It is with much regret and a deep sense of personal sadness that I must declare the Milwaukee Brewers legally dead for 2007.

My only hopes for a playoff team to root for were dashed in the bottom of the tenth inning when Francisco Cordero surrendered a two out bomb to Scott Thormond, tying the game at three and eventually leading to a Brewers defensive lapse followed by a game winning single by Atlanta's Mark Texiera.  Meanwhile, the Cubs, who by far have the shorter end of the schedule stick, again pasted the Pirates.  This makes two out of the last four games the Brewers could have/should have won but didn't, putting them 2½ game behind Chicago with only 8 to play.

The Brewers, despite blowing a big lead early this season, have played well.  Their core of young players that includes Prince Fielder, Rickey Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, and Corey Hart has had a stellar year.  These kids will be together awhile and next season or the one after that, there is no doubt they will be ready for post season play.

The Achilles heel of the Brewers has been their pitching.  The starting unit has been centered around the oft injured Ben Sheets.  Sheets has missed three different stints this year as he did last year and the year before.  The Brewers can no longer depend on him as a stopper because more often than not, he's stopped by injury.  Getting a top of the line, number one guy must be the Brewers' priority in the off season.

The Brewers have some young guns who, in time, will be pretty good.  Carlos Villanueva and Yovani Gallardo can be solid number three and four guys in the national league.  Jeff Suppan, who was brought in after a great run with the Cardinals, faded at mid-season.  Dave Bush is a below average major league starter.

In the pen, the Brewers will have to weigh Cordero's role as a closer.  Although he is third in the league in saves, he has blown six save attempts on the road.  Derrick Turnbow needs to move on.  Scott Linebrink also needs to move on, being aquired as a set-up specialist who turned out not to be special at all.

Although the local talk show hosts would disagree, I would be inclined to give Ned Yost one more opportunity to see if he can win a division.  Face it, the Cubs should win the division with their $300 million payroll and this season has been more about how lousy the Cubs played than how bad the Brewers slumped in August.

If it's any consolation, the 1991 White Sox led the American League West until they hit an rough patch in  August (their only losing month.)  Eventually, the core of the team which included Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Ray Durham,  Ozzie Guillen, Jack McDowell, Wilson Alvarez, Alex Fernandez and Roberto Hernandez went on to win the west in 1993 and hold the best record in the AL at the time of the 1994 strike.  Between 1991 and 1993, the Sox added some role players to help them get over the hump and their young guns hit full maturity.
Brewer fans are hoping that this will be the case next year.

I feel bad for the Brewers because after having watched them since the 2005 season, I was hoping that a playoff appearance would get some the kids on their team some national recognition.  Let's face it, Milwaukee is way off the network radar screen and getting into the playoffs is a big deal for a small market team, especially in recruiting free agents.

Next spring, the Brewers will try again to be the little team that could.

Lighting Round

• Doesn't it just suck to wait 154 games to play to your full potential?  The Sox and Twinkies wrap it up this afternoon at the Hump Dome.
• Brewer fans are trying desperately to derail the Big Blue Express. One Wisconsin farmer ever brought a goat to the dump on Clark, knowing it would not be allowed into the ballpark, re-energizing the Billy Goat Curse.  Maybe the goat should spend some time in the outfield.  It could help.
• The Red Sox make the playoffs.  Yeah, like they weren't going to.  The Tigers are one game away from missing the post season.  So, as we've seen, teams that made the series in '05 and '06 have not made it to the post season the next year.  How odd.
• The Bears meet the boys tonight at Soldier Field.  The defense can handle Tony Romo.  The question is, which Rex will show up and can the Bears offense actually score?  Rex needs to make a statement on national TV tonight: "I don't suck as bad as you think I do."  Otherwise, the playoff game this year will be on the road.
• What a day in college football.  In the SEC, Urban Meyer and the Gators get a wakeup call courtesy of Ole Miss.  LSU struggles against USC, but not nearly as badly as some of the blogs I've read.  Matt Flynn is an adequate QB who has an awesome offensive line and was missing his best receiver.  The kid will be fine.  Kentucky shocks the world two weeks in a row by coming back against Arkansas.  Good luck in your next gig, Houston Nutt.  And Coach Satan loses his first home game at the Capstone in an OT loss to Georgia.  Just one question, coach, "Why didn't you give the ball to Terry Grant more?"  Alabama had more problems converting on third down than Mormon missionaries have converting Aborigines.
• In the Big Ten, while having no chance of playing for a national championship, Michigan could still make a BCS game as the Big Ten conference champion.  Given how poorly Wisconsin played last night against Iowa, it may just happen.  One thing is for sure: Unless Wisconsin runs the table, the farthest the Big Ten will get will be the Rose Bowl.  And even if the Badgers do run the table, they probably won't achieve a high enough ranking to be considered for the national game.
• Think Bob Davie is having quite a chuckle right now?
• Memo to Steve Kragthorpe: Eventually, you have to play defense.  Even against really crappy teams like Syracuse.
• If a mime dies in a hospital, does he make a sound?  BTW, that will be one long moment of silence.
• Y'all are talkin' crazier than rodeo goats. 
  
• Ken Burns new seven part series about WWII called The War begins tonight on your PBS affiliate.  No se preocupa Latinos, Ken le corrigió en alguno no es el gimoteo, aceptable?
• There are now pet parties referred to as Pupperware Parties to sell pet supplies and outfits for dogs.  Butkus D. Dogg says give him a leash and a tree and everything else is just a bonus.  Seriously, the reason your pet doesn't do what you tell it to is because you spoil it too much.  Just like your kids.
• Blow this out the hole in your ozone layer, Al Gore.