I had the weirdest dream earlier this week, a real vivid one that somehow got crammed into a power nap.

It's the summer of 2013 and I'm watching "SportsCenter" on ESPN. Marsh Shapiro is doing the highlights alongside Robb Vogel.

They're doing a piece on the biggest, steamiest rivalry in baseball and they aren't talking about the Yankees-Red Sox.

"When the Brewers and Cubs get together, everyone stops to watch," Vogel said.

"This has been building for the last five years or so," Shapiro said. "There's nothing quite like it."

Whoa.

My dream plasma screen suddenly is filled with narrated video clips.

I see Ben Sheets pitching for Chicago, a nasty curve dropping off the table and freezing Corey Hart for a called strike as the crowd at Wrigley Field goes wild.

I see new Cubs owner Mark Cuban doing the Beer Barrel Polka atop the visiting dugout at Miller Park, this after Chicago swept the Brewers in the National League Championship Series to advance to the World Series in 2011.

I hear how Cuban swooped in and hired Jack Zduriencik as his general manager in 2010, doubling the salary of the former Brewers amateur scouting genius.

I see Carlos Zambrano buzz Prince Fielder's tower, followed by wild-eyed Brett Lawrie cold-cocking Zambrano as the benches empty at Wrigley.

I hear how Zambrano and Fielder have been feuding ever since Fielder hit three home runs off Z-man during a NLCS-clinching win in 2009.

I hear how Zambrano subsequently guaranteed the Cubs would win the World Series in 2010, saying he would "make the Brewers disappear faster than Bartman."

I see Yovani Gallardo no-hit the Cubs on the final day of the regular season in 2012, clinching the NL Central Division title for the Brewers and eliminating Chicago from playoff contention.

Shapiro and Vogel are back on camera to discuss the ongoing four-game series at Miller Park.

Marsh explains how the second-place Brewers lost the first two games despite great pitching performances from CC Sabathia and Manny Parra.

Seems they couldn't offset two killer errors and a botched rundown involving second baseman Rickie Weeks.

During a live shot of the postgame press conference, Milwaukee manager Ned Yost gets snippy defending Weeks.

"He'll be fine," Yost said. "We just need to stay patient with him."

I see Chris Mortensen join Vogel to speculate on what moves the Brewers will make before the non-waiver trade deadline.

The juiciest rumor has Milwaukee offering its entire Class AA roster to San Francisco for four-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

"You figure the Brewers have to make that deal," Mortensen says, "because the first-place Cubs already anted up eight players to get Scott Kazmir from Tampa."

I hear Shapiro say something about the Cubs and Brewers "having payrolls that would make Steinbrenner blush."

I see a camera shot of the press box at Wrigley. It's the seventh-inning stretch and fans are cranking their necks to see who will be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Oh, God. Brett and Ted are doing a duet.

I haven't slept since.

Contact Andy Baggot at abaggot@madison.com or 608-252-6175.