You see the men on base?

Eyre's still in.

Counsell is one of those guys who just finds a way to get it done somehow. He strikes me as a really, really smart player.

Wow...the Brewers now have runners on first and third with one out...how are they gonna blow it this time?

I was just punning on the opening line of "Station To Station," is all. Thin White Duke vs. fat black Prince...I dunno, I thought it was amusing.

No, I missed it, my bad.

Gimme a friggin' break. There's a difference between pop culture references and aggressive snarky political smack-talk.

So, since you've already elected yourself as the arbiter of what's not acceptable side chatter, you also decided your the arbiter of what is acceptable too? Thank you for the clarification.

The Chatter suddenly smells of vinegar...

Manuel has done an awful, awful job managing this game.

AWESOME, THEY DIDN'T BLOW IT!

I really, really, really, really would like to see the Brewers come back and force this series back to Philly.

[that was ridiculously banal, I know]

Wow, look at Brad Nelson's Gameday photo. He's Ryan Church's long-lost twin.

Seriously, check it out, it's uncanny.

A lefty pinch hitter against Eyre? What is this a competition of who can make more inexplicable strategic moves?

What a shock, the lefty-lefty move didn't work out at all.

Dale Sveum: not exactly Joe Maddon.

Then again, Maddon did IBB Hamilton with the bases loaded.

A lefty pinch hitter against Eyre? What is this a competition of who can make more inexplicable strategic moves?

I think Manuel must have seen that coming. That's why he left Eyre in for more than one hitter. He's thinking 27 moves ahead.

I was secretly concerned that the Phillies were going to be able to come back for those 2 runs, but less so now.

I just want fewer damned pitching changes. This game is going on forever and there's still another after it.

There's a typhoon outside my window. It's getting tiresome.

Where do you live in HK, Ivan? My wife just moved from Discovery Bay to the main island.

Yeah, Aldridge, Carlos Lee came up through the Brewers farm system.

Eric Gagne in to pitch relief? What could possibly go wrong?

just gagne, baby!

Where are you, Ivan? An off-shore drilling platform?

Where do you live in HK, Ivan? My wife just moved from Discovery Bay to the main island.

Cheung Chau. I've never had a conversation using the word "baseball" with anyone else here.

Kevin, is your wife from Hong Kong?

Was there any special reason they pinch hit for Moyer so early?

Gagne is the new Heathcliff Slocumb.

No, but she's there on assignment now.

Kason Gabbard and David Murphy are Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe?

I'm coming over again in February for a meeting if you want to meet-up. I'm sure I can arrange to be the first to talk baseball with you.

Kason Gabbard and David Murphy are Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe?

The Rangers only wish.

I think it would be awesome if at 0-2, they had a big conference at the mound, and the pitching coach makes a big show of taking Gagne's glasses back to the dugout.

Where are you, Ivan? An off-shore drilling platform?

No, and I suppose it's technically a mere severe thunderstorm, but we've about three late typhoons this year and I have a knee jerk reaction to heavy rains now.

I'm actually here.

I don't think any of the players Aldridge mentioned as coming up in the Brewers' "excellent" farm system actually did -- Burnitz (Mets?), Sexson (Indians), Lee (White Sox, if not somewhere before that).

I'm reminded of that old Woody Allen movie Take the Money and Run.

It would be funnier if, after Gagne blows a big lead, the manager comes out to get him and, instead of taking him out, takes his glasses off his face, throws them to the ground and stomps on them.

#### man, that's right near Lantau Island. I was just over there in April.

Looks Gorgeous, Ivan. What do you do there?

I'm coming over again in February for a meeting if you want to meet-up. I'm sure I can arrange to be the first to talk baseball with you.

Sounds good. I've added my e-mail to my profile.

It would be funnier if, after Gagne blows a big lead, the manager comes out to get him and, instead of taking him out, takes his glasses off his face, throws them to the ground and stomps on them.

So Gagne is really Virgil Starkwell?

Looks Gorgeous, Ivan. What do you do there?

I'm a stock analyst

Poor bastard.

What kind of stocks do you analyze?

To the casual observer it may appear that Salomon Torres has had a crappy career, but mine's been remarkably similar.

What kind of stocks do you analyze?

Global real estate related stocks. It's a lot of fun.

So, you work for Salomon Torres? Or Salomon Brothers?

AND HERE COME THE PHILLIES!

OK, all of a sudden, people are rightfully freaked.

I have an independent consulting business...or I've been unemployed for 14 years, depending on how you look at it.

This can't be happening.

####### Christ, Torres!

Gagne great; Torres awful.

Bases loaded, nobody out.

This is getting interesting.

I was typing a prediction that Feliz would hit into a double play when he did so.

That was huge.

Counsell!

Don't worry about the baserunner, Sveum. He doesn't matter.

I don't understand the issue here.

Why didn't he slide?

What the hell? How do they put the runner back at 2nd base?

That's the correct ruling. Interference at 2B. All the runners return to the base at the time of the pitch.

Dale Sveum, SuperGenius

It still doesn't matter whether the runner scored. Tying run at the plate, and no one else is important.

Well, that ruling was totally consequential!

Way to work the refs, Dale!

It was a poor signal by the 2B ump, however.

Yay Brewers.

Game.

We have a series again.

There will be baseball in Milwaukee tomorrow! Woo!

I hope Harveys had a great time at the game.

On defense, I think I'd rather NOT have the runner on second; he might interfere with your vision on a grounder to short.

Finally, one of these series isn't looking to be a complete sweep.

I'm guessing that Harveys is at the game, which is why he hasn't commented in the thread tonight. Can't wait to hear his thoughts on the night.

How do you let Ruiz hit there, Cholly?

I love how the crew spent the entire half inning talking about how runs 2 and 3 don't matter, then call Sveum "savvy" for arguing to take this non-mattering run off the board, freezing his struggling closer in the process.

So who pitches for the Brewers tomorrow? Parra?

Suppan is the listed starter at the moment.

I was glad that Sveum took out Bush just before facing Howard for a 3rd time. I know some people didn't like that. Take what you can get out of Bush before hitters see him a 3rd and 4th time. Really, Bush can get hammered really quick unless you are proactive.

Howard pounded the ball in both AB v Bush, once for a double, another that went just foul. It was an act of god Howard didn't pound out 2 HRs in this game. The Brewers have 12 frigging relief pitchers in this series, 3 LHP, use them. I don't want Suppan to face Howard more than 2 times, no matter what really, get the LHP in there to face Howard in ABs 3 and 4 and 5.

Also, why didn't Sveum bring in Shouse to open the 9th to face Howard? Then bring in his closer?

How do you let Ruiz hit there, Cholly?

Bad managing earlier, and bad roster construction. Instead of carrying a third catcher (Lou Marson) who can hit - which would have allowed the Phils to use Coste or Marson as a pinch-hitter without worrying about a catching injury in extra innings - they have two defensive replacements (Bruntlett and Taguchi) with virtually no pinch-hitting value on the roster. Even Golson would have been a better choice than Taguchi on the roster - he can't hit a lick, but neither can Taguchi, and at least Golson has game-changing speed in addition to defensive value. Ideally the Phils would have had another legit pinch-hitter rather than Marson, Taguchi, or Golson, but sadly the organization just doesn't have any right now - Andy Tracy is probably the best minor-league option other than Marson. (That's a question for Gillick - he did add Stairs, but why not get one more bat for the bench?)

They are also carrying seven relief pitchers, which made the decision to double-switch out Burrell and leave Eyre in for a full inning (the bad managing decision) baffling. Eyre's long stint was probably forced by another odd roster move, putting Happ on the roster as a third lefty out of the pen instead of Seanez or even Kendrick (who even if he's sucked recently is a ground-ball pitcher, something that might come in handy out of the pen in the playoffs).