David Bednar's one of the best dudes anyone could encounter in this walk of life, and not, counter to some common ranting, because he's from Butler County.

But something's off. And something's been off. And now, it's way off.

I'd reported from Bradenton at the outset of spring training that he'd been behaving far more intensely than in the past and, while there obviously wasn't anything amiss with that, he wasn't himself, something even Oscar Marin would acknowledge. Like he knew something was off.

Then, the spring happened. Then, these latest implosions in Miami, where I also spoke with him and had -- and reported -- the very same sense after my talk with him there.

The case is clear, as I see it: When Bednar throws strikes, he's himself. When he doesn't ...