But you have to be excited about Gallardo's return and Ben's side session was reported positively.

From Lou to Harris:

"If we were playing non-contending teams, nobody would be saying a word," Piniella told reporters in New York before Thursday's loss to the Mets. "What's the sense of trying to take care of everybody else? Take care of yourself ..."

And of course Lou nails it. Quit whining and win some ####### baseball games, had any of the teams taken care of their own business, no one here would be moaning. Instead, there's a bunch ######## "arguements" about ######## like "integrity of the game" which I think even kevin has found too stupid to argue in a steriod thread. Which, when you think of it, is amazing. Historically amazing.

the odds of injury are infinitesimal

Infielder-outfielder Mark DeRosa suffered a strained left calf Wednesday, forcing him from the game. A day later, he was wearing a boot and was limping around the clubhouse.

"Here we go, where we've been pretty healthy for the last month or so, and in one day, we lose two middle infielders," said manager Lou Piniella. "That's not good. I don't know if DeRosa will be able to play at all the rest of the way. We're a little short in the middle."

Link

I'm very concerned about the DeRosa situation. He's been such a dynamic member of the ballclub, filling in at multiple positions, etc, allowing Lou the ability to make lots, and lots of moves. I'm hoping a few days of rest and he's back, but jesus cristo, this isn't the time for this crap.

Something happenened to JJ Hardy's hand last night, presumably in the celebration scrum at home plate last night. Brewers won't know how bad it is until he reports today

JS blog

Shortstop J.J. Hardy is in the starting lineup for the Brewers tonight against the Cubs, so either he wasn't hurt in the celebration last night, as speculated, or it's not enough to keep him out of the lineup.

The other alternative would be that Hardy is tentatively in the starting lineup. We won't know for sure if anything happened until we get to talk to Hardy or interim manager Dale Sveum later.

Me too, Jack. I guess we're cheering for that nor'easter to delay the start of the playoffs.

I'm there with you, Pops, which makes Mr. Jackass Standards seem like a real douche considering what he's moaning about.

Umm...when has Mister High Standards NOT been an insufferable jackass? We're talking about the guy who wished failure and misery upon both Rick Ankiel and Josh Hamilton when they made their comebacks, for no other proffered reason than spite ("they squandered their initial talents, and they can piss up a rope now!"). We've long since established that MHS is just not a good person on a fundamental level.

Jerry Manuel did a 180-degree turn during his pregame address, suggesting without naming Johan Santana that he would turn to the ace on short rest on Saturday if the Mets were tied or behind in the wild-card race after Friday’s games. Manuel had insisted all week that he wasn’t inclined to do so.

NY Daily News blog

Everybody can settle down now. I just talked to J.J. Hardy and he said he's fine.

Hardy said he "tweaked" his left thumb during the scrum around home plate last night after Ryan Braun hit his walk-off grand slam to beat Pittsburgh. Hardy had trainers look at it after the game and it was determined to be nothing major.

Hardy said he was surprised today when word began circulating that he had a hand injury, possibly a major one.

"It's nothing," said Hardy. "I just tweaked out there. I don't even know how."

MIL J-S blog

Dale Sveum announced a few minutes ago that Ben Sheets is healthy enough to start tomorrow against the Cubs even though Dave Bush was penciled in today as the starter.
...
"He's pitching tomorrow," Sveum said. "As of right now he's our starting pitcher for tomorrow's ball game. We'll see how things go. He said he's feeling as good as he has in a month, so we'll see what happens."
...
[Dave] Bush will be on standby until game time, though. And he could come out of the bullpen for long relief.

MIL J-S blog

Either your tongue's firmly planted in your cheek, or you're a complete idiot. Piniella should be fined for making the welfare of his team his paramount concern? Screw you. It is Piniella's job to ensure the success of *his* team in the postseason--not to ensure that *other* teams MAKE the postseason.

If the Brewers think it's "bad sportsmanship" to have their wildcard rivals facing the back of the Cub bullpen after the Cubs have already wrapped up home field (and in a driving rain that's a threat to the safety of everyone on the field, to boot), they shouldn't have put themselves in a position (as they have done) where they have to worry about whether the back of the Cub bullpen can beat the Mets.

Speaking as a Brewers fan, I agree 100% with this. It's the team's own danged fault that they're in this position. They should not have to depend on what Piniella decides to do or not do, and if they had been able to hit and/or field worth a nickel they wouldn't have to even bother themselves about it. So, no, at least one Brewers fan doesn't think it's bad sportsmanship. It's taking care of your team in lousy weather. Don't blame them one whit.

Dale Sveum announced a few minutes ago that Ben Sheets is healthy enough to start tomorrow against the Cubs even though Dave Bush was penciled in today as the starter.
...
"He's pitching tomorrow," Sveum said. "As of right now he's our starting pitcher for tomorrow's ball game. We'll see how things go. He said he's feeling as good as he has in a month, so we'll see what happens."
...
[Dave] Bush will be on standby until game time, though. And he could come out of the bullpen for long relief.

They're probably going to need him more tonight, if they actually hand Suppan the ball. I can't believe they're seriously considering letting him pitch in a critical series.

Jerry Manuel did a 180-degree turn during his pregame address, suggesting without naming Johan Santana that he would turn to the ace on short rest on Saturday if the Mets were tied or behind in the wild-card race after Friday’s games. Manuel had insisted all week that he wasn’t inclined to do so.

Ugh. Really bad mistake, IMHO. Not only would it be on short rest, it would be on short rest after he just threw the most pitches he's ever thrown in his career. It's one thing to ask a guy to be a hero. It's another thing to ask him to be a martyr. There's time enough for him to be a hero on Sunday.

Remember what worked for you last night, Jerry: you showed faith in your scrubs. You let Ramon Martinez and Robinson Cancel hit with the damn season on the line in the 8th inning. They rewarded you. You can use Knight and Figueroa and Niese for 2-3 innings each on Saturday if need be. Tell them each to give you whatever they've got as if it's once through the line-up, the best they can. Hold nothing back.

Then you'll have Santana at his best for the Fish on Sunday, when it will work and when it will matter. You throw him on Saturday, you're risking getting swept and the season being over. Don't be a numbskull.

Scrubs rewarding you when playing scrubs is one thing. Expecting scrubs to come through for you when you are playing the Florida Marlins is another thing all together.

Expecting scrubs to come through for you when you are playing the Florida Marlins is another thing all together.

Expecting Johan to perform miracles is also another matter. He just threw 125 pitches, something he's never done. You going to follow that up by asking him to pitch on short rest in his very next start? It's crazy. You almost HAVE to win his start. The chances of doing that are far, far better if he is at full strength than if he is battling the Marlins' line-up at 75% of himself.

As I said, asking Knight, Figueroa, and Niese to together pitch 5-6 innings -- basically, each of them going once through the order if things go even halfway well -- is not that much. They don't have to throw a damn no-no, or even a shutout over that many innings. If a guy knows he only has to go 3 innings, and face maybe 10-12 batters, he can really load up and just fire it. It's no guarantee of effectiveness, but it gives him a better shot at it. And then you have a far better chance on Sunday.

To me, it's not a hard call. It's especially not a hard call if they are still tied. That's the part I'm really stumped by -- that he might go with Johan even if they are still tied with the Brewers. I can kind of see it (though I strongly disagree) if they are a game donwwn. But tied? That one if unfathomable.

Johan Santana said he mentioned to trainers and then to Jerry Manuel on Thursday that he would be able to pitch on short rest on Saturday, and the interim manager replied that he’d think about it.

Now, Santana is expected to pitch tomorrow if the Mets are tied or behind in the wild-card standings.

“When you’re in a situation like this, it doesn’t really matter,” Santana said about short rest. “The game is very intense. … I had the same thing in the playoffs. I was fine, because when you’re in that type of atmosphere, it doesn’t really matter. You don’t think about pitches or anything. It’s about winning.”

NY Daily News blog

So, no, at least one Brewers fan doesn't think it's bad sportsmanship.

FWIW, Sausage, I have not seen a single Brewer fan complain about Piniella's handling of last night's game. It's been one whiny Phillie fan and one clinical Red Sox fan doing so in your name. (Well, actually, in the Phillies' name, but in the interest of not appearing completely self-interested, the Brewers' interests were invoked.)

Not only would it be on short rest, it would be on short rest after he just threw the most pitches he's ever thrown in his career.

Consider yourself fortunate. If the Cubs hadn't been lying down for the Mets, they would've made Santana throw even MORE pitches.

They should not have to depend on what Piniella decides to do or not do, and if they had been able to hit and/or field worth a nickel they wouldn't have to even bother themselves about it. . . So, no, at least one Brewers fan doesn't think it's bad sportsmanship. It's taking care of your team in lousy weather. Don't blame them one whit.

No, that's not exactly it. If Piniella were really acting only in the best interests of his team, he would have been resting a lot more players than he has since Monday. He probably wouldn't have started Harden at all, for example. I think saying "Piniella doesn't owe anyone else a damned thing" is greatly overstating it, and you all know that. If he had played nothing but September call-ups all week, most everyone, including MLB, would have been rightly outraged. So stop pretending he owes nothing to the integrity of the game. He clearly owes something, and he is aware of that. I'm a Brewer fan, and I think his managing the last few days has been fair and reasonable under the circumstances. But stop pretending that "whatever he wants to do" would have been acceptable.

He probably wouldn't have started Harden at all, for example.

Disagree. Harden needs some work to avoid being rusty for the postseason. He's going to get about a week's rest even with last night's start. If he didn't start last night, he'd be going into his first playoff start on about a 14-day layoff.

If he didn't start last night, he'd be going into his first playoff start on about a 14-day layoff.

Fair point, but I don't know if he would have left him in for 98 pitches.

This might be the most retarded argument in the last three months.