Say Hello To October, Brewers Fans!

Brewers fans everywhere rejoice - we are heading to October baseball!

For an event 26 years in the making, it was amazing how many things had to happen on the last day of the regular season for the Milwaukee Brewers.

It took a career-defining pitching performance by CC Sabathia.

It took yet another dramatic home run by the franchise's new "Kid," Ryan Braun.

It took a professional at-bat by the cagey veteran, Craig Counsell, who worked a walk with the bases loaded to tie the game.

And hundreds of miles away, it took a go-ahead home run by a former Brewer, Wes Helms, a symbol of the franchise's futility for the past two and a half decades.

Three weeks ago, the wheels started to fall off. Two weeks ago, it was looking dire. One week ago, they were counted out. Today, the Milwaukee Brewers are the National League Wild Card Champions. And "wild" doesn't even begin to describe the past week.

In the years to come, fans will talk about CC's masterpieces, Braun's blasts, Prince's heroics, Gallardo's guts, Sveum's calm leadership, and several other moments that defined the final week of the 2008 regular season. But in the days to come, everyone will be focusing on the immediate future.

Brewers vs. Phillies. Playoffs. Enjoy it.

Coming Soon To A Ballpark Near You?

A few former Brewers are profiled in this article by ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, which looks at players who are out of the game but could still play.

If it were up to me, Cirillo would be Milwaukee's utility infielder, and Craig Counsell would be in the studio providing analysis. Cirillo's a career .296 hitter with over 1,500 hits, while Counsell is a career .256 hitter with less than 1,000 hits.