I was sitting in the cafeteria of a large Downtown company this week. There were seven or eight guys at the next table, all obviously working men in jeans, work shirts and boots.
They were all in their late 30s or 40s and the conversation, or at least the part that I heard, went something like this:
No. 1 -- "I'm telling you, it's over. The season's over."
No. 2 -- "You're crazy. August has just started and they're not out of it."
No. 3 -- "Out of it? (To No. 2) Are you nuts? I'm unloading my tickets."
No. 2 -- "I'll take ‘em. It's gonna be an exciting end of the year."
The discussion, of course, was about the Brewers. The talk went on for about 20 minutes and then I had to leave. I'm sure the conversation continued after I left.
What amazed me was that most of the guys at the table, maybe a little more than half, seemed to be on the side of the fence that thought the season was over for the Brewers.
Allow me to disagree. Firmly.
I have long believed that the single greatest factor in whether a team wins or loses a game is the opponent. If the Packers play the Steelers, the odds are that they will lose. If they play the Lions, the odds are they win. Not every time, for certain, but I think it's a rule that clearly prevails in the long run.
Given that, it's important to note that during the remainder of August the Brewers don't play a single team that has a winning record. What that means, of course, is that the Brewers have a better than even chance of entering the final month of the season still in the playoff race. What you want is to get to September with a legitimate chance.
St. Louis has an August schedule that looks like the Brewers.' But the Cubs play a four-game series at Los Angeles and have a three-game series against Philadelphia. The Cubs also have a stretch of 17 games in 17 days. They only have one day off the rest of the month, as they have 24 games left this month.
Sure, the Brewers have weaknesses that have to be handled. The bottom of the batting order is awful. The starting pitching is schizophrenic and you seemingly can't depend on anyone, including Yovani Gallardo. Perhaps the returns of Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan will be positive events.
And there are strengths. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are forces to be reckoned with, Felipe Lopez is a legitimate leadoff hitter and Craig Counsell, of all people, continues to get on base and provides almost nightly clinics about how to play defense. There are others who contribute night in and night out.
Plus, you could make the argument that the Brewers have been through their inevitable slump. Every team has streaks, both good and bad, and it may be that the Brewers have been through the worst of their streaks.
I would never pretend to be an expert about the ups and downs of baseball. I don't know nearly as much about it as I do other sports. But, I do know about hope in the world of sports. And I understand the importance of your opposition.
When you look at the Brewers opponents I think there is reason for at least a little optimism and a refusal to throw in the towel just yet.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
