My two favorite teams, the Brewers and the Rangers, it seems like every damn year it's the same.

The Rangers start out great and get everybody thinking they are so damn good; Then they fail miserably late in the season, choking it all away.

The Brewers, on the other hand, start out the season with high hopes; Then they procede to dig themselves into such a deep hole they could never get out ....... Then, when it is totally hopeless, they start playing good and give people hope for next season.

---

This is what irrates me about the Brewers every season.. they have to tank at least a month or two of starting pitching.. enough most seasons to end the conversation of us being at the top of the division.

Starting pitching ERA:
April - 4.26
May - 6.72
June - 4.18
July - 3.78
August - 3.63
Sept. - 3.50

Now.. this season there has been more than just the starting pitching.. like 1st base.. injuries and the Ryan Braun drama..

---

The Brewers were destined to fail when #8 was finally caught. Having Hart out all year and Ramirez for a big chunk did not help at all.

The Rangers on the other hand just went to the WS 2 years in a row. And it was only 2-3 years ago. Winning is another issue. At least they had 2 great years.

Being a Cardinals fan I am mostly enjoying the season. They have had more injuries to starting pitching than any other team. But their minor leagues are so deep these days they just keep dragging another kid up. They have 3 rookies in the starting rotation. 5 more in the bullpen. 4 of them have started games and another rookie on the DL who stated a few games before getting injured. I think they said the rookies have won 32 or 34 of the games this year.

---

I kinda envy the Cardinals for their consistency and apparent good decision-making by the managers. Both my teams, the Brewers and Rangers are plagued by bad (IMO) managers in terms of in game decisions. The Rangers in particular will probably be saddled with Ron Washington for a long time, because as was said, he took them to two world series and he is apparently popular with the players - "good clubhouse", but the guy seems as dumb as a rock, and I really think they had what success they had in spite of him, not because.

Now it's "wait until next year" again for the Brewers - with Segura, Gennett, Braun coming back, Lucroy - in general, a lineup that seems better than a lot of good teams. Their starting pitching should be good, but as was said, something always seems to go wrong for part of the season. But even if all of that is good, the bullpen is still a mess. I said I envy St. Louis, but they are doomed now hahahaha. John Axford is a plague - a game-choking piece of crap. More than anybody else, he cost the Brewers any hope of success two years in a row. Now he is the Cardinals problem.

---

nope. Ax is doing just fine.
1-0 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings over 12 games. 10 strikeouts only 3 walks.

---

Must be that the two runs he gave the Brewers were the only two he has given up. Just wait, when you need him most, he'll choke for you.

---

see that is the beauty of the Cardinals. We don't "need" him to do anything. If he gets into a little trouble just pull him out and pop in one of the kids.

---

The Tigers and Brewers are my favorite teams.
I just don't expect much from the Brew Crew from year to year but my Hope is always that the Tigers and Brewers will meet in the World Series.
The Tigers are on the verge of winning their 3rd divisional championship in a row but they have frustrated me so much this year it's hard to feel good about their chances in the post season.
With Cabrera in a month long slide going into the playoffs and Verlander having his worst year in 5 years I can see them being swept out in the 1st round.

STL Post 

---

They are going nuts out here in Pittsburgh, the pirates are in the playoffs for the first time in like 20 years. I am actually rooting for them just because they have become like the cubs the loveable losers.

---