Two non-Red Sox related baseball items:

• The Brewers firing of Ned Yost with only 12 games left in the season was a bit of a shock. After all, the Brewers were tied with Philadelphia for the wild card lead. However, the Brew Crew had faltered in September after going 20-7 in August and had just been swept in a four game series with the Phillies. So, owner Mark Attanasio and GM Bob Melvin acted decisively, axing Yost and replacing him with third base coach (and former Sox coach) Dale Sveum. Can Sveum restart the Brewers and get them into the post-season for the first time since Ronald Reagan's first term? That remains to be seen. The Brewers window for getting into the playoffs could slam shut when Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia become free agents after the season, so I'm sure the front office felt a lot of pressure to pull the team out of a second consecutive late season nose dive. I certainly don't know much about what the atmosphere is like in the Milwaukee clubhouse, but obviously the Brewers front office felt that fixing it couldn't wait. It's an extremely bold move. Let's see if it works out.

• I caught the last couple of outs of Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter on Sunday night. Zambrano has been struggling with shoulder problems this season. His return to dominant form bodes well for a good run by the Cubbies in the playoffs. Can the Cubs bring the World Series back to Wrigley Field for the first time since World War II? A healthy Zambrano certainly increases the odds in their favor.