Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. In order to prepare for the Packers-Vikings game, we’re typing this week’s installment amid piped-in crowd noise.

On to the good stuff:

Heartbreak Hotel: The playoff chase ended for the Brewers on Friday night at Miller Park, but the disappointments could keep coming.

The Brewers need to win one of their final two games against San Diego in order to avoid yet another losing season. The notion that this team could play as well as it did, thrill the home fans as often as it did, hold on to first place for 133 of 180 days and still not snap a string of non-winning seasons is hard to digest.

And the post-season awards?

Based on recent events and the chatter of some national TV pundits, it seems as though Prince Fielder will fall short in his bid to become the National League's MVP. Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins and Colorado’s Matt Holliday are expected to finish ahead of him. Fielder, the first Brewers player to hit 50 homers in a season, will be on the short list of preseason favorites in March.

Ryan Braun, once considered a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year honors, has shared billing in recent weeks with Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who has put his team on the brink of a playoff berth with less spectacular offensive production than Braun’s mixed in with Gold Glove-caliber defense.  Braun's multi-error game the other night couldn't have helped his cause.

Some Brewers fans may be even more disappointed to see Ned Yost back in the dugout next season. Despite a somewhat tepid vote of confidence from owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Doug Melvin this week, there are some in the organization who believe that Yost is not out of the woods. We at Saturday Scorecard believe that Yost will return in '08, but will be on a very short leash. If the team doesn't play well in the first half, he could be replaced.

The final disappointment looming is the one 90 miles down the road. If the Cubs win the World Series, there may be a line to jump off the Hoan Bridge.

Brewers fans may feel a bit depressed this weekend, and that is understandable. In time, however, fans will be able to look back on this season as an exciting first step. With a little bullpen retooling, this team has the talent to compete for several years. 

Fashion statement: We may be in he minority here, but it’s time for the Brewers to ditch the pinstripes, ball and glove logo and the whole “Retro Friday” idea.

Tradition is a wonderful thing, but the Brewers did not play well on Retro Fridays this year and were bad last year on “Retro Sunday.” The players don’t really like the old uniforms and are looking forward to establishing a tradition of their own in the new uniforms.

We’ll consult good friend Brian Nelson, aka “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” -- Uniforms, Nicknames, Colors, Logos and Emblems -- next week and see if he’ll render a verdict.

In sync: Before Yost-bashing became a summer pastime, a lot of Brewers fans aimed their criticism at TV announcers Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder. For most of the second half, the pair performed much better than the team on the field.

Wild finish: Everybody who still thinks that the wild card is bad for baseball, please raise your hand.

(Tapping foot……)

We didn’t think so. We now return you to an amazing finish in the National League and would could be a memorable playoff season.

Dome sweet dome: The smart money says that Brett Favre will break Dan Marino’s all-time touchdown record Sunday at the Metrodome. The Vikings will stop the game for a very brief recognition of the moment. If you blink, you’ll miss it.

Rested and ready: The Bucks open training camp next week. Center Andrew Bogut, who has purchased a home in Mequon, said he feels strong after taking the summer off from international competition.

While the integration of Yi Jianlian and the mollification of Charlie Bell no doubt will be big stories in camp, we can’t wait to see how much Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villaneuva are ready to contribute.

Panther Prowl: The UWM Alumni Association will host the third annual Panther Prowl on Sunday, Oct. 14. The certified 5-K run/walk event, which winds through the UWM campus and Upper Lake Park, funds student scholarships and alumni programs.

Jan Krystkowiak, the wife of Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak and a former women’s hoops player at UWM, is an honorary co-chair.

Drop the puck: Hockey season isn't just approaching. It's here. The Admirals play their final exhibition game against Chicago at 7 tonight at the Kern Center on the MSOE campus and they crank up the real games next week

Shocker: So, in addition to supporting dogfighting and the execution of dogs, Michael Vick smokes an occasional joint?

Who knew?

Swift kick: The United States women’s soccer team’s remarkable 51-match unbeaten streak ended with an ugly 4-0 loss to Brazil in the World Cup semifinal in Hangzhou, China.

There also was a lot of controversy.

U.S. coach Greg Ryan benched goalie Hope Solo, who had produced three straight shutouts, and started Briana Scurry, who hadn’t played in three months.

"It was the wrong decision, and I think that anybody that knows anything about the game knows that," Solo said after the match. "There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore ... It's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present.

"And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold-medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think."

The U.S., which got off to a shaky start when former Waukesha Catholic Memorial star Leslie Osborne headed a ball into her own goal while trying to clear a ball, will play Norway for third place, while defending champ Germany takes on Brazil for the title Sunday in Shangai.

Tough guy: Boxer Oscar de la Hoya better get in the ring and knock somebody out in the next couple days. On second thought… forget it. We’re never going to be able to forget those Internet pictures of him in the fishnet stockings. All the guys de la Hoya knocked out in his career have to feel as embarrassed by those shots as the subject.