We've heard a lot this summer from Bert Blyleven about the evils of the pitch count. He's probably convinced a lot of casual listeners while having absolutely no impact on the people who make the decisions about the Twins.

Anyway, three stories in the past week or so seem to come together on the topic. Let's explore:

*Johan Santana never threw more that 120 pitches in a game with the Twins, and he hit that number just once. He had two games with more than 120 pitches this season with the Mets, the last on Saturday, when he threw a complete-game shutout on three days rest, 125 pitches.

I suppose that if you're going to demand as much money as Santana did, you have an obligation to shoulder a heavier burden. Still, considering how often Ron Gardenhire commented in Septembers past about how Santana was "beat up" late in the season, it seems the Mets are being less careful about his use.

For the season, Santana threw 3,602 pitches. In 2007: 3,358; in 2006: 3,454; in 2005: 3,334. Will the added workload take a toll on Santana over the long haul? Perhaps. If so, the risk is no longer Santana's. It's the Mets who are taking the chance. Santana's contract is guaranteed.

*CC Sabathia — a far different body than Santana — is putting on an impressive stretch drive in his quest for a Santana-like contract (or more.) His last three starts all came on three days rest, and he'll go on three days rest in the playoffs as well.

Supposedly he ordered his agents to stop pestering the Brewers front office about overworking him. Some might be surprised that that kind of thing happens at all, but it does. I suspect that's a big part of why pitch counts and five-man rotations are in vogue. Manager has pitcher throw 130 pitches, agent calls GM to complain that they're jeopardizing his client's future. (The agent's income too, for that matter.)

Consider it cold-bloodedly. Pretend that you're running a team that has a farm system that cranks out one good starting pitcher prospect per season. (Nobody really has that kind of assembly line, not even the Twins, but follow me through this.) Each year, you're willing to let one pitcher go to make room for the next guy. You have no real need to be careful with the pitchers arms, especially as they near their free agent eligibility. So why would you? Answer: To keep them satisfied that you're not jeopardizing their futures while profiting from their performance while they are (by industry standards) underpaid.