How about a little linkage to get your afternoon started?

• Baseball Musings has a great tagline from last night's game-winning grand slam: "Braun, Braun, Braun, Boom!"  He does put in a subtle slam towards the Brewers last night concerning their celebration after the game.  Excuse us if we would like to celebrate the first potential playoff berth in seemingly forever.  It was a big win last night...the biggest win of the year, in fact.  It would have been devastating to fall to the Pirates and fall a game behind the Mets with only three games left.  Not only that, but Ryan Braun's grand slam was the team's first of the season.  There was a lot to be excited about.
  
  The post also notes that Yovani Gallardo would make a great long man in the bullpen if the Crew makes it to the postseason.  Call me crazy, but I think the Brewers organization will keep trotting him out there as a starter if Milwaukee is playing baseball in October.
• After winning the game in dramatic fashion last night, Ryan Braun opened up to Tom Haudricourt about his intercostal strain.  It is affecting his game far more than anyone would have thought.  He is not getting as much explosion through the ball and presumably has to make up for that loss of power by swinging harder.  That naturally makes him more inconsistent at the plate, and Brewers fans have seen that in the past month or so.  Braun says the Crew is thankful to have Prince Fielder on the team right now.  Amen to that.  He is the only reason the offense has done anything in September.  Hats off to you both, Ryan and Prince.
• No one knows if Ben Sheets will be able to take the ball on Saturday.  If he is unable to go, Dave Bush will take the mound against the Cubbies in the biggest start of his career.  Brewers fans across the nation, myself included, do not expect Sheets to go on Saturday.  That's a total shame.  If it's a day-to-day type injury, he could at least give it a try.  That's probably just me being selfish though.  It's just depressing to see Milwaukee's "co-ace" sit because of "tenderness."  CC Sabathia wants to pitch every game on three days rest.  Couldn't Sheets want to take the ball too?
• Baseball Musings analyzes the Wild Card problem and attempts to figure out who the Chicago Cubs would rather face in the playoffs.  It's funny, however, as the Milwaukee Brewers are automatically shunted from the equation.  Why is it that the Crew is the team that is "assumed" to be out of the postseason.  The article probably means nothing by it, but it hurts as a Brewers fan to read that.  We're so close to finally making it to October for the first time in my lifetime.
• Eric Gagne may have struggled on the mound in 2008, but he has been nothing short of extraordinary off the field.  He is involved in community service all over Milwaukee.  His latest contribution to the Milwaukee community was the 5,000 ticket giveaway to fans because Gagne wanted fans who normally wouldn't be able to attend yesterday's game to be able to see it.  It is something special.  I wish I could have gone the last couple nights.  Braun's walk-off granny would have been epic.
• Right Field Bleachers has their latest Blog Ambassador interview up, this time with the administrator of the Bleed Cubbie Blue blog.  It's always nice to hear the Cubs call the Brewers their little brother who is just a pest who needs to be swatted away.  We'll see if that's the case at the end of the season.  I sure hope it's not.
• The Baseball Analysts take a look at some of the young impact players on the Milwaukee Brewers and the other NL postseason contenders.  Manny Parra and Ryan Braun are highlighted per usual.  It was also nice to see Mark DiFelice and Mitch Stetter get an honorable mention at the end of the section.  I am a big fan of DiFelice, while Stetter has gotten the shaft a few times by being sent down to Nashville when he had been throwing the ball well.  If the Crew can make the postseason, both relievers will be throwing in October.
• Is Zack Greinke available from the Kansas City Royals for someone like Prince Fielder?  I think the Royals would be crazy not to entertain the deal, but all signs point to the Royals making Greinke and Joakim Soria untouchable this offseason.  Brewers fans can dream though.  If this deal would come to me, I would reject it.  Greinke is too inconsistent for my liking.  I would rather flip Fielder to San Francisco for Matt Cain.  We all have dreams...