I'm IN! I appreciate the calmer heads around here who are explaining how these last 2 lame showings do not signify the beginning of the Greatest Collapse in Baseball History. But the great thing about these boards is that they allow bums like me to give full vent to our pessimism and frustration --however irrational-- without breaking things in our homes or alienating our immediate family. I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity. For me, it's the trend that disturbs. The Cardinals are in a steady groove, playing fundamentally solid, intelligent, error free, baseball that's just good enough to win, especially in light of our failure to manifest the required brains, skill, and nerve at the plate. Yesterday, their 1st run came without a hit. Get 'em on (walk); get 'em over (steal & ground out); get 'em in (sac fly). Their second run started the same way, and they needed just one single, if I recall. That's bland but it wins games. By contrast, the Brewers seem to be drifting into their earlier season routine, i.e., pitching gems going for naught because they can't make or steal runs... unless the opposition boots the ball around or someone hits the odd dinger --or GS in the bottom of the 9th. I'm tired of hearing the radio guys say that a batter had a good pitch to hit but "just missed it," probably because he was trying to hit a 5-run homer. Even assuming we hold on to the division, there's no momentum going into the playoffs. There's time to find the groove, of course, and I am absolutely painting the bleakest picture possible. I hope and trust that the attitude in the clubhouse and the dugout is much better than mine, because mine is awful.