...that the National League's laughingstock division would produce baseball's laughingstock contender?

Florida's Cody Ross, who connected for a run-scoring pinch-hit double in today's Marlin win, their tenth in a row over the Cubs spanning the last two seasons, had this to say about the still possible National League Central Division champions:

"You can look in their dugout, and it's just like panic mode. They're pacing up and down. We would be in the same boat if the situation were reversed."

But then, the situation isn't reversed. It's the famously inept, unclutch, heartbreaking Cubs who are being crushed under the weight of reasonable expectations.

Typical of the way things have unfolded this year in the Central, the Brewers are currently losing 5-1 to the Padres in the fourth inning at Miller Park, so the Cubs could well see their magic number trimmed to two, despite themselves.

It's been a long day. Especially the part that began at 3:05 Chicago time.