April 9, 1993.  Packers fans know that date well.  That's the day the Green Bay Packers landed prized free agent Reggie White.  The acquisition put Green Bay back on the map and sent a message to the rest of the NFL: "we're for real."  Will Brewers fans look back on July 7, 2008 in the same fashion?  Granted, CC Sabathia likely won't reach the same stratosphere that White reached but the message sent by the Brewers was loud and clear: we're in this thing.

There's no way the Brewers would've made this move 10 years ago or 5 years ago.  Heck, just last year the Brewers only mustered a minor deal for Scott Linebrink.  This time around the Brewers are serious and it sent shockwaves around the league.  Chicago's trade for Rich Harden served an an unpleasant reminder that the trading season has just begun.  You can count on St. Louis, Philadelphia and a host of others to wheel-and-deal by month's end.

In fact, the rest of the National League will get serious about the Brewers.  Colorado came into town and put up quite a fight, forcing the Brewers to settle for a series tie.  Congratulations to Corey Hart for nabbing the last all-star roster spot but you know the rest of the NL is watching the way Hart and Braun piled up votes for the All Star Game.  Heading into the final weekend before the break, how could you not feel good about what this team has done over the last eight weeks?  The Brewers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball and they've stayed hot.  Now they've got another all star.  Sabathia's debut on Tuesday night sparked an electric feel throughout the city.  The kind of feeling that ignites when fans know their team is for real.