An early exit out of the playoffs for both the Brewers and Cubs would be interesting to see, because both teams were being labeled as two of the better starting rotations in all of baseball, at some point during the regular season.

And of course, the Brewers will likely lose both C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets during this winter's free agency and that's going to be a huge blow to their team. The last time a team lost two aces in one off-season was the Houston Astros following the 2006 season, and we all saw how 2007 turned out. Fortunately for us, the Astros rebounded with a solid 2008 season despite having a thin starting rotation, which leads me to believe the Astros will be a serious contender in 2009, especially if they add at least one good "top of the rotation" starting pitcher.

Two more losses apiece by the Cubs and Brewers, and we can officially welcome their fans to our little friendly off-season discussion! Even though I'm sure Bud "Jackass" Selig will likely move this entire forum's server to Miller Park!

Whoohooo... Go Phillies! Go Dodgers!