suspension now and stating that he will seek anger management counseling, Milton Bradley is sending a much more powerful message than MLB is sending him.

People talk about the message that Shawn Green had the potential of sending through his deliberations about playing during Yom Kippur. Bradley's message is bigger. While many of us do not condone his actions Tuesday night, everyone can relate to his feelings of anger and injustice.

Bradley stepped up and essentially said that it doesn't matter that life isn't fair. The important thing, he is saying, is that he is going to try to be a better person.

He lost his temper Tuesday, but he found it today.

So debate all you want about whether the suspension was too long or too short or just right. For that matter, debate whether Bradley should have appealed or not, for personal reasons or for pennant race reasons.

In my opinion, Bradley has turned a negative into a positive.