Backe receives good news: he's hurt

So Backe will get to keep his $1.55 million as Easy Eddie placed Backe on the DL.

If the Astros had cut Backe by 2pm on April 1, he wouldn't have received all of that $1.55m, but since he'll be on the OD09 roster, his contract is guaranteed. I'm not sure what his role will be when he gets back, or if the DL stint is a 15-day or a 60-day stint. Will he be a long-reliever until/if one of our SPs goes down (which will happen)? Will he go to Round Rock for "rehab starts," for the whole season? Hard to say...

Backe, of course, had a unique perspective:
"As far as the decision is concerned, it's the route that I can go in order to stay here," Backe said. "But it doesn't diffuse the frustration that I have as far as the whole situation -- all this happened because of a slip on the mound. And that's what's so aggravating about this whole thing."

Then this:
"It's at least comforting to know at least they told me I don't have to rush to try to get better or prove anything. They told me I need to take it easy with it and make sure I'm OK. It's a little comforting to hear that from them."

He has a good point. A slip on the mound has led to this, but not necessarily. As we have mentioned, Backe wasn't exactly Vida Blue before the Mound Slip. But hang on. "It's a little comforting?" It better be a lot comforting, because it was well within the right of Ed Wade and the Astros to cut him and not pay him the majority of $1.55 million dollars. So I would feel better with a better sense of appreciation and thanks coming from the Best Man.