 10/22/2003 12:47 AM ET
Topics abound at second fan forum
Richie Sexson's contract tops questions at event
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By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
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Brewers host second annual fan forum 
MILWAUKEE -- Judging from the town hall meeting of sorts at Miller Park on Tuesday night, Brewers fans are excited about baseball again.
"There isn't so much to be mad about," said Joy Michlak of Milwaukee, one of 2,751 fans who attended the second annual Brewers Fan Forum. "I wanted to come and show support for the team. It was better this year."
Brewers president and CEO Ulice Payne, Jr., general manager Doug Melvin and field manager Ned Yost fielded two hours of questions from fans in-house and via e-mail on subjects including Richie Sexson's status, shortstop prospect J.J. Hardy and the team's minor league system, ticketing policies and in-game entertainment. Attendees also participated in "instant fan balloting" to determine various in-game features for 2004.
Attendance was down a bit from last year, when more than 4,200 mostly frustrated fans met Payne and Melvin for the first time. The team was coming off a 106-loss season and Yost had yet to be hired.
The tone Tuesday was decidedly different.
"The people didn't know us last year and they didn't know what they were going to hear," Payne said. "This year, I think they came with more opinions. Last year they came to listen, this year they came to give their two cents worth."
The Brewers made a 12-game improvement in 2003, the first season with Yost at the helm. Questions at Tuesday's forum, moderated by television play-by-play man Daron Sutton, focused more on baseball and less on the business and philosophical aspects that dominated the inaugural event.
The night ended with messages of thanks from all three members of the panel.
"We're making headway. We're getting to where we want to go," Yost told the crowd. "We know how we want to get there."
In newsworthy tidbits:
After one question, Sutton got to the topic on most fans' minds: Will the Brewers trade Richie Sexson this winter? Melvin said he met over the weekend in New York with Casey Close, Sexson's agent, and has begun negotiations to extend the All-Star first baseman's contract beyond 2004. "Richie is very aware of the possibilities of coming back here or being a free agent after this year," Melvin said. "I don't have the answer to that question yet.
"We would love to have him back here next year. I think that everybody would. But we do run the risk of losing a quality player and getting nothing back in return. We have a lot of holes to fill on our ballclub for the future."
Melvin also noted that outfielder Geoff Jenkins is in the same boat. Both men will earn more than $8 million in 2004, the final season of four-year deals.
Hardy, who is currently playing for Team USA in Arizona, will get a chance in Spring Training to compete with Bill Hall for the Brewers' starting shortstop job. He batted .279 with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs at Double-A Huntsville this season.
Not surprisingly, Payne said payroll will likely be down in 2004 from the $40-45 million at the start of 2003. "Can I tell you what it will be? No," Payne said. "But I can tell you that we are tired of losing."
Payne is already in discussions with the Single-A Midwest League about hosting at least one Beloit Snappers game in 2004, and the Brewers will also work to host a Huntsville Stars game or series. More than 14,000 fans paid to see the Snappers play the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers last August, but Payne said next season's matchup could come in April, when the Miller Park dome would benefit both teams.
Many of the prospects who finished last season at Beloit, including Tony Gwynn, Jr., Rickie Weeks, Manny Parra and USA TODAY Minor League Player of the Year Prince Fielder, are expected to begin next season in Huntsville, and Payne said he wants to bring them back to Milwaukee. Payne floated the idea of a Huntsville series against the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox affiliate, between Miller Park and Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field.
Considering the complicated logistics, details of that series may be some time in the making.
Outfield prospect Dave Krynzel and pitching hopeful Ben Hendrickson are the most likely candidates to make the leap to Milwaukee some time in 2004, according to Melvin, though both will almost certainly start the season in the minor leagues.
Though the topic was not broached at the forum, Payne said the team will make changes to the "Pointe Host" format that drew mixed reviews in 2003. Local radio personalities Ginger Jordan and Sandy Maxx shared in-game host duties, and Payne said changes could come in terms of personnel and the frequency of their scoreboard appearances. "We changed during the year, but now we know more about how to use them," Payne said. "Maybe there will be more interactive stuff."
The popular "Buckethead Brigade" promotion will return for Tuesday home games. Sutton suggested an "all-Buckethead" road trip to Chicago's Wrigley Field for a Brewers-Cubs game.
The team is exploring ways to allow fans to make the decision on whether the roof is open or closed for games, either via MilwaukeeBrewers.com or a call-in system. Currently, club officials make those calls based on data from the National Weather Service. "You can tell us how you want your ballpark to be," Payne said.
One fan suggested adding Bob Uecker's name to the bank of retired numbers at Miller Park, and Payne said the team will consider it. Uecker joined the broadcaster's wing of the Hall of Fame in 2003, and would join fellow Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (44), Rollie Fingers (34), Robin Yount (19) and Jackie Robinson (41) in a display over the center-field scoreboard.
The Women on Wednesdays program, which debuted in 2003, will be back, sponsored by Kohl's Department Stores.
The Miller Park stadium district last week approved $300,000 to overhaul the ballpark's quirky sound system.
Thanks to on-the-spot decisions by fans, the Brewers will feature the old "m-b" logo on hat day, will give away bobblehead dolls depicting fan favorite and Wisconsin native Jim Gantner, will bring back the organ for a second season at Miller Park and will reinstate the traditional "Beer Barrel Polka" as the music of choice after "Take Me Out To The Balkgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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