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Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 | 7:31 a.m.

What: San Diego at Milwaukee

When: 5 tonight

Pitchers: Greg Maddux (13-11) vs. Ben Sheets (12-5) or Chris Capuano (5-12)

TV: ESPN,

Cox cable Channel 30

Sports Illustrated Players' Poll

Who is the smartest person in baseball?

10% Greg Maddux, San Diego pitcher

9% Billy Beane, Oakland GM

5% Tony LaRussa, St. Louis manager

5% Brad Ausmus, Houston catcher

4% Bobby Cox, Atlanta manager

Season stats

Record: 13-11

ERA: 4.10

Innings: 193

Walks: 25

Strikeouts: 101

Earnings: $10 million

Record: 346-214

ERA: 3.11

Innings: 4,809 1/3

Walks: 969

Strikeouts: 3,270

Earnings: $144 million

Based on the opinions of 469 of his peers, longtime Las Vegan Greg Maddux is the smartest person in baseball.

According to last week's Sports Illustrated players' poll, "Mad Dog" is smarter than Commissioner Bud Selig or anyone else in baseball's headquarters in New York.

He has more going on upstairs than every general manager and manager in the game, even more than Ivy Leaguers such as San Diego teammate Chris Young.

The 41-year-old right-hander has won six of his past nine starts.

He'll need every bit of those brains, experience and guile to keep the Padres in playoff contention tonight in Milwaukee.

And he'll need to outfox his brother, Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux, who is trying to help his club do something in the postseason for the first time in 25 years.

1. Flat brew

Greg Maddux has dominated the Brewers, going 14-6 with a 2.73 earned-run average in 25 lifetime starts against Milwaukee. He won his only meeting against the Brewers this season, an 8-6 decision , in May in San Diego.

2. Royalty

Prince Fielder will play a major role tonight and in the weekend series. In the game in San Diego on May 25, he slammed a two-out solo home run off Maddux. On Tuesday Fielder, 23, became the youngest player to hit 50 dingers in a season.

3. In addition

Milwaukee leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks and Gabe Gross each finagled two hits off Maddux in San Diego, and both Brewers smacked triples off the Valley High graduate.

4. Ironman

Last week, Maddux tweaked his lower back when a cleat caught the mound during a delivery against Pittsburgh. He threw for two more innings before retiring, and an MRI showed no damage. Against Colorado on Sunday he didn't get through the fourth inning and yielded eight hits and five runs. He has been on the disabled list only once in his 20-year career, for three weeks in 2002 . He has credited San Diego's trainers for helping him feel stronger deeper in a season than in recent years.

5. Walk on by

Maddux has walked two batters in each of his past two games. He hadn't done that all season. In one stretch, he went 59 2/3 innings without walking an opponent. His WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) is 1.24, 10th best in the National League.