Dogs and Cats Living Together ... Mass Hysteria

Wow. I'm a little bit scared. Why? Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell took off his big foam Nats finger (H/T Capitol Punishment) and laid out the truth.

"In baseball, you never like to say 'must games.' But these next two are important. I hope Joey [Eischen] and I saved some of the bullpen tonight so we're ready for this weekend," said Mike Stanton, 38, who took one for the team by working three innings despite pitching in his fourth game in three days.

Why was a distinguished veteran of 1,018 games (seventh most in history) used/abused in such fashion? Because either MLB or team president Tony Tavares (guilt as yet undetermined) was too cheap to provide enough Sept. 1 call-ups. The Nats, who'll make more than $30 million in profit for baseball this year, are trying to stay "under budget" at a paltry $54 million. So, over a matter of a few hundred thousand dollars, GM Jim Bowden wasn't permitted to bring up the 10 minor leaguers he wanted. And the three players he was allowed to bring up on yesterday (none pitchers) turned out to be the wrong ones at the wrong time.

"We needed pitching so we wouldn't wear out our bullpen. And we bring up three position players?" said one veteran.

Oh, it's definitely getting testy in Natsland: pull together or be pulled apart.

I, among others, have been known to criticize Boz for his fanboy ramblings. So let me be the first to tip my cap to Boz for his candor. Bravo (now go put the foam finger back on, I know you want to).