The sports wires carry a three-bagger of good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers on the eve of their first playoff game in years. The first comes from the Dodgers' front office itself, announcing that outfielder Milton Bradley will be allowed to play after serving a team-enforced suspension after Bradley threw a bottle into the stands:

Bradley will return from his five-game suspension Tuesday against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLDS, the Dodgers' official site reports. ...

"We as an organization and he as an individual recognize the fact that he made a mistake. He paid for it," manager Jim Tracy said. "He served his sentence, and we're going to move forward."

This comes as no surprise; the Dodgers got into the playoffs on Bradley's bat and his fire. Hopefully they can get him to channel that in more productive ways during the playoffs.

The other two items relate to two other superstars. Eric Gagne, baseball's best closer over the past two seasons, received a cortisone shot for his throwing shoulder and should be ready to play. He's had five days rest and Tracy reports that he's throwing at 97-98 MPH. Gagne has provided the Dodgers with the consistency at the closer position that allowed them to win a league-leading 53 come-from-behind games this season.

Shawn Green also will play against the Cardinals. He's been nursing a sore ankle, which may affect his power and especially his running. However, since he's now a first baseman instead of the right fielder, he should be able to play through it. Like the Rotowire says, at this time of the year, either you go home or you play. Green's playing.

Right now, the Dodgers are down 1-0 in the top of the 3rd.

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