By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Sep 25, 2005 at 5:17 AM

Once again, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the rival Cubs for a midweek series, and yet again, Brewers fans were greatly outnumbered in their own stadium.

Aside from trying to answer the nagging question of why Milwaukee fans aren't at the ball yard, perhaps its better to ask just what in the heck Cubs fans have to be so boastful about?

Honestly, just what makes the Chicago National League Baseball Club so incredible that its fans seem to think they are some sort of chosen people?

Let's see, sure, the Brewers haven't been to the playoffs since 1982, and haven't had a winning season since 1992. Meanwhile the Cubs -- while having been to the playoffs a handful of times -- haven't won a pennant since 1945, and haven't won the whole shebang since 1908.

Meanwhile, in lieu of wins, there have been plenty of excuses, the most popular of which is that ridiculous goat story. There is also the black cat that crossed the field in 1969 and Steve Bartman's gaffe in 2003.

First of all, as my OnMilwaukee.com colleague Steve Czaban once pointed out on his radio show, had Moises Alou actually maintained some sort of composure after the incident, and kept emotions down, perhaps Mark Prior gets out of the inning, and the Cubs bullpen settles down. Instead, Juan Castillo walked and Juan Pierre got to third.

Perhaps if the players and fans had found a way to maintain some sanity, Alex Gonzalez would have been able to turn the double play and get out of the inning.

Instead, the Cubs gave up seven more runs, the Marlins won the series in seven games, and fans blamed Bartman.

Here's a news flash, Cubs fans, the only place to point blame for your teams pathetic existence is yourself.

You are the ones that fill that dump of a stadium called Wrigley Field day in and day out. You are the ones that buy up as much memorabilia as you can find. If the Tribune Company offered up Florida Swampland and splattered a red "C" on it, you'd buy it in droves.

Now, what's the point, you may ask. Sure, it makes you a loyal fan, but it also gives Management no real reason to make a conscious effort to produce a bona fide, no doubt about it pennant contending club.

Why go out and spend the extra $20 million for a healthy, top of the line pitcher when three million fans will produce more than enough profit?

That decrepit, crumbling eyesore on the north side has done more to harm the Cubs' success than free agent signing or curse in the past half century. The longer you keep fulfilling Lee Elia's observation, the longer it will be until a championship banner is finally raised at the friendly confines.

It would be one thing for all of you to walk around Milwaukee bragging and boasting if your team -- like the Brewers -- wasn't well out of the playoff hunt and struggling to get to .500.

Say what you want about the Brewers, but it's no secret around the league that the team is building a winner. How much boasting will Cubs fans be doing when it's the Brewers challenging for the NL Central Crown.

While there are a great number of differences between Milwaukee and Chicago, the Brewers and the Cubs, there is one thing residents and fans of both will have in common the next few weeks.

Both will (probably) be watching the White Sox in the postseason.

Oh well, wait till' next year.