With every loss, the cries grow louder.

"Fire Ken Macha."

"Doug Melvin is an idiot."

You know the rest.

But is it really fair to pin this on Melvin and Macha? The logical answer is "no," but logic is often thrown out the window when it comes to these kind of situations.

Mark Attanasio himself said the blame falls squarely on his shoulders.

"I signed off on all of them," the owner said about the team's numerous player personnel moves of the past few years.

That, though, isn't enough to take the heat off Macha and Melvin for the Brewers' awful pitching this season. Even with Jeff Suppan off the roster, fans still won't be satisfied until the team starts getting some consistently good pitching.

A few months into his tenure, Peterson has the following to show for his work: the second-worst pitching staff in the major leagues; two pitchers released; and, a future Hall of Fame closer who has lost his job.

So why has Peterson escaped blame? Last year, fans called for Bill Castro's head. The longtime member of the organization was canned late in the season. When the offense scuffled in years past, Butch Wynegar and Jim Skaalen each became Public Enemy No. 1 in the fans' eyes and both were let go.

Nobody said that Doug Davis and Randy Wolf were going to be Cy Young candidates. But based on their recent history, nobody could have thought that either pitcher would be this bad in 2010. Same goes for Trevor Hoffman. Sure, at some point, age sets in but it's hard to fathom that it has, so suddenly, for Hoffman.

Peterson was supposed to be the guy; like the top assistant in college basketball who is expected to build an up-and-coming mid-major into a title contender or the hot offensive coordinatior pegged to build the next college football dynasty.

When Melvin and Macha hired the guy, few had anything negative to say. With the pitching near the basement in the National League, he's still never mentioned when people launch into their tirades.

What gives?

Hindsight is 20/20 and many have chastised the GM for not signing Jon Garland or John Lackey during the off-season, despite a lack of published reports that those pitchers had some sort of overwhelming desire to come to Milwaukee.

Melvin made the moves, based on history, that he felt were right at the time and affordable, considering the Brewers' economic condition.

It was Melvin's job to sign them; Macha's to manage them and Peterson's to have them ready. Ultimately it's up to the players to perform, but if somebody is going to get blamed, maybe starting with Peterson would be a step in the right direction.