It's hard to believe that it was just about 10 days ago that Milwaukee Brewers had won their seventh straight game, forcing a deadlock with the Chicago Cubs atop the N.L. Central.  Oh how things have changed for the Brew Crew. The Brewers have dropped seven of nine. They got swept by the Cubs in a four-game showdown last week, and saw their lead for the wild card reduced to a half-game over idle St. Louis with their latest loss on Monday night.

The frustration reached its boiling point as Milwaukee opened up their series with Reds at Great American Ballpark. With the Brewers en route to a 6-3 loss, starting pitcher Manny Parra and first baseman Prince Fielder engaged in a dispute in the visiting dugout during the top of the seventh inning that resulted in Fielder physically attacking Parra. The irate Fielder had to be pulled off the stunned pitcher by several teammates and wrestled to the floor. The whole thing was caught on camera and has already been played 462 times this morning on SportsCenter.

It was Aug. 2 of last season when manager Ned Yost became involved in a dugout dispute with catcher Johnny Estrada and infielder Tony Graffanino, neither of whom is with the team this year. Yost at the time downplayed the incident and said it was nobody’s business, a refrain he repeated this time around.

“It’s not a big deal,” Yost told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “For eight months a year, we’re a family. At times things happen, flare up, but it’s between the family. It’s in the family. 

Yost can write it off all that he wants, but as his team is fighting each other and losing their poise once again this August, the Cubs are getting seperation and gearing up for a second straight division title.  The Brewers laid it on the line when they rented C.C. Sabathia and have some of the best young talent in baseball, but if they don't get to the post-season in '08, Yost might be finding a new job.