Bradford: It should have been a great conversation. Instead it was just another argument.

I watched the Red Sox game Wednesday night. My mind was elsewhere.

I wasn't alone.

Just about 1 1/2 hours before first pitch the postseason NBA game between the Bucks and Magic was officially postponed, with Milwaukee setting things in motion by using the opportunity to not play as a protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake, along with other social injustices. Not too soon after that the league officially announced the other games scheduled for the day would also not be played. Then came word that the Brewers and Reds wouldn't be participating in their scheduled tilt due to the same protests enacted by their basketball-playing brethren.

There was more. The MLS. Dodgers vs. Giants. Padres vs. Mariners. All postponed, all of the same reason ... the same cause.

The drama was washing over whatever sports were still to be played, with most anxiously waiting to see if the Red Sox and Blue Jays might follow suit. They didn't. And neither did a single hockey team in NHL playoffs, with the Bruins facing off with Tampa Bay at relatively the same time as the baseball game in Buffalo.

It left me with four to five hours of trying to digest what was unfolding. By the time the Red Sox' loss was complete, the drama of the day -- along with all the social media back-and-forth that came with it -- had percolated for far too long.

It was clear that what should have been the gateway to real conversation was morphing into sides being taken ... again. Even those who spawned the day's debate, the NBA players, would ultimately be at odds with each other over where to go from here.

Discussions on continuing season will extend into tomorrow, sources tell ESPN, but appears unlikely the three playoff games on Thursday will be played. "Everyone is still too emotional," one high-ranking source tells ESPN. "There needs to be more time to come together on this."

The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have voted to boycott the rest of the playoffs and were the first two teams to exit the meeting, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

It was confusing. It was exhausting. It was utterly frustrating.

After the game, Jackie Bradley Jr. spoke. He had willingly become one of the chief spokesmen for the Red Sox when it came to moments like this, executing the role willingly and in fine fashion. Even with the pressure put on him in such situations, he had expertly articulated what needed to be articulated. This was no different as he was predictably peppered with questions regarding the day's events.

Was there any discussion about whether to play the game or not: "Wasn't very aware of any of the baseball stuff until probably literally just before I was about to go out for the game, just before stretch. Me, personally, I had seen the basketball situation and stuff like that. All the other stuff was late notice when I found out."

If you started later would the thinking to play been different: "Possibly. I'm not sure. But it hasn't been brought to the overall team's attention yet."

Your personal feelings of MLB games not being played: "Full support of it. Obviously, things are going to hit a lot closer, location-wise, and obviously it hits a lot closer African-American-wise as well. There's feelings. There's a lot of things that go on. And a lot of things that you think about."

Thoughts on the day's events: "You always think about it. I still felt like I wanted to be there for my team. I'm not saying they wouldn't have supported me. I'm sure they would've supported me whole-heartedly. I obviously think about it. You just never know."

Have the protests changed things: "Voices are being heard. Hopefully, changes are being made. We'll just have to continue to grow, continue to push forward and try to be better as individuals and together as well."

Here are some of the comments Jackie was referencing ... https://t.co/zI8TqgXw86 pic.twitter.com/fKjmMVsKQe

This is where I fell into the same trap.

Having just soaked in how the Dodgers had supported Mookie Betts, who led Los Angeles' charge not to play, hearing Bradley Jr.'s account of the Red Sox' pregame made me jump to a conclusion I shouldn't have.

#Dodgers Mookie Betts: "For me, no matter what, I wasn't going to play tonight." Thanks his teammates for backing him up.Clayton Kershaw: "Once Mookie said he wasn't going to play, that started a conversation. ... We made a collective decision not to play tonight."

The idea that there might not have been some legitimate conversation, particularly with Bradley Jr., prior to partaking the game pushed me into the same combative social media place I had been fending off for the entirety of the evening. Fortunately, Bradley Jr. set me straight ...

I stand corrected. I admire those guys for talking with you. I guess I should have clarified as team discussion or meeting. My apologies if misrepresented. https://t.co/xKoaycp6Fi

My take, however, was a microcosm of the problem.

Blame, blame and more blame. 

They should be playing. They shouldn't be playing. This isn't going to do anything. They are ruining their own leagues. It was flying all over the place on a day that started with so much potential.

I do think that while the NBA players and their league are doing what they can to use their platform for change, the real impact would have been felt through the actions of those outside the Orlando bubble. Face it, the back of the jerseys was a nice idea but after a while, all eyes simply scrolled to the numbers and the names.

The world was expecting the basketball players to get riled up. The world really needed EVERYONE in the sports world to bring more than just surface-level conversations and "Stop racism!" jumbotron pregame messages.

But as Wednesday turned into Thursday, the conversation was being swallowed up by confusion.

Maybe it's just the start of a new effective wave of change. Perhaps this is the beginning of something that feels a whole lot more impactful than has come our way in the last few months. If that's the case we have to do better. I have to do better. 

On to Day 2 ...