Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, where we fearlessly wrestle with the pressing questions of the day, such as...

Which public figure are you more tired of hearing about -- Brett Favre or Danny Gokey?

On with the notes...

Understated, not overlooked: Ryan Braun's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning shook Miller Park to its pilings and paved the way for Trevor Hoffman's "Hell's Bells" intro music and a 3-2 victory over Chicago Friday night at Miller Park.

"He has a flair for the dramatic," right-hander Dave Bush said, referring to Braun, who was 2 for 3 and leads the Brewers with seven homers.

Although it went to the opposite field, Braun's homer was reminiscent of his eighth-inning blast against Chicago on the final day of last season, a shot that lifted the Brewers to a wild-card playoff berth.

"Not quite as dramatic as the home run last year, but definitely a lot of fun, just the energy, the excitement of the crowd that made it feel a little bit like last year," he said.

Braun, who had his family in the stands, celebrated by wagging his tongue like Michael Jordan as he slapped hands with first base coach Ed Sedar.

"I'm passionate," he said. "My intent is never to show anybody up or embarrass anybody. I think guys should be emotional, you should enjoy it. You don't hit too many home runs in big situations that you get to enjoy, so why not?"

The Brewers had plenty to enjoy in this game, but not all the moments were as loud as Braun's homer. The quiet moments still counted, though. For example:

* Bush cruised through another strong outing, using a sharp curveball to keep the Cubs off balance for seven innings.

* Carlos Villanueva, with help from Mitch Stetter, diffused a bases-loaded, one out situation in the eighth inning that turned the tide. Villanueva got Ryan Theriot to bounce into a force play and Stetter needed two pitches to retire pinch-hitter Geovany Soto on a fielder's choice.

* Cubs manager Lou Piniella, going for the kill after Koyie Hill's one-out double in the top of the eighth, lifted Angel Guzman for a pinch-hitter (Reed Johnson). That removed a tough reliever and set the stage for Aaron Heilman to lose the game.

* Rightfielder Corey Hart played a huge, unsung role in the game. Hart alertly backed up the right-field line on Bill Hall's throwing error in the eighth. That prevented a run from scoring. Hart then drew a leadoff walk against Aaron Heilman in the eighth, and scored on Braun's homer.

* The Brewers got a break when Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez dislocated his left shoulder diving for a ball hit by Ryan Braun. Look for Ramirez to be out six to eight weeks and Ryan Freel, acquired from Baltimore on Friday, to join the Cubs tonight. Ramirez wasn't around to hit in the ninth inning, which made things easier for Hoffman.

The little things, as they say, mean a lot.

And the saga continues: You didn't think the whole Favre thing would be easy, did you?

First, he was coming back. Then, he absolutely was not. Now, he's coming back if the Vikings' doctors tell him he doesn't need major surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Bottom line seems obvious. Favre wants to play. He wants to "stick it" to the Packers. If he didn't plan on coming back, the Jets would have had no reason to release him.

There are only a few certainties here. For starters, the Packers and Vikings play each other on Oct. 5 in Minneapolis on "Monday Night Football" and on Nov. 1 at Lambeau Field.

Between now and then, this story will take a bunch more twists and turns.

Backs to the wall: The Admirals' mission tonight in Houston is as simple as it gets in sports.

Win or go home.

Milwaukee trails the best-of-seven series, 3-1, and needs a victory to force Game 6 Monday night at the Bradley Center. Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin saved 27 shots in a 2-0 victory in Game 4.

It's not looking good right now. If you want to root the Admirals on, the game tonight will air on TV at Buck Bradley's, 1019 N Old World 3rd St.

Time to play ketchup: Hot dog (7 victories) and Bratwurst (6) are cleaning up in the nightly Sausage Race standings. Italian and Polish have one victory apiece and the Chorizo is winless.

Raw deal: I don't think Bob Melvin and Ned Yost are particularly close, but they would have plenty to talk about these days. Melvin was fired by Arizona this week when his team was 12-17. Yost got the gate from the Brewers when the club was on the brink of its first playoff berth in a generation.

Melvin is a sharp guy, a great communicator and -- let's not forget -- was the National League manager of the year two years ago.

Both Melvin and Yost sheltered players from criticism and many players responded by failing to live up to expectations. Never mind that Melvin wasn't the guy who sent Carlos Quentin and Emilio Bonifacio packing.

Like Yost, Melvin wasn't popular with his home fans. Ownership quivered and he paid the price.

Unfamiliar position: Matt Kenseth won the pole at Darlington Raceway? Really? The guy hasn't won a pole in four years, but he took it with a record lap of 179.51 mph.

Moving on: It's a shame that 7-footer Liam McMorrow won't play for Marquette due to undisclosed medical issues.

"We are very disappointed with the end result this has for Liam athletically, but because of the efforts and time spent over the last several weeks by all involved, we are excited that he is able to finish his academic career at Marquette," coach Buzz Williams said in a statement released by the school.

McMorrow, a native of Toronto, will stay in school to pursue a broadcasting degree. The Golden Eagles will use his scholarship on 7-2, 215-pound freshman center Youssoupha Mbao.

Larry King Lounge: Brewers lefty Mitch Stetter was as efficient as you can be Friday. He threw two pitches and got the victory... The Brewers are 13-4 since April 22, the best record in the majors during that span... Milwaukee starters have thrown 18 quality starts (6 innings or more, 3 earned runs or fewer). That's tops in the majors... The Brewers also have come from behind to win 10 games this season.... Jason Kendall needs seven hits to become the 225th player to reach 2,000 in his career.... Kendall is a big fan of "American Idol," but Casey McGehee still caught the ceremonial first pitch from Danny Gokey.... Gokey's first pitch was high, but his anthem was crisp.... You can tell the Brewers have a young team by the number of young kids playing in the clubhouse after victories.... The quote of the night came from J.J. Hardy. Asked about Hoffman's entrance to "Hell's Bells," the shortstop said "It's becoming our favorite song."... The attendance Friday was 42,025, the Brewers' sixth sellout of the season.