MILWAUKEE - It was Aug. 27 and the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers had just defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on second baseman Jim Gantner's two-run single in the ninth inning.

The victory, the Brewers' seventh in their last eight, gave the Brewers a 6½ game lead in the American League East with 36 games left in the season. As those final 36 games played out, Milwaukee's lead dropped to 1½ games over the Baltimore Orioles by Sept. 15 as the Brewers played without injured closer Rollie Fingers. Milwaukee regained a four-game advantage, but entered the final game of the season against Baltimore tied with the Orioles at 94-67.

In that final game, Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton gave up two runs over nine innings and the Brewers won 10-2 to clinch the AL East title and eventually won the AL pennant after falling behind the California Angels 2-0 in the best-of-five American League Championship season.

While the 1982 Brewers suffered their slump and major injury later in the season, their situation is somewhat similar to the current Brewers. After having an 8½ game lead on June 23, Milwaukee has lost its top pitcher - right-hander Ben Sheets - to injury and saw its lead over the Chicago Cubs whittled down to 1½ games.

"If (fans) are antsy with the lead

slipping away, they must have been having cardiac arrest in 1982," Sutton said. "It wasn't a cake walk. They were grinding before I got here and they were grinding after I got here."

While there are similarities between the two teams, how would the Brewers from 1982 rate this year's Brewers squad and would the former players want to suit up for their former teammate Ned Yost?

"The eras (make it difficult to compare)," said Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, the third baseman on the 1982 team. "The 1982 team was a more veteran club than guys here, whether it's (Prince) Fielder or (J.J.) Hardy or (Corey) Hart or (Rickie) Weeks, you can go on down the line.

"These guys established themselves the last couple of years," Molitor said. "In 1982, we had a lot of guys with 10 to 15 years of service. We had guys who had been playing a while so the experience factor plays a big part."

Molitor said the 2007 Brewers are more like the 1978-1981 teams that led up to the Brewers' only pennant. But this is a team he'd love to play for.

"I think this would be a very nice team," Molitor said. "They have a nice blend of power and speed. They tried to add a couple of veterans to help out with experience for the young guys and Ned has a nice aggressive style in his game."

Yost and pitching coach Mike Maddux are reasons Sutton wouldn't mind playing for the 2007 Brewers.

"They score a lot of runs and catch the ball," Sutton said. "I always wanted to play for clubs like that.

"There are some stars on the rise here and I like Ned's approach to managing and I like Mike Maddux as a pitching coach.

"It would have been a privilege to take the ball every fifth day for this club," Sutton said.

Pete Ladd, who took over closing duties for the 1982 Brewers after Fingers' injury in early September, said the current Brewers are in the same situation as the 1982 team.

"We had a young, but veteran team," Ladd said. "There are some veterans on this team along with some solid young players who came up through the organization.

"They got a solid nucleus; it's like our team from 1979 on when things started to happen."

While both teams have similarities, the big difference is the success the '82 team experienced . But, some of the former players believe that same success isn't far off on the horizon.

"They have enough talent, they can do it," said Ted Simmons, the Brewers catcher and team leader in 1982. "All I know is that I wouldn't want to come into a game and face those guys now.

"Heck, I wouldn't have wanted to face them back when I was 29 or 30."

Rob Picciolo, an infielder on the 1982 Brewers, said the 2007 team hasn't matured yet, but the future is looking good.

"I do think they have what it takes (to win the NL Central) and the thing that's exciting is, I think they have what it takes for a long time and that's what's fun about it," Picciolo said.

Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount, the 1982 American League MVP and former Brewers bench coach, said the 2007 Brewers have shown steady progress over the last couple years and could be ready to make their move this year.

"This is a good team that is very capable of winning this division," said Yount, who didn't believe it was fair to compare the two teams.

Yount joked his leaving as bench coach before the season might be the reason Milwaukee is winning.

"I don't know if I helped them," Yount said while laughing. "They're doing better without me. I figure the best thing they did was get me out of there because they're playing good ball."

Because the Brewers are playing good baseball, Yount would love the opportunity to play for them.

"No question, they're a competitive team," Yount said. "They're in first place and I like playing on first place teams. I didn't get to play on enough of them."