Imrem: Can the Cubs win the NL Central by default?
The Cubs play a colossal one-game series today against the …
Brewers?
Colossal game?
Look, some people make a living by making fun of all things Wisconsin.
I'm not among them though I have supplemented my income with sarcastic mentions of cows, cheese and Packer fans.
To be fair, the beer and Packers are pretty good.
Which brings us to Milwaukee, which the Cubs are looking up at ... both geographically and competitively ... even after Wednesday's 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay.
Hard to take the Brewers seriously, isn't it? Milwaukee leading the division is the primary reason the underachieving Cubs can be optimistic about their chances in the National League Central.
Location, location, location.
In real estate it's good to be the worst house on a great block. In baseball it's good to be the least worst team on a bad block.
Nobody is playing great in the NL Central so even if the Cubs continue to be mediocre, mediocrity figures to win out.
However, remember one of the primary principles of sports: It's dangerous to depend on the generosity of strangers.
Often when a team bases its success on the failure of others, one or more of those others prove to be better than expected.
Maybe the Cubs can win the NL Central by default. Then again, maybe they'll have to be better than they were so far this season.
The Brewers historically have been of little concern, which was true even when the Cubs were the old Cubbie lovable losers.
The team down here was bad but the perception was the team up there would be worse.
Now the current Brewers are supposed to strike fear into the Cubs?
In rebuilding mode rather than contending mode, the Brewers still are the same cute, mascot-sliding, sausage-racing team.
However, nothing says the Brewers can't get lucky and have one magical season.
Let's put all this another way: If these Milwaukee Brewers were the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs would be considerably more concerned.
Even after the Cubs passed the Cards the past two seasons, it remains risky to look down on St. Louis ... both geographically and competitively.
Don't look now but while the Brewers are in first place, the Cardinals are nipping at the Cubs' backsides.
The Cardinals are the Cardinals, not the Brewers, who would be taken seriously only if they had a redbird on their uniforms.
Sentiment around here is that the Cubs will at some point recall that they're still champions and begin playing like it.
There's plenty of time for the 2017 Cubs to become the 2016 Cubs again, for veteran starting pitchers to pitch like last year, for the young hitters to hit with runners in scoring position, for the front office to acquire reinforcements.
The beauty of major-league baseball is that the 162-game schedule allows teams to stumble and get back up.
The Cubs still could win the division if the Brewers start playing like the traditional Brewers and the Cardinals don't start playing like the traditional Cardinals.
More likely, the Cubs will have to go out and win this thing instead of expecting others to lose it.
Depending on the generosity of strangers really is a risky proposition.
Yes, even that strange team from the strange state of Wisconsin.
mimrem@dailyherald.com