I'm happy to say that I will be able to start writing with regularity now.  The couple weeks from hell are over with, so I actually have time to do other things with my life.  

I haven't missed too much, however...other than a lot of losing.  Well, there was also that Ned Yost thing that happened.  That may or may not be some major news.

Let's get into it.

• Milwaukee's new manager, Dale Sveum, says that the team showed some life yesterday in the loss to the Chicago Cubs.  In perhaps the most depressing part of the season, it is quite encouraging to see the Crew fight back and show a little something against the division leaders.  Dale and the players need to take that a step up today and come home with a victory.  We'll see how that goes. 
• The Brew Town Beat believes the Brewers were "Sveum'd" last night.  Really?  They argue that there is nothing wrong with making the final out of an inning at the plate.  I disagree with that, but it could just be my personal preference.  I thought he would have been hosed, but it's just been that kinda luck for the Crew lately.  Say this with me slowly.  Brian Shouse should N-E-V-E-R be left in to face a right-handed hitter.  The bullpen has been expanded, so there is not a worry of overworking the 'pen.  Shouse has earned his stripes.  That is certain.  I'm not sure he's earned enough respect from me to face righties consistently.  I fact, I know he hasn't.  
• There has been a slew of personnel news in the past couple of days.  David Riske is out for the season with that bone spur in his elbow.  He has elected to get season-ending surgery.  I've been calling for that since he came back from the DL and noticed he began to strictly throw fastballs.  Too bad no one else in the Brewers organization could discern there was something wrong. 
  
  Yovani Gallardo could be back with the team in a bullpen role this weekend against Cincinnati.  That would be a huge pick-up for the Crew for the final week of the season.  He and Guillermo Mota would almost certainly take over the set-up role.  Call me pessimistic, but Riske's injury has caused me to be a little worried about coming back too early from injury.  Wouldn't the team be better of having Yo completely rehab and be 100% next season?  Then again, perhaps he is ready to go right now.  I'm just worried.
  
  Manny Parra is now officially out of the rotation.  He will attempt to be a stabilizing force in the 'pen for the final two weeks of the season.  It's about time.  His control and weak-mindedness on the mound have been brutal to watch over the past month and a half.  Remember how good he was in June and July?  That seems like ages ago.
  
  Finally, Gabe Kapler will be joining the team on Thursday.  The organization is cautiously optimistic that he will be able to contribute in a pinch hitting role.  That seems a little far-fetched as a torn muscle would be rather difficult to come back from.  Then again, Kapler is a beast.
• The biggest shocker of the day...Dayn Perry doesn't like the Milwaukee Brewers and doesn't expect them to make a run in the final two weeks.  Okay, I suppose I wouldn't be high on the Crew right now either, but a guy has to have hope though, right?  This optimism thing is tough to swallow sometimes.
• Yost addressed the media yesterday about his firing.  He says that he was absolutely blindsided by the move.  I would have been too, as Doug Melvin had stuck with him through worse situations.  You have to believe this move came down from Mark Attanasio.  The organization needed to appear as if they were doing something to rectify the horrendous play down the stretch.  You know what?  The media play worked.  Most of the Brewers faithful went from an uber-depressed state on Sunday to a hopeful fervor on Tuesday.  Yeah, I'd say it worked just fine.  Too bad the loss yesterday put the fanbase back to where they started...depressed.
• Chuckie Hacks takes a look back at The Yost Era and the highlights of his largely underwhelming career.  I would like to point out that it is a little unfair to pick out his predictions about Bill Hall and Rickie Weeks.  I was never completely sold on Hall, but baseball scouts around the US thought he was going to be an All-Star.  Weeks is a different situation.  I definitely believed he was going to have a breakout season in 2008 as well.  Yost was merely defending his players and making predictions that many others made as well.  Yost cannot make people perform better, after all.
• Dugout Central says the Crew is sticking to their plan:  "This year or bust."  I would agree with that.  Too bad the team is probably taking a hit next season because of it.  That pain can be lessened by a playoff appearance this season.  Yost simply became the scapegoat.
  
• Bobby Cox, Atlanta's manager and Yost's mentor, is outraged by Milwaukee's decision to let Ned Yost go.  AJC Sports Talk wonders if Yost will be on the bench in an Atlanta Braves uniform next season if he does not land another managing job.  That is quite possible.  Yost is a good manager, but he does have his faults.  They are just a little more glaring than other people's.  (A tip of the cap to Brew Crew Ball for that one.)
  
• The Brewers main site says that Milwaukee is looking for a boost from having Robin Yount back as a bench coach.  Don't hold your breath.  Yount won't be doing too much to make a difference.  He does seem rather excited about his role as a cheerleader though.
• Frank Kremblas, the Nashville Sounds manager, has been relieved of his duties after the team recorded its worst record in franchise history.  That losing record wasn't his fault, however, in my opinion.  When you cannot put together a quality lineup, you will not win too many games.  Let's hope that improves next season, as the big league club could use some quality talent at the upper eschelons of the farm system.  With some promotions from Huntsville, however, help is on the way.
• The West Virginia Power have officially begun their search for a new affiliate.  That does not mean that Milwaukee is out of the picture, but I do take the article to signify that the Brewers will most likely be fielding a team in Appleton next spring.  There is no telling how excited I am about that one.