As the March wind chill drops temperature into the single digits, it's time to start thinking about the boys of summer and more specifically, the Milwaukee Brewers. The spring training hype about the team has already begun, and I thought it would be interesting to sit down for a candid interview with a high-ranking Brewers executive, who wished to have his name withheld because he is not real.

Q: Where does newly signed slugger Carlos Lee fit into that equation?

A: Well, we've had good consistency with over-priced hitters. You can look at players like Greg Vaughn and Jeffrey Hammonds for illustrations of that, or Geoff Jenkins more recently.

Q: How about Miller Park? Do you still believe the stadium itself will be able to draw fans like in the past?

A: In a word: yes. Usually when a team builds a new ballpark, fans flock to check out the amenities and to enjoy just how spectacular it is. We don't really have that at Miller Park, but we do have something that no team with a brand-new stadium has, and we think it will draw fans.

Q: And that would be?

A: We have a leaky roof. We regard it as our own version of Old Faithful.

Q: The rumor mill is churning with talk of a Ben Sheets trade later in the year. Any truth to those rumors?

A: Well certainly, we like to be consistent with our process of trading all-stars. For example, Dan Kolb went to his first all-star game this past year, and we got rid of him. I would say if Sheets continues his level of play, certainly we'll be looking to move him to maybe pick up some good prospects.

Q: Uh, huh. And about those prospects, a lot of baseball experts have the Brewer farm system rated pretty high. Your thoughts on that?

A: That's what we're about. We're trying to get younger, get some good prospects and hopefully develop them into all-star caliber players.

Q: Then would you trade them when they get to that level?

A: Well, obviously, we wouldn't be able to afford them. However, we would be able to afford some highly-touted prospects from that trade. Like I said, it's all about consistency.

Q: So, for a final question, what would you say is your final and ultimate goal for this season?

A: To finish above .500 next season.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 3 2005.