AND WE'RE BAAAACK!!!

By: Big Rygg

As loyal readers may remember, I work at the Wisconsin State Fair every year. This year the Fair ran from July 31st through August 10th. It is the best 11 days of the summer, but it is also quite taxing on my time, especially for the "extras" like jotting my thoughts down here at the Brewer Nation. Also, South Side Rob and I do our best not to post too closely together so that our most recent thoughts have a chance to be read by new and returning visitors that only read the latest post when they visit. Those things combined added up to my not posting on July 30th, being basically unavailable for the next 11 days, and playing catch up so far this week since I also went to the Brewers/Nationals game at Miller Park this past Monday.

Anyway, I'm back in the saddle and I have a few things to comment about stored up, so I'll go with current events tonight.

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So the Milwaukee Brewers, as of this morning, were 3.0 games back in the NL Central and 4.0 games up in the NL Wild Card race. This is quite heartening since the Brewers could have easily folded up like an accordion after being swept by the Scrubs in a four-game series at Miller Park to close out the month of July. For what it's worth, I firmly believe that the reasons we didn't buckle like a belt are as follows (not necessarily in order, but quite possibly): Jason Kendall, Craig Counsell, CC Sabathia, Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, Gabe "Boom Boom" Kapler.

The veterans stepped up where management probably couldn't have helped. I added Kapler to this list because he has filled in admirably in the absence of Ryan Braun, by the way, but all the MLB veterans that have multiple years of experience and/or pennant race/post seaston experience were no doubt key in reminding the youth of our team (especially after the Manny Parra/Prince Fielder incident which I may still comment on at some point) that there are still a long couple of months to play. The Brewers, sitting where they are, are still in control of their own destiny in the NL Central, afterall. Obviously, being in first place in the Wild Card race, we control every shot we've got at playing October baseball in 2008.

That's a good feeling as a baseball fan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Enjoy the rest of the summer, Brewer Nation. Soon enough we'll be able to officially look forward to the fall, both the season and the inevitable one that will be performed by the Chicago Cubs at some point.