They’re celebrating in beer town. The Brewers knocked off the Cubs in Game 5, winning 3-1, to advance to the Championship Series against the Dodgers.

It will be David versus Goliath as far as payrol;l is concerned. The Dodgers, you will recall bought every single conceivable free agent last offseason, even some they didn’t seem to need at all.  And when the spending was over, they spent more. It was a forgone conclusion they’d win the World Series. If they had won every single game this season, been the first teem to go undefeated, that wouldn’t have been a surprise.

The Brewers, on the other hand, assembled a collection of baseball players from the sale aisle. Longtime Brewer Christian Yelich and catcher William Contraras are about the only players anyone’s ever heard of. Yet, here they are, the same place as the Dodgers, playing a best-of-seven for a trip to the World Series.

The Dodgers had the second-highest payroll in baseball, at a tick over $321 million. Milwaukee was twenty-third in payroll, at $115 million, almost a third less than LA’s. 

You can bet every single owner, include the Rangers’, is well aware of that situation. And you can be ever single owner, except the Dodgers’, is pulling for Milwaukee to win. And every single owner will call his general manager and say, do what they are doing. Actually, owners don’t care whether their own teams win the World Series. Getting to this point is enough for them. 

The Rangers are going to be tasked to build a winner with less. “And why not?” the owner will ask. If Milwaukee can do it, so can we.

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