Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, where we wrestle with the important questions of the day such as: "Who will be responsible for more hits this weekend, the Brewers' pitching staff or Phil Leotardo's crew on "The Sopranos?"

As we wait for the highly-anticipated final episode, we offer these notes for your viewing pleasure:

Off the rails: A month ago, the Brewers capped one of the more successful homestands in franchise history with a 9-1 record that pushed their overall mark to 24-10. Since then, they've dumped 18 of 27 games, including a 9-6 loss to dreadful Texas on Friday night.

Outside of Prince Fielder, who is tied for the major-league lead in homers, and right-hander Ben Sheets, a Dallas resident who will pitch an actual "home" game tonight, just about everyone on the club has seen his production sag during the skid. The Brewers have scored three runs or fewer in 15 of their last 23 games. Outside of Sheets, who has turned in seven consecutive "quality" starts, the pitching has been sporadic.

The only thing preventing a general panic is the generosity of the National League Central, where the 33-28 Brewers still enjoy a five-game lead and are the only team with a winning record.

Manager Ned Yost is coming under fire in some circles, but it should be noted that the Brewers have scored 273 runs this season and allowed 272. Based on the Bill James' "Pythagorean" theorem -- expected winning percentage = runs scored (squared) / runs scored (squared) + runs allowed (squared) -- the Brewers should be just about .500. The Cubs, who have out-scored opponents by a 278-247 margin, should be 33-26.

Although he isn't given to tirades and public displays of frustration, Yost may be tempted to tip over the clubhouse buffet if the level of play doesn't improve quickly. It can't help that the Rangers' starting rotation has a combined ERA of 7.00.

More exposure: With Fox picking up two upcoming Brewers games for national broadcasts (June 30 vs. the Cubs and July 21 against San Francisco), FSN Wisconsin will add a broadcast Aug. 2 against the Mets and WMLW will show the first game of a day-night doubleheader July 28 in St. Louis.

Memory lane: Prior to last night, the Brewers hadn't played Texas in nearly a decade. In the most recent meeting, Aug. 27, 1997 at County Stadium, the Rangers roughed up right-hander Steve Woodard en route to a 7-1 victory.

The Brewers, who finished third with a 78-83 mark that season, posted the following starting lineup that night against lefty Darren Oliver: 1, Fernando Vina, 2b; 2, Jose Valentin, ss; 3, Jack Voigt, lf; 4, Julio Franco, dh; 5, Jeff Cirillo, 3b; 6, Mark Loretta, 1b; 7, Jeromy Burnitz, rf; 8, Gerald Williams, cf; 9, Mike Matheny, c.

Voigt, a scrappy utility player who became a fan favorite thanks in part to Matt Vasgersian's dubbing him "Captain Jack," is currently the hitting coach for the Mets Class AAA team in New Orleans.

"I've always felt comfortable coming back to Milwaukee as a coach or a scout," Voigt said Friday from Des Moines. "I've always felt something inside that one day I'll be back there doing something for the Brewers. You never know."

Marking the spot: With help from UWM civil engineering professor Alan J. Horowitz and some senior students, the Brewers erected a monument to mark the landing spot of Hank Aaron's 755th home run. A plaque has been placed in the Brewers Lot 1, just beyond the left-field wall at Helfaer Field.

"I never dreamt that I would ever come back here after 30-something years and find the spot that the home run landed," Aaron, 73, said during the dedication ceremony. "This is truly a surprise, and I am so pleased."

Trivia buffs know that Aaron's final homer came July 20 off California right-hander Dick Drago. That's more than Hammerin' Hank remembers. "I just don't remember the incident, who was on base, or whether anybody was on base," Aaron said. "When you get to the end [of a career], you never know when this is going to be the last one."

Aaron sidestepped a question about San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds closing in on the record. "I don't have any thoughts about Barry Bonds," Aaron said. "I don't even know how to spell his name."

The plaque is located just behind a parking stall. We hope that fans know not to put a charcoal grill on it during a tailgate party.

"I don't think, if it had been hit on the road, that there'd be a plaque somewhere," said Aaron, who is expected to return to Milwaukee in August for a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Braves' world championship.

"It's always a pleasure to be back here in Milwaukee."

Capturing a Gator: The Brewers created a buzz when they selected University of Florida slugger Matt LaPorta with the seventh overall pick in the first-year player draft. LaPorta, a two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year, will begin his pro career in left field after spending most of his college days at first base.

Commentators from ESPN, which broadcast the proceedings from Orlando, referred to the pick as "a bombshell," which amused LaPorta, who watched in California.
"I think it was kind of funny that they were kind of caught off-guard," LaPorta said. "I don't have words to explain it -- it's just an awesome feeling to hear your name getting called."
Part of the reason for the surprise was that LaPorta played first base, a position the Brewers expect to be manned for the next few years by Prince Fielder.

"My philosophy has always been to take the best of something," scouting director Jack Zduriencik said. "When we took (high school pitcher) Jeremy Jeffress last year, we thought he had the best fastball in the country. When we took Prince, we felt he was the best hitter in the country. When we took Rickie (Weeks), we felt he was the best player in the country. So, in this particular case ... we got a guy [first-round pick Matt LaPorta] who we feel is one of the better power hitters in the country.

Although he is represented by agent Scott Boras, LaPorta will likely sign quickly with the Brewers, most likely a deal worth about $2.3 million.

"The one thing that our organization has done is we get players signed," general manager Doug Melvin said. "We can convince them that this is the right thing to do. If you look at Prince, you look at Rickie [Weeks], you look at Ryan Braun, they all signed within three or four weeks. We want players who want to play and want to be with the Milwaukee Brewers. We're not going to sit and wait for players to sign until Aug. 14 (the day before the new deadline)."

Moving on: A few years ago, Racine native / tackle Kevin Barry was a star in the Packers' U-71 package. With the team entering its second season of zone blocking, Barry will need to rent a U-Haul. He was released Friday.

Dollar days: Once the Bradley Center announced a $1 surcharge for tickets to sporting events, the Bucks and Admirals scrambled to put out press releases that they will absorb the fee. The Bucks will do so for all full- and half-season ticket accounts purchased or renewed by June 30. The Admirals will pay the extra $1 for all season ticket packages and "build your own" plans purchased before Oct. 10.

"We feel that it is our obligation to reward our most loyal fans by keeping the prices on their tickets at their originally established levels," Admirals president Jon Greenberg said. "We pride ourselves on our ability to make Admirals hockey an entertaining and affordable event and we look forward to another exciting season in 2007-‘08."

Bradley Center officials say the $1 per ticket increase will go toward building maintenance and enhancing the fan experience.