Despite the recent temperatures that suggest winter is just starting in Milwaukee, any diehard Brewers fan knows spring unofficially beings when pitchers and catchers report to spring training later this week. After last year's break-even finish and a couple of subtle but important off-season acquisitions by General Manger Doug Melvin, the Brew Crew and its fan base are ready and raring for 2006.

And in case you hadn't noticed, the Brewers are starting to gain some national attention. ESPN writers Peter Gammons and Jerry Crasnick both tab the Crew as a surprise team in the National League, which could be a curse rather than a blessing. For this particular young team, lying in the weeds for the first half of the season might be a better option.

For the Brewers to contend in the National League, much will depend on the quality of their opponents in the NL Central. Let's take a closer look at the off-season moves and '06 prospects of Milwaukee's chief competition.

St. Louis (100-62): There was a lot of personnel turnover in St. Louis this off-season -- and a new Busch Stadium will be unveiled this spring -- but the Cards again look like the class of the division. Mark Grudzielanek, Matt Morris, Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker are just a few of the departed, but Tony LaRussa added pieces like IF Junior Spivey, IF Deivi Cruz, OF Juan Encarnacion and SP Sidney Ponson. Plus, 3B Scott Rolen should be healthy this year, which is bad news for division foes. Encarnacion was solid in Florida last year (.287 BA, 16 HR, 76 RBI) and figures to post big numbers for the Cards. St. Louis probably won't run away from the division as they have the past two years, but they appear primed to three-peat.

Houston (89-73): Some musical chairs in Texas. First, there's the "will he or won't he retire?" status of Roger Clemens, who hasn't re-signed with Houston but could end up joining them after May 1. Then, there is the murky status of aging 1B Jeff Bagwell, who will try to battle through shoulder injuries again this year but may end up playing elsewhere depending on contractual issues. If he's not around, Lance Berkman will play first. Newcomer Preston Wilson (.260, 25, 90) is the new CF, which means impressive '05 rookie Willy Taveras could actually start the year in AAA. Forty-year-old Craig Biggio will still hit leadoff and play 2B, barring an angioplasty in March. RF Jason Lane (.267, 26, 78) could be a true force in '06. And, oh yeah, starters Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte are still present and accounted for.

Chicago Cubs (79-83): The team Brewers fans love to hate will be better in 2006, even if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior continue to spend a lot of time on the disabled list. GM Jim Hendry was wise to dump maligned CF Corey Patterson in favor of newcomer Juan Pierre. He also added RF Jacque Jones (.249, 23, 73), veteran relievers Scott Eyre (2.63 ERA) and Bobby Howry (2.47), utility man John Mabry and Brewers-killer SP Wade Miller, who will be shelved until mid-May. The Cubs also jettisoned Jeromy Burnitz and Nomar Garciaparra.

Cincinnati (73-89): The biggest news out of Cincy this winter hit just last week, when new owner Bob Castellini hired Wayne Krivsky as the team's GM. Krivsky worked closely with Twins GM Terry Ryan for the last decade, which could portend good things for the Reds. Otherwise, Cincinnati's 2006 team should be a lot like 2005's: the big guys will club some homers and the pitching will be terrible. The main personnel move of note involved shipping out 1B Sean Casey to Pittsburgh for SP Dave Williams (10-11, 4.41), an unpopular move among Reds fans. Adam Dunn will move to first, completing his metamorphosis into '50s slugger Ted Kluszewski. Tony Womack comes over from the Yankees to play second.

Pittsburgh (67-95): With the Crew's 81-81 year in 2005, now it's solely the Pirates who must contend with the personal albatross of 13 consecutive losing seasons. In addition to picking up 1B Casey (.312, 9, 58), the Pirates added OF Burnitz (.258, 24, 87), 3B Joe Randa (.276, 17, 68) and ex-Brewers SP Victor Santos. Like the Brewers, the Pirates have a lot of young prospects in the chain, but unlike the Brewers, Pittsburgh is turning to veterans to lead them through its transition period. Young lefty starters Zach Duke (8-2, 1.81) and Paul Maholm (3-1, 2.18), who dominated the Brewers in a 6-0 victory in his debut last August, are the exception to that trend. The duo could pull the Pirates up to immediate respectability if they pitch as well as they did in late '05.