After catching a fly ball on a brutal high sun day at Wrigley Field — after missing one the previous inning –  disaster-prone Cubs rightfielder Milton Bradley was happy. He was so happy, in fact, he forgot how many outs there were. Oops!

Afterward, he calmly discussed the gaffe with reporters. At least that anger management therapy is doing him some good.

Then there was poor Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, who failed to catch a game-clinching pop up.

After the game, Castillo was understandably upset.

PANIC IN CHITOWN

While Cards manager Tony La Russa stood behind hitting coaches Hal McRae and Mike Aldrete during the team’s recent slump, Cubs GM Jim Hendry was not so supportive. He opted to whack Small Bears hitting coach Gerald Perry.

Hendry needed a scapegoat. Perry, a former Cardinal bench player, served the bill.

“Obviously, we’ve been struggling for a long time,” Hendry told the Chicago Tribune. “I’m not one to dump all the blame on my coaches. But I think sometimes you need a different voice.”

Von Joshua replaces Perry, for now.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if fill-in Cardinals starting pitcher Brad Thompson can keep this up:

• Are Broncos fans sleeping comfortably now that Kyle Orton has locked up the starting quarterback job?
• Is Kobe Bryant’s life complete now that he won a title without Shaquille O’Neal?
• What percentage of pro athletes realize how good they have things? Do they really understand what life awaits them after sports?
• Is anybody surprised that Mike Tyson married an ex-con?
• Can anybody doubt that UConn coach Jim Calhoun is a tough guy?
• Does anybody do bobblehead dolls better than the Indians do?
• What sort of graduation gift do you give a millionaire ex-athlete who finally dons the cap and gown?
• How many angry parents go to this extrame to protest Junior’s lack of playing time?
• Is it really that hard to watch the NBA playoffs while babysitting your girlfriend’s kids?

A LAPSE OF DECORUM?

Here is another thing to love about hockey: Two teams can slash, speak, elbow and high-stick each other like maniacs, then line up for handshakes after the playoff series is decided.

And when a player avoids shake hands – as Sidney Crosby allegedly did with Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom after the Penguins won the Stanley Cup over the Red Wings – THIS is considered poor sportsmanship. All that medieval stick fighting is considered just part of the game.

“Nick (Lidstrom) was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn’t come over to shake his hand,” Wing forward Kris Draper told an Associated Press reporter a couple hours later as he was leaving Joe Louis Arena. “That’s ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that!”

Crosby had this comeback:

“My intentions were to shake hands,” Crosby said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That we didn’t wasn’t me trying to avoid it. That’s the last thing I’d want to do. By no means was I trying to avoid shaking the other team’s hands.

“I think it’s important to do that.”

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports: “As the minutes wound down and the NBA championship was rung up, Kobe Bryant said he felt a weight lifted off his back. Presumably it was about 330 pounds, or whatever Shaquille O’Neal is tipping the scales at this stage of the offseason. Kobe said the never-ending question about whether he could win a title without his old teammate was ‘idiotic,’ ‘silly’ and ‘annoying,’ but it wasn’t going away until he did what he did Sunday.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Veteran NFL quarterback Trent Green is retiring after 15 seasons marred by concussions. Friends are telling Green he enjoyed a solid career.”

Dan Daly, Washington Times: “Read somewhere that Bill Belichick might get married again. As noncommittal as Bill is, though, it’ll probably be a wedding day decision. If you can’t make the ceremony, don’t worry. Something tells me Belichick will have it taped.”

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “It’s good to see that John Daly is taking golf seriously. If only his pants would.”

Bill Simmons, ESPN.com, on Magic coach Stan Van Gundy: “He has been in my life every two days for the last two months. I’m going to miss his goofy outfits and hairdos. I’m going to miss the Ron Jeremy jokes. I’m going to miss the way he subtly throws players under the bus in postgame interviews. I’m going to miss seeing his point guards snap at him. I’m going to miss wondering why Player X is playing instead of Player Y. Most of all, I’m going to miss the way he stares straight ahead during the pregame intros like he’s sitting on the subway next to someone with horrible B.O. and all he can think about getting off at the next stop. I’ll miss that the most.”

Steve Rosenbloom, ChicagoTribune.com: “The rumor is that Pedro Martinez worked out for the Cubs and Rays,  and I’m wondering, can he hit better than Milton Bradley? I mean, when the Cubs score only once in their last 20 innings of the road trip, the problem isn’t pitching. When Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano and Randy Wells post an earned-run average under 1on the trip where the Cubs are lucky to go 4-4, the answer isn’t to sign more arms. Hel-lo. The lights are on, but Alfonso Soriano isn’t home.”

Cote again: “Bulls rookie Derrick Rose apologized for a photo in which he flashes a gang sign at a college party at Memphis. But was it a gang sign? It could have been a sign for, ‘Somebody took the SAT for me.’”

MEGAPHONE

“Congratualtions kobe, u deserve it. You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it. And I know what yur sayin rt now ‘Shaq how my (backside) taste ‘”

Shaquille O’Neal, in a late-night Twitter to Kobe Bryant, referencing his earlier free-lance rap piecing mocking Bryant.

ELSEWHERE ON STLTODAY.COM

Come by the live chat today at 1 p.m. and join the chorus of unhappy Cardinals fans.

Hockey Guy takes a look at the NHL offseason.