Some thoughts on the state of the Brewers have been piling up in the ol' noggin lately and it time to get them out of my system...

1. JJ Hardy will be a fine major league player and should be playing pretty much every day. His defense is definitely his strength and his offensive skills have shown some signs of life the past several weeks and with more experience he will only get better. I also feel it is important to develop/maintain the middle infield chemistry between him and Weeks. By all accounts, the two bond very well.

2. Bill Hall would be a very intriguing trade prospect. Here you have a 25-year-old who has shown flashes of big things and can play all the positions on the infield. Personally, I just don't think he can hack it as an every day player, but it wouldn't be impossible to convince another GM otherwise. With a logjam on the left side of the infield (especially once Cirillo comes back), a move involving Hall could mean more playing time for JJ and perhaps add some depth in the outfield or a No. 4 or 5 starter.

3. What the hell is going on with Geoff Jenkins? Not too long ago the guy was toiling in the .230's, now he is nearing .300 and finally playing up to what was expected of him when he signed that big extension (which, at the time, I strongly opposed). Can the team trust Jenkins? I don't think so. He gets injured too much and he has a tendency to go into prolonged slumps (see the past year and a half up to around June). I've stated a lot on this site that the Brewers biggest weakness is a quality No. 3 hitter, and despite his hot streak I still don't feel that Jenkins is the answer. That being said, I'd like to ride this wave for as long as possible.

4. A wild card push is not out of the question. Look at the teams behind the Astros and tell me they're not vulnerable: Washington, Florida, Philadelphia, Mets, and the Cubs. The optimist in me sees the Nats' free-fall continue- lack of offense, overworked bullpen. Watching the past two series against the Mets and Phillies and knowing the each team's history of collapses, I really believe both teams are poised for a fall. As for the Cubs, yes Nomar and Wood are back, but the way they've been playing lately that won't matter. The Marlins? Their starting pitching seems to be crumbling. Another advantage for the Brewers (and I don't have the numbers on this), is that four of those teams are in the NL East, so that situation will most likely work itself out. The contenders will separate from the pretenders. Theoretically, at least.

Now for those Astros. Will these guys start losing already? I know they can, they did it quite frequently early in the season. They got to be due for another slump soon, right? Right?!

I realize that it sounds a lot simpler than what it sounds like, but I strongly feel that the Crew could make a push. They'll need some luck (if the past 3 games are any indication, that won't be hard) and some timely hitting and pitching. All three of those things have been on display at different points during the season. Now, as the Crew is a win away from a winning record, it's time to put it all together and make a late-season playoff push.

This state would go crazy if it happened. It's been 13 years since the team has made a serious run for the playoffs, and you can just sense here that everyone is just dying for the Brewers to show something, some sign that THIS could be THE YEAR.

Hope is in the air. It's high time to put these past demons behind us. October baseball in Milwaukee would be unreal. And "we got the fighters, we got the gamers, we got the hard workers" to make it happen.

Let's do it!!