What is the goal: Playoffs, or World Series?

[sheethead]

Since the Brewers are "going for it," the bar is set for World Series. Its Gonna Happen!

[Glennron]

Playoffs for sure. I think something like 5 of the 6 World Series have featured wild card teams anyway.

[Tbadder]

Winning the world series is number two on my list. beating the cubs in the playoffs--number one!

[Brew Guzzler]

We are all Brewers fans so I can't see how any of us can actually say that after laying all our cards on the table that the playoffs is fine. World Series or bust from here on out

[berniebrewer4life]

World Series is the Ultimate goal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. let's get to the Playoffs first then take it from there.

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't see how the two goals are incompatible.

 

The goal for every team is winning the World Series. That's winning the World Series, not getting to it. As great as 1982 was, the Brewers are not waving a World Championship banner from 1982. The Cardinals are and for those of us that were around at that time, that kind of sticks in our craw.

 

To achieve that goal, first you have to secure a playoff berth so that's your focus until that is attained. Once attained your focus becomes winning the first playoff series and not as stated "winning as many games as possible" during the regular season. So once the playoffs are secured (either via winning the division or the WC), you try to set your rotation to your advantage for the first playoff series.

 

Only after you are done do you determine your level of satisfaction. Personally if you are satisfied just getting to the playoffs, you are not much of a competitor. The Brewers got Sabathia not just to get to the playoffs, but to give them a shot at winning them.

[bork]

With 6 of their last 12 games against the Cubs, the Brewers will probably be fighting for their playoff lives right until the end, unless they can build a 8+ game wild card lead before then.

[RightFieldCoder]

For me, the goal is World Series. However, making the playoffs is a step to getting to the World Series. If you fail in the first step, you'll never make it to the top of the stairs. I'd peg both Aces to get as many starts as they can. When (not if http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ) a playoff spot is locked up, you can restructure your rotation for the postseason. We can use September call ups as fill in starters to set our rotation. After a spot is locked up, those regular season games don't mean so much.

[igor67]

Not that I would wish this but Bork's observation is significant. If the Cubs were to fall back just a bit and there were another strong wild card contender down the stretch you could see the Brewers-Cubs rivalry go to whole new levels. You could even heap on the possibility of then meeting again in the playoffs. It would be shocking for there not to be some ejections or something at that point.

 

Anyways the teams goal has to be World Series, however that doesn't mean we should saddle ourselves with disappointment after getting a playoff birth.

[rluzinski]

I read the title of this thread the same as the question, "Do you want to walk 2 steps or 4?"

 

And I doubt that the Cubs will be playing for anything during that last series. You'll be seeing a lot of players getting rested.

[brewcrewkid14]

The best scenario for me in that last series would be both the Brewers and Cubs have clinched a playoff spot, but they have to duke it out for the division. I'd feel much better either way then.

[1992casey]

To achieve that goal, first you have to secure a playoff berth so that's your focus until that is attained. Once attained your focus becomes winning the first playoff series...

 

The "goal," of course, is to win the World Series. Robin Yount made that clear numerous times. I like the use of the term, "focus," though. That can be different than the "goal," depending on circumstances, and it probably would have been the preferable term for the thread title.

 

I think bork makes an interesting point. With six of the final twelve games being against the Cubs, focusing on not losing out on the Wild Card slot and focusing on winning the division could turn out to be one in the same.