Come To Think of It...Bold Move by Brewers May Pay Off with Playoffs

As we all know by now, the Milwaukee Brewers fired their manager, Ned Yost, on Monday, despite having a winning record and having the Brewers in contention for the better part of two years.

The Brewers had just been swept in a four-game series by the Phillies and were 3-11 this month. But the main reason for the change is that the Brewers want to win, and they want to win now.

They know their window of opportunity is closing. Unlike the Cubs, who can continue to throw money at problems, the Brewers face an offseason that will likely cost them two outstanding starting pitchers to free agency. One of them, CC Sabathia, pitches tonight in the first game of a crucial series with the Cubs.

If the Brewers fail to make the playoffs this season, which would be their first playoff appearance since 1982, they might not get another chance anytime soon.

Consider also what they paid to acquire Sabathia, and GM Doug Melvin knows it's now or never. And he also knew Ned Yost wasn't the guy to take them to the promised land. Ned was considered too tense, unable to handle the pressure. This spilled over to his players, who couldn't relax.

Not that Dale Sveum is that guy either. But a managerial change typically breathes new life into a ballclub, albeit temporarily. If that trend continues, this certainly would be the right time for Milwaukee to get hot.

Look, they're not going to win the division. The Cubs have that all but sewn up. But their playoff lives are at stake. And once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. As Joe Morgan says, it's not the best team that usually wins the World Series, it's often the hottest team.

And what usually happens when a team changes managers? That's right, they get hot. So this could be a gutsy move with a tremendous upside for Melvin and the Brewers. All anyone has to do is look at last year's Colorado Rockies team to understand how important getting hot at the right time can be for a ballclub.

And so the Dale Sveum era starts tonight. You know he understands the sense of urgency. I'm sure he would like to make this managing gig permanent, and only immediate success will give him a chance to achieve that goal.

Theories abound regarding why teams improve immediately after a managing change. Perhaps they look in the mirror and realize they cost a good family man his job. Maybe their sense of complacency and their comfortable routine gets shaken and they wake up. Maybe a fresh voice in the clubhouse sinks in for awhile.

Maybe the message is clear: Win or you'll be next.

And many of their hitters are due for a rebound. Ryan Braun is in the midst of a 1-for-24 slump. JJ Hardy has only six hits in his last 45 ABs, and Corey Hart is two for his last 29.

Count Sabathia among those who have done their jobs, however. He is 9-0 with a 1.59 ERA since arriving from Cleveland. But Milwaukee is only 22-26 when he hasn't started.

It won't be easy, though, as the Cubs are giving the ball to a pretty fine pitcher of their own in Ryan Dempster. He is 15-6, with a 3.02 ERA and will be trying to earn his career-high 16th win, and 12 of those have come at Wrigley.

Dempster hasn't had any problems with Milwaukee this season. He's 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts against the Brewers, who are hitting .182 against him.

Back to the firing, for a moment. Although a change of managers by a winning team normally doesn't happen this late in the season, there is evidence to support the positive affect change can have on a ballclub, at least in the short run.

The 1978 Yankees fired Billy Martin and the Yanks mounted one of the best comebacks in history. In '81, former Cubs boss Jim Frey was ousted just a year after leading the Royals to the World Series. Under their new manager, they qualified for the playoffs.

Also in 1981, the Expos fired their manager and finished atop the second half standings. The 1983 Phillies made it to the World Series after dumping their manager.

So it can happen. Bold move? Yes. Guaranteed payoff? No. Come to think of it, little in life is, except death, taxes, and managers losing their jobs.