Tony DeMarco

Second-guesses of Game 1 decisions that could affect division series outcomes:

The wrong Brew: Interim skipper Dale Sveum pressed many of the right buttons after replacing Ned Yost in mid-September, and that helped the Milwaukee Brewers end a 26-year drought and sneak in as the wild card.

Sveum put some speed in Mike Cameron at the top of the lineup. He moved J.J. Hardy down to fifth to protect Prince Fielder and take some pressure off struggling Corey Hart. And best of all, he kept running out CC Sabathia on three days rest.

But starting Yovani Gallardo in Game 1 isn't going to make that list. Nothing against the talented young right-hander, who most likely, will be the Brewers' ace next season.

But prior to absorbing a 3-0 Game 1 loss to Cole Hamels, Gallardo had pitched exactly four big-league innings — against Pittsburgh, no less — since an early-May knee surgery (his second since spring training).

No Game 1 starter ever had made only 10 regular-season starts prior to Gallardo, so why throw him against the other team's ace in their home park? Gallardo gave up the three-run third inning that decided the game, and the Brewers are in a hole from which they aren't likely to climb out.

Granted, the other options weren't exactly enticing — David Bush and Jeff Suppan. But Gallardo was on a strict 85-pitch limit, and that also opened up the possibility of having to start a series by taxing a shaky bullpen. The pen performed admirably in soaking up four innings — but can that last?

Sveum also turned to right-handed hitters Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall against the talented lefty Hamels, even though neither had played much at all since Yost's departure. The two were hitless in five at-bats, and Weeks committed a critical error. Ray Durham — a switch-hitter who has been hot — was a better option.

Why Vazquez?: Let's see if we've got this series of events straight: Before the Sept. 23-25 showdown series between the Twins and White Sox, Ozzie Guillen called out Javier Vazquez, saying his right-hander hadn't been a big-game pitcher in the past. Maybe that's part of Ozzie's unique way of motivating, but the end result was a 9-3 loss in that series opener, in which Vazquez allowed five runs and nine hits in four innings.

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So Vazquez takes his next turn — on three days rest, no less — on the final Saturday of the regular season, and this one was worse: Seven runs allowed in 4.1 innings in a loss to Cleveland.

Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and Jon Danks follow Vazquez's dismal outing with three sharp performances, the Sox slipped into the playoffs as the AL Central champions, and who does Ozzie turn to in Game 1 of the division series?

Vazquez — rather than bringing back Buerhle and Floyd on three days rest for the first two games. Yes, the latter two have been grinding away on short rest lately, but getting a split in the first two games at Tropicana Field is absolutely critical to the Sox's chances in this series.

Of all four division series, no team faces a bigger home-field disadvantage than the White Sox going against the Rays. First of all, the Rays had the majors' best home record. Secondly, the White Sox's lack of speed and poor defense make them a terrible fit on turf — witness their 3-16 turf record this season.

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And no surprise, Vazquez once again didn't measure up in a 6-4 Rays' Game 1 win. At least he won't have to start again in this series. Buehrle will be able to come back for a potential Game 5 on regular rest.

What's up, Cubs fans?: Mark DeRosa pops a wind-aided home run just over the right-field wall to give the Cubs a 2-0, second-inning lead in Game 1, and you'd think a sold-out Wrigley Field would go nuts, right?

But not so much. Whether the real fans have been priced out of the park, a century of post-season failure has left a fan base waiting for the worst to happen, or both, the muted fan response did the Cubs absolutely no good.

And even with the James Loney grand slam, the Cubs only trailed 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning of the first game of a five-game series. But you would have thought the Cubs were facing elimination.

Yes, the game is played on the field, but there is something real and palpable about home-field advantage, especially in the postseason. The Cubs had the best home record in the National League during the regular season, but that evaporated with Ryan Dempster's wildness and the terrible mood set by Cubs fans.

Granted, the Cubs hitters didn't exactly offer much in the way of hope, but there's no excuse. Just think what would have happened if the crowd knew this stat: In 13 years of National League division series play, 23 of 26 teams that lost Game 1 have gone onto lose the series. And of the 16 teams that lost Game 1 in their own ballpark, only one — the 1999 Atlanta Braves — came back to win the series.

They know now.

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