KEEPING A SPRECHER FOR A BAD DAY. I was a bit tired on my return last night and decided against the traditional celebration of a Brewer victory, another Chris Capuano shutout of the Cubs. That's one favorite thing banked against a down day to come. The Cubs continue to have troubles with Milwaukee's racing sausages. (Was it Steve Bartman's fan interference or former Pirate Randall Simon's interference with the Polish sausage that kept the Cubs out of the World Series?)

When Aramis Ramirez was taking some cuts in the on-deck circle before the start of the seventh inning Thursday at Miller Park, he nearly was run over by one of the participants in the Sausage Race.

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost is keeping the proper perspective.

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost maintains that beating the Cubs is really no big deal for the Brewers."We don't get up for this one any more than we do any other game," Yost said before Thursday's game. "To be honest, they're all important. There's a bit of natural rivalry, just because of the proximity of the teams, but I don't think we get any more satisfaction out of beating the Cubs than anyone else."

More to the point, there's the .500 resistance level to be conscious of.