Brewing up pure fiction

Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers' move to fire Ned Yost got them into the postseson. He says it was a "bold" move. Seriously? That's weak.

Last I checked, Milwaukee went just 7-5 over the last 12 games managed by interim manager Dale Sveum. The Brewers beat lowly Cincinnati once and pathetic Pittsburgh three times. They took two of three from the Cubs over the final weekend to clinch the Wild Card, but Chicago was preoccupied with setting its postseason pitching staff and resting its every day players as often as possible. The Cubs threw an all-staffer on Sunday and almost beat Brewers ace CC Sabathia.

The firing of Yost was a desperate move. It was the pushing of the proverbial "panic button." That it worked out is far less a bold stroke of genius and much more a shaky step turned miracle by an inept organization. Milwaukee hasn't been to the postseason since 1982, but buoyed by a midseason trade for Sabathia, whom Rosenthal says is destined (along with Ben Sheets) to seek a new home in the offseason, they somehow weathered another free-fall in September.

Milwaukee is made up of underachieving players like Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Eric Gagne. The bullpen almost has enough spare parts to build a clunker. Forget a postseason force; after Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, an occasionally helpful Corey Hart, Sabathia and Sheets, Milwaukee is a mess. The Brewers stumbled into the postseason only because the Mets stumbled more.

The one bold move we'll see from the Brew Crew the rest of the way is that they'll actually show up for their Philadelphia farewell. Milwaukee is the top candidate to be swept in the divisional series. Their 10-16 record in September should shake even die-hard Brewers fans enough to see the tunnel through Rosenthal's red herring of a light. The firing of Yost was shock therapy? Please. The Brewers proved nothing other than they can beat the league's worst.