I have no idea why everyone is so surprised and/or outraged. This team's goal hasn't changed from day one...finsh at or above .500 and bring some of the younger guys along to prepare for the future. Its a two part thing. One could certainly try to argue that playing the younger guys gives you a better shot at both, and I would give some credence to that argument, but it is a different argument. You have to understand something else, the overwhelming majority of people in the Brewers' target market have probably never heard of brewerfan.net. The Brewers have already got you and me. Finishing this year with a winning record will do more to generate excitement and interest for next year among the casual fans who buy tickets, than letting a couple rookies go through their ups and downs for a month. All and all I think they have done a fine job of getting some of these guys ready for next year. Weeks and Hardy especially. Weeks plays every day and Hardy plays regularly. Hart doesn't have a position, Where's he gonna play? I'm sorry, you can't let him out there in front of any of the starting OF'ers. As for Fielder, I don't think many have considered the possibility that Doug and Ned feel he may not need the AB's - that he is fine as a hitter already and will be ready to go next year. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't. His problem is defense, and while a little time could help, I'm not sure how much. It'd be nice to have that bat in the line-up, but they do also have to consider having to trade Lyle and having him out there playing that to beef up his numbers is the best way to do that. If you want to argue that the season is over, then maximizing Lyle's value in the off season has to be a top priority. All this woe is us, "why can't Prince ever get a start" is pretty weak. Plyer development is important to those of us who have kept a closer eye on the team and are looking down the road, but for those who see little more than wins or losses it doesn't mean much. Breaking that losing record string and attempting to fortify the talent for next year will benefit the organization overall far more than Prince getting a couple starts.