Millions got pretty much what they expected Friday night.

       No, not a Brewers win and a Mets loss that has Milwaukee on the cups of the National League Wild Card and the team's first playoff berth in more than a quarter-century.      Nobody anticipated that.

       The first presidential debate pitting John McCain and Barack Obama came off with both men landing solid blows and no one getting knocked to the canvass.     In this judge's humble opinion, McCain was very good at working in some points (and the long, complicated names of various Balkan leaders) stressing his foreign policy experience and very bad at acknowledging his opponent's presence in the room (did he EVER make eye contact with Obama after the first handshake, and why did he ignore Jim Lehrer's repeated entreaties to engage directly?).     And, what was with Obama doing Lehrer's work, asking for the next question when he appeared to either be tired of the topic or the point McCain was making?   Obama worked hard to link McCain to the Bush Administration while refuting McCain's claim of "liberal congressional voting record" by saying he was only refuting what he termed the President's failed policies.      Both set a dreary tone at the start by talking around the biggest issue of the day, the ongoing financial crisis and the 700 billion dollar rescue plan that's still getting the MAACO treatment in Congress Saturday morning.

       The debate lacked a so-called "Bentsen moment" where one candidate delivers a spleen-rupturing verbal blast on his foe, and no one had a Reaganesque "are you better now that you were four years ago?" scene-setter.      

       I'm guessing that changes Thursday night, when Sarah Palin and Joe Biden have at it in the Battle of the Would-Be VP's.

       Biden has years of experience but with that, a Congressional voting record that his foe could easily parse.      He also has a propensity for the verbal gaffe--he gives a great speech, but anything can happen when the candidate goes off the script.      Biden will have to walk the fine line between sounding experienced, and talking down to the Alaska governor.       He'll have to be stern but without condescension.     Biden doesn't want to come off as dismissive, or mean-spirited.      

       Palin needs to show some gravitas--quick.     Recent one-on-one interviews with Katie Couric did nothing to burnish her image and are only fueling critics' claims that she's not ready for the gig.      

        She's been a rock star on the stump, fueled at the start on the strength of the speech she gave at the Republican convention and then continued to parrot at various stops afterward.       Thursday gives her the chance to beat the buzz that the campaign is keeping her in bubble-wrap, sheltered for dangerous q-and-a's with reporters where she seems to lose momentum.

       It's going to be great television.      A can't miss campaign moment.

      Unless, of course, the Brewers are in the playoffs.       Elections happen every four years.       Milwaukee postseason opportunities vanish for a quarter century at a time.