It seems like it was just yesterday that our former closer silenced a pro-Cubs crowd's chant of "MULLET! MULLET!" with a pair of nasty strikeouts and a save. Now, with a bullpen full of better-than-Derrick-Turnbow versions of Derrick Turnbow, the Milwaukee Brewers don't have much room for the real Derrick Turnbow. Seth "Irish Turnbow" McClung, Guillermo Mota, Soloman Torres, and Eric Gagne are all capable of getting outs, obviously making them more attractive options. Even LOOGYs Brian Shouse and his long-lost son Mitch Stetter have earned more trust, even as general-purpose middle relievers.

Get rid of him, right? Unfortunately, we still owe him about $3 million for the rest of the season. Might as well get something to show for it, right? If Turnbow is DFAd today as expected, we have 10 days to trade him or squeeze him through waivers and to AAA. I doubt his contract and current form will earn him a waiver claim, so it's either a trade or a minor league assignment. Turnbow will likely do well in AAA, just like Justin Lehr, Kane Davis, Jose Capellan, Grant Ball Four and countless others. Even so, will that translate to an improvement at the major league level? Perhaps, but it won't be worth the risk until September, when we have a nearly-unlimited supply of roster spots. So what is the best option? A change of scenery is his best hope to make something of this season. Our best bet is to work with another team in the same situation . Find a struggling reliever with a large contract, and swap them. Are the Red Sox ready to give up on Mike Timlin and his 12.79 ERA? Or would the Rockies cut their losses with former Brewer Luis Vizcaino and his phantom injury? Best case scenario is making one of these trades, and both players involved find their way.

If Derrick Turnbow does become a dominant closer again, I do have one piece of advice for his new team - DO NOT make him a bobblehead with realistic hair.

Sad news out of New York today. The legendary Brady Clark, inventor of the "Brady Clark Hit", has retired from baseball.

Brady, your bloop singles, caught stealings, excessive plate crowding, and overall better-than-Scott-Podsednikness will be missed.

Last night, I noticed a pattern. Here are the major league cities Joe Torre played in:

Milwaukee
Atlanta
St. Louis
New York

And the cities Joe Torre managed in:

Atlanta
St. Louis
New York

It would be silly to read anything into this, yet it did make me consider the possibility. Would Joe Torre want to manage the Milwaukee Brewers? If Ned Yost were let go, I'd have to assume that the Brewers' talent would make them an attractive destination for most any manager looking to win.

Surely thats what Torre would want. For all the criticism he gets, his record over the past 12 years has been fantastic:

Part of the Yankees' decline (if you can even call it that) is that they gave too much money to aging players who aren't as good as they once were. The Yankees spend a lot, but they don't have unlimited money. Their roster is filled with $10m/year or more players who either never play (Giambi, Pavano, etc.) or simply aren't that good anymore (Mussina, Knoblauch), or both. They don't have any roster flexibility, and are stuck with AAAA roster filler if any of these high-priced Roger Dorn clones fail. If all of their players signed new free agent contracts today, I don't think it wouldn't add up to anything close to what the Yankees' current payroll is. Blame Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman for this, not Joe Torre. I don't think Torre's teams of the 90s overachieved, but they certainly didn't underachieve either. His teams play to their ability, no more, no less. If the Brewers have playoff-caliber talent on the team, then Joe Torre will guide them to the playoffs. I don't think he's the best option, but this recent turn of events makes it worth considering.

Apparently some "sportwriters" in Chicago and St. Louis think that Ned Yost cost us a game last night.

Take a look at the 8th inning play-by-play from the Brewers loss to St Louis last night:

Top 8th: St. Louis
- R. King relieved S. Linebrink
- R. Ankiel flied out to center
- S. McClung relieved R. King
- A. Pujols hit by pitch

Since the umpire had warned both benches after a Prince Fielder HBP earlier in the game, Ned Yost and Seth McClung were ejected. So, we essentially give Albert Pujols a free pass. Questionable decision, but I can see the logic. Pujols is a great hitter and is more likely to hurt you than anyone else in the lineup. Anyway, lets continue...

- D. Turnbow relieved S. McClung
- R. Ludwick struck out swinging

So at this point, we have a runner on first with two outs. Certainly not a difficult situation to get out of. Derrick Turnbow is supposed to be our second-best reliever, so he should have no trouble getting out of the inning.

- S. Schumaker singled to left center, A. Pujols to second
- M. Cairo walked, A. Pujols to third, S. Schumaker to second
- K. Stinnett walked, A. Pujols scored, S. Schumaker to third, M. Cairo to second
- J. Edmonds hit for R. Flores

Oops!

- B. Shouse relieved D. Turnbow
- S. Taguchi hit for J. Edmonds
- S. Taguchi ground rule double to deep center, M. Cairo and S. Schumaker scored, K. Stinnett to third
- A. Miles singled to third, K. Stinnett scored, S. Taguchi to third
- C. Spurling relieved B. Shouse
- S. Spiezio hit for B. Ryan
- S. Spiezio walked, A. Miles to second
- R. Ankiel fouled out to shallow left

So, even after Pujols scored, Turnbow and Brian Shouse went on to allow 3 more runs. It's obvious that Ned wanted Pujols to get beaned, there was no other reason to have McClung pitching instead of Turnbow in that situation. However, blaming Ned for the loss is as idiotic as Cubs fans blaming Steve Bartman for their troubles. Putting Pujols on base intentionally is questionable, but certainly not a terrible decision in that situation. Turnbow struck out the next hitter, and he absolutely should have been able to get out of the inning with a runner on 1st and 2 outs.

To say that Ned put retaliation over winning the game is laughable. In the grand scheme of things, Albert Pujols getting beaned had about as much to do with the result as whether or not some random fan caught a foul ball.

At the beginning of the season, I had this poster of Ned Yost on my living room wall:

As we all know, the Brewers started the season 24-10, best record in the major leagues. I re-arranged my living room, moving the TV to the wall in which Nedley (which I have nicknamed the poster) used to hang. The poster was then stored behind my couch, out of plain sight. Since then, the team has dipped under .500, lost the lead in the division, and even dropped to 3rd place briefly. After a particularly infuriating managerial decision, I decided that the real Ned Yost couldn't function properly without Nedley on display. So, against my better judgment, I put it back up.

Since then, the Brewers have swept the Pirates and taken 2/3 from the Astros. Thats a 5-1 record overall. And aside from one instance where he didn't pinch-hit for Geoff Jenkins in the 8th inning of a one-run game against a lefty, Yost's in-game tactics have been pretty solid. I think this means Nedley stays up.