MILWAUKEE -- A little more than seven months ago, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, with a smile on his face, urged the Brewers' mostly inexperienced roster to seize the opportunities afforded by an organization entering its second full season of rebuilding.
Rebuilding seemed so much more distant than that after the Brewers remained in postseason contention until Game No. 161 of 162.
"It was not expected this season," Attanasio said during the final homestand. "Or, if somebody did expect it, I'd like to know who it was. Maybe [Brewers manager] Craig Counsell might have expected it. Craig said, 'Don't put any limits on the team,' and then [GM] David [Stearns] adopted that way of speaking.