With first place in the National League Central at stake this week at Miller Park, the entire city of Milwaukee is buzzing over the Brewers' huge four-game series against the Cubs.

Mark Loretta hasn't lived in Milwaukee since selling his riverside condo six years ago, but he understands the excitement.

Loretta began his big-league career with the Brewers in the mid-1990s, just as Milwaukee's long-simmering stadium debate came to a head.

The eloquent infielder became an unofficial spokesman for players in the debate, even though he and many of his teammates privately doubted whether they would be around to play in a new ballpark.

Loretta was around when a tragic crane collapse killed three ironworkers in 1999, delaying the opening of the stadium by a year. When the Brewers played their final game at County Stadium on Sept. 28, 2000, Loretta was the starting shortstop. He got chills when Hall of Famer Robin Yount handed him the County Stadium flag during the post-game ceremony.

On April 6, 2001, Loretta helped greet President Bush at the inaugural game at Miller Park. With a month left in the 2002 season and the Brewers stumbling toward a franchise-record 106 losses, Loretta was traded to Houston in a deal that brought Wayne Franklin and Keith Ginter to Milwaukee.

After stints with San Diego and Boston, he's back with the Astros, who took two of three games from the Brewers this weekend. Houston's division title hopes faded weeks ago, but Loretta didn't mind talking about the ramifications of the Brewers-Cubs series.

"It's going to be exciting," he said. "It's definitely what they had in mind when they built this ballpark.

"The energy level this weekend was as good as I've ever seen it here. This building (Miller Park) can feel a little dead at times because of the way it looks and the roof and stuff. But, it has been awesome this weekend.

"Even with all the (Brett) Favre stuff going on, I know that is big, but this is huge, too. The Cubs series is going to be electric."

Although the Brewers didn't experience a lot of success during Loretta's tenure, which spanned from 1995-2002, he always thought of Milwaukee as a solid baseball town and is not surprised by the current outbreak of Brewer Fever.

"Just from talking to some of the guys who had been around in 1992, they said that was an exciting time," Loretta said. "And the guys who played in the early ‘80s always talked about how crazy it was back then.

"I always felt this was a great baseball town."

Astros manager Cecil Cooper, who played first base during the Brewers' glory days of the 1980s and then worked in the front office and minor-league system, agreed.

"I'm sure that's what they had in mind (when they built the ballpark)," Cooper said. "I think it makes it all worthwhile, probably. And they've done it the right way. Right now, they should be able to contend for a long time and be exciting."

Cooper, who was joined by his family during the Astros' three-game visit, was aware of the demand for intense tickets for the Cubs series.

"It's unusual to see that in this place," he said. "It hasn't happened in 20-some years. It's unbelievable. It's good for the city.

"They're on a good roll now."

Both Cooper and Loretta agreed that the Brewers' acquisition of left-hander C.C. Sabathia, who will start the series opener tonight against Ted Lilly, was a huge step for the Brewers.

"That was a huge move," Loretta said of Sabathia, who is 4-0 with three complete games since joining the Brewers. "It really showed a commitment by ownership to do that."

During much of Loretta's tenure, the Brewers jettisoned players at the deadline in order to save salary for the next season.

"I don't remember exactly what year it was, but we were about .500 and we were kind of in the race and we went to Florida," Loretta recalled. "(Manager Phil) Garner called a meeting and he got all fired up and said ‘Let's force these guys to get us some help.' I think we got swept. It was a pipe dream."

Beginning with the series tonight, the next two months will determine if the Brewers' dream, which is shared by thousands of success-starved fans, will become reality.

During their first nine games after the all-star break, the Brewers picked up a remarkable five games in the standings against the Cubs, who enter the week with a one-game lead.

The contrast to last season is striking. A year ago, the Brewers led the division by 8 ½ games on June 23 and missed the playoffs. This year, the Cubs led by 8 ½ games on June 16 and fell into a first-place tie before picking up a game Sunday.

"The pressure is on them this year; all the expectations are on them," Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun said. "We're just going out and having fun.

"We learned a lot last year. We realized the importance and significance of every game and not really focusing on what the Cubs are doing or what the Cardinals are doing. We've done a great job of that so far. If we keep doing that, we'll be fine.

"Last year, a lot of the pressure and expectations were on us. This year, it's on them. We just continue to go out and work hard. They're expected to win the division. We'll see what happens."

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee expects an exciting series. "They're right there in it," Lee told Chicago reporters Sunday, referring to the Brewers. "I imagine they'll be in it the rest of the way. It's always fun going up there. It seems like a lot of our fans go up there, so it should be loud and exciting."

Here are the pitching matchups for this week:

Tonight - Brewers LHP CC Sabathia (4-0, 1.36 earned run average) vs. Cubs LHP Ted Lilly (10-6, 4.49).

Tuesday - Brewers RHP Ben Sheets (10-3, 2.87) vs. Cubs RHP Carlos Zambrano (11-4, 2.96).

Wednesday - Brewers LHP Manny Parra (11-4, 2.99) vs. Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (11-4, 2.99).

Thursday - Brewers (undecided) vs. Cubs RHP Rich Harden (0-1, 1.04).