Cubs Better Look Out, There's Gonna Be a New Sheriff in Town.

    Brewers' fans listen up. While I am quite aware that they haven't seen a playoff birth since before the births of half of the current roster, this is their year.

    As of today they have a 4 game deficit to the Cubs for the top of the NL Central, but are leading the NL Wild card race by 2 1/2 games over the Mets. The Brewers have 7 series remaining in the season, 4 of which are at homes and four of which they will be playing sub .500 teams.

    While the brewers are enjoying their nice relaxing September, the Cubs will be struggling to hang on to first place. They also have seven series remaining, of which all seven are versus teams that having winnings records. Of all those series only two are at home. Now while the Cubs hold the second best home record in the league, 51-24, the teams they are facing have a 3-3 record versus them at home. For the road games, if you can find anyone that says playing on the road is easy, they are lying. Not only are the playing on the road versus great teams, there will have to face some great pitchers as well. They will face Lohse and Wellemeyer from the Cards twice, Oswalt from the 'stros, CC and Sheets twice from the Brewers, along with Pelfrey and Johan from the Mets.

    While the Cubs have showed that they can win on the road as of late, whom have they been beating in the second half? Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Cincy as of late, and if you take away the 4 game sweep of the Brewers, they have been a respectable 11-7 on the road. But when you face the likes of Cueto, Harang, Karstens, Duke, and Backe shouldn't you be expected to win?

    More factors not helping the Cubs. Zambrano and Harden arms are "fatigued" and they have the closer with the most questionable arm in the league. Along with that they have a 38 year old Center fielder, Edmonds, and the Right fielder, Fukudome, in a huge slump.

    There are not a lot of things to say about the Cubs. Though I will add one more thing in there. If you are a cubs fans then I don't need to remind you about this. In fact most fans of NL central teams with perennial winning records know about this. Over the past few years the cubs have chocked during the final weeks of the regular season and/or the playoffs. For some reason the just struggle.

    Now lets just say that these are some of my playoff predictions. Let us assume that the Cubs do win the NL central and the Brewers in the Wildcard. That will mean that The Cubs will face either the D-backs or Dodgers. For my sake, we'll pick the D-backs. In a 5 games series versus the Cubs the D-backs would start Webb, Haren, and Johnson. Webb and Haren are great pitchers and can beat up a predominantly right handed batting line up. Then there is Randy Johnson. He is 13-0 in 14 career starts against Chicago. All I am saying is that that can end a series quickly.

    The Brewers would then face the Phillies or Mets. For my sake again, we'll pick the Mets. The Mets would throw out Johan, Pelfrey, and Perez. Two of those are Lefties, which the Brewers kill. If we assume that the Brewers lose one, or if a horrific series two games, they would still only face Pedro, Niese or someone else that isn't very good like a Claudio Vargas. Brewers can win those.

    Not that the Brewers won't be facing the same Webb, Haren, and Johnson. But I think that the Brewers can at least beat one of them and Johnson, along with the #4 and #5 starters.

    I would love to say World Series for the Brewers but I'm not greedy. I have waited long enough to see the playoffs, and I don't have to see it all in one year. But if heaven forbid the Brewers make the World Series, it would be a sight for sore eyes. It is much better having to only wait 26 years, than a whole century.