I'm sure we've all felt like a big cheese dick at some point and caught ourselves dancing to the soothing sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire at a Wedding or at some seedy bar after a few adult sodas. Yeah? Ok, not everyone. Anyhow, it seems like Baseball has become synonymous with the worn cliché of "the hunt for October." Ah, it's oh so clever. However, what really matters is September, because that is where the best Division in Baseball will be decided, the NL Central.

Sorry, to the East Coast standard of those who believe the Yankees/Red Sox is the end all or for even that matter, the Phillies/Mets. Sure, sure…those finishes are going to be equally as compelling on a whole grander, media frenzied sort of a way. However, maybe and just maybe the best 3 teams in Baseball lay smack dab in the middle of the country where glitz and glamour is often over looked and/or superseded by Beer and greasy food? That's right folks; the Midwest is where it's at.

The Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals have all managed to carve out a designation as one of the top contenders in the National League. The problem being, only two of these teams at best are going to make the Playoffs and even that's not a guarantee with the Mets, Phillies and Marlins having their own ménage à trois. One could argue that the Cardinals represent the weakest link of this group, but a continued push from Tony LaRussa to answer the dealing of the Cubs and Brewers could change that train of thought overnight.

Ironically, it is the month of September when this will all be settled. Of course, the Brewers are currently dusting off the Cardinals to gain leverage in the race and have a four game series with the Cubs next week. Anyhow, the Cubs seem to get the short end of the stick, but it can be used to their benefit…if they just win. You see, the Cubs face the Brewers and Cardinals an astounding six times each in the month of September alone. You can bank on the September 16th through 21st home stand at Wrigley against the Cards and Brewers in succession to be the most pivotal juncture of the Cubs season.

Of course, the Cubs must take their awful road show to Milwaukee for the final weekend of the regular season. Hmm, in total the Cubs have 61 games left on their schedule and a total of 19 of them are against either the Cards or Brewers. Do the math, that's friggin' 1/3 of their games against their most relevant competition. Like I said, this can either help or hurt their post season chances. If they are truly better than both teams, they will win and make this a moot point. However, if this Cub team falters and gags it away down the stretch…they'll have nobody to blame, but themselves.

I believe the term is "controlling your own destiny." Regardless, this race is wide open and as much as it pains me to realize that one of the best Cubs teams to come around in a long, long time…might not be good enough to make it to October. And as we all know, that depends on just how well they dance…in September.Subscribe to us