This is starting to look to me like last season for the Brewers: encouraging start, then a slide out of the race. You know how nothing gets done on Fridays at work because people are distracted by the upcoming weekend? That’s how the Brewers looked all week. If only we played the Pirates 160 games per year.

How many pitchers with ERAs over seven can they look bad against? Flailing at pitches a foot out of the strike zone, watching belt-high fastballs down the middle of the plate without offering until you’re ready to scream, “What were you looking for?”, little tee ball slaps back to the pitcher with two outs and runners in scoring position, these are a few of my favorite things.

A lead-off man with a .325 on-base percentage, a second baseman who always drops the throw, it doesn’t matter from whom, a second baseman who always seems thisclose to turning into Steve Sax. A team with a bullpen incapable of turning in a one-two-three inning. A team which conversely makes every relief pitcher look like Eric Gagne. Not the Eric Gagne we have, mind you, but the Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers who a saved a bazillion games in a row.

Then there’s Ned talking about the defense, “It’s fine,” Yost said. “It’s been a lot better. I’m happy with our defense. We’re catching more balls, we’re not booting as many balls, we’re not allowing as many base runners.” The only upgrades on defense have been in center field (Cameron is an excellent center fielder despite the “error” Friday night, that was lost in the lights) and catcher. It’s not Braun’s fault, since he’s new to the position, but you can’t say that there’s been an upgrade there. Hart and Hardy are as good as they were last year. Fielder tries his best and is no worse than he was last year. But Weeks is bad and Hall has been a disappointment. I didn’t think there was that much difference between short and second or third, but Hall was a much better shortstop than either of those two positions. If I’m not mistaken, that was his natural position.

Forget the Cubs, they’re no longer in the same league as the Brewers. It’s wild card or bust and bust it will be as Sheets, Sabbathia, Kendall and Cameron all leave after this year, unless you’d like to pay Cameron $10M. Soon, the core of the team, Hart, Hardy and Fielder, will be ready to leave. This is it. In my lifetime I will probably never see another contender of this quality. That’s a daunting thought for me. It should be for you because you’re no spring chicken either.