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Major League Baseball investigated Sunday's incident between Milton Bradley and umpire Mike Winters and determined that Winters did in fact cross the line by baiting Bradley. From the AP:

Winters was suspended because the commissioner's office concluded he had used a profanity aimed at Bradley, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the reasoning for the suspension was not announced.

Bradley and first-base coach Bobby Meacham indicated that Winters called Bradley "a bleeping piece of (expletive)." Rockies first basemen Todd Helton appeared to be within ear shot but has so far publicly refused to comment, aside from saying the exchange was an "interesting event." According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, major league officials tried to reach Helton, but it's not known if he officially corroborated Bradley and Meacham's version of events. In any case, the suspension saves Winters and the Padres from an awkward situation: he was currently slated to work the team's final three games of the season.

Make no mistake, this suspension is officially a "big deal:" Winters has been umpiring since 1990 and has worked two World Series in the past five years, including last year. It's not known if MLB has suspended him for the duration of the playoffs, as well, but publicly hanging him out to dry puts a blatant stain on his reputation (much like when the NBA suspended Joey Crawford) when it would have easier to simply do nothing and let Bradley, who has a history of public tantrums, take the fall.

Previously on FanHouse:
MLB Investigating Bradley vs. Winters
Mike Winters Has Been Down This Road Before
The Debriefing: Bradley Baiting Ump Should Be Banished
Milton Bradley Tears ACL Arguing With Ump
Milton Bradley Does the Most Milton Bradley Thing of All-Time

In our never-ending quest to completely beat this Milton Bradley story into the ground we bring you news that Major League Baseball is officially looking into Sunday's events to see if umpire Mike Winters crossed the line by baiting Bradley:

Baseball spokesman Rich Levin said yesterday the commissioner's office is investigating whether the volatile Bradley was baited by Winters. The Padres said Winters directed profanities at Bradley right before the blowup. "I know there will be a thorough investigation of the dialogue between Milton and Mike Winters," Padres GM Kevin Towers said before San Diego opened a three-game series in San Francisco. "I have a lot of confidence there will be due process and it will be handled well. For Milton's sake, he certainly has the support of our ballclub."

There's really only four people who know for sure what was said: Winters, Bradley, first base coach Bobby Meacham and Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. So far, Bradley and Meacham have made it very clear that they think Winters crossed the line, while Winters and Helton have refrained from commenting.

I can understand Helton not wanting to interject himself into the controversy (and risk future retribution from umpires), but he's really the only unbiased party in the know. Sooner or later he has to talk, right? He hasn't so far to reporters, but maybe he will when the commissioner's office comes calling.

Previously on FanHouse:
Mike Winters Has Been Down This Road Before
The Debriefing: Bradley Baiting Ump Should Be Banished
Milton Bradley Tears ACL Arguing With Ump
Milton Bradley Does the Most Milton Bradley Thing of All-Time

I poked a bit of at Milton Bradley after he got hurt while being pulled away from arguing with an umpire, but it seems like at least this time his anger at first-base umpire Mike Winters may have been justified, at least if you believe first-base coach Bobby Meacham. From MLB.com (via Gaslamp Ball):

"Everyone is going to make a twist that Milton Bradley blew up again," Meacham said. "This kid [Bradley] is doing a great job holding it together. He's not going to get thrown out because he knows his team needs him. But there's no possible way a man is going to stand there and take what [Winters] said to Milton.

"In 26 years of baseball, I couldn't believe my ears the way that he spoke to Milton. [It] was so disrespectful, so angry, so vindictive. The boiling point is when he called Milton a name. Milton did not saying anything to him to get him to do that."

Basically, the whole incident started earlier in the game when Bradley flipped his bat after striking out. Winters apparently told home plate umpire Brian Runge that Bradley flipped the bat in the direction of Runge, which prompted Runge to ask Bradley about it the next time Bradley came up to bat. Bradley denied it, and upon reaching first base on a single he asked Winters between pitches about what he said to Runge.