{image1} Brewers Executive Vice President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger considers himself a lucky guy. The Milwaukee native took the job during the Ulice Payne regime and stayed through the transition to new owner Mark Attanasio.
Effectively running the day-to-day operations of the team, Schlesinger is just a few weeks shy of his 44th birthday. He's not the youngest in his field, but he's quickly risen through the ranks as a Los Angeles attorney to a Disney and Anaheim Angels executive, and now back home to River Hills. A father of three, he says he counts his blessings "only about 20 times a day."
As the Brewers close in on their first non-losing season since 1992, Schlesinger admits that he's not sleeping much these days. Still, we caught up with him last week in this latest edition of Milwaukee Talks.
OMC: The Brewers will finish right around .500 in 2005. Whether you hit that mark or not, do you consider this to be a successful season?
Rick Schlesinger: Yeah, I would. We want to win as many games as we can for the rest of the season and finish strong. But whether we finish 82-80 or 80-82, I think, overall, we don't consider this the greatest season in the history of the franchise, because it's not. We know we have a lot of work to do. But what we look at is if we've built momentum in the community, if the team performed better on the field, and if we're better positioned for the future. The answer to all those questions is yes. You can't do everything in one season, and Mark (Attanasio) has definitively made an impact. I think we've made some good strides and have to continued to raise the bar.
OMC: Do you think there's more honesty between the new ownership and the fans?
RS: I wasn't here before January of 2003, so it's hard for me to gauge what was said. I think, candidly, people confused optimism with being less than honest. I don't subscribe to that. I think Wendy (Selig-Prieb) and the commissioner (Bud Selig) were expressing a lot of optimism, and I think in this business you have to be an optimist. You are selling something to a community. You're selling the promise of good times, you're selling hope and faith, and if you fall short on the field, people will say you're not honest. I'm saying I don't always agree with that. From our perspective, since I've been here, I think we do owe the fans and the community honesty about where we are as franchise, and sometimes it's painful to be honest. I think what we did over the last few years with a reduced payroll -- we were being honest why we were doing it. Maybe that wasn't the message fans wanted to hear, but it was the honest message. We try to pride ourselves in being candid while still being optimistic.
OMC: Attendance is up significantly, so you must be doing something right. Why are more people going to Brewers games?
RS: The key factor is performance of the team on the field. We're in the business to win baseball games. Everything else we do is designed to help support a winning baseball team. There is no question that we're playing our best baseball on the field in years. Not only are we winning more games, the games are more exciting. We've scored more runs than we've allowed, which says to you that the games have been close, even games we've lost. There have been very few games where we've just been blown out. It's been exciting baseball, it's been more winning baseball. First and foremost, I attribute the increase in attendance to that.
Secondly, our new owner has brought some enthusiasm, a fresh look and some hope to people who may have been disenfranchised by prior ownership for whatever reason. The third component has been our tremendous schedule this year. We've had 10 games against the Cubs, we've had the Yankees. We've been fortunate to have a really good schedule that's conducive to attendance. The fourth factor is that we've significantly increased our marketing and advertising budget this year. Marketing doesn't drive attendance, it supports attendance. If we do a better job of messaging, it will translate to better attendance.
{image3}OMC: You joined the team under Ulice Payne and stayed on while the team was sold, but it's panned out nicely for you. Did you worry about job security?
RS: It was interesting because when I came to the Brewers, I was expecting to work for one president for the entire duration of my employment situation, and I had no inkling that the team was going to be sold. Obviously, we had some dramatic changes. The president left and the team was put up for sale. (Chief Financial Officer Bob Quinn and I) were so busy doing the day-to-day operations of the club that we didn't have a lot of time to think about our future. It was blessing in disguise that we were busy trying to do everything. We thought that we had done a good job under tough circumstances, and thought that Mark was the type of guy who would let management prove themselves. I thought he wasn't an owner who would come in and make change for change's sake.
OMC: What is Mark Attanasio like as a boss?
RS: From my perspective, it's an ideal situation because Mark has made it clear that he expects the management to run the team, and he will hold us accountable, based on our decision making, which is what I want. Because if I'm going to be held accountable, I want the authority to make decisions. That's something I like to do, and I'm confident that we're making mostly correct decisions that we will be rewarded for. It's been a great relationship. He's a very smart guy and he lets me know in what areas he wants information about, what areas he's interested in, and he values our judgment and our opinions. When we've gone to Mark for additional resources, whether it's additional funds or additional human resources, he's given all the tools we need.
OMC: How often do you talk to him?
RS: I talk to him quite a bit. We communicate through the phone and through Blackberry and through e-mail. I talk to him many times a week in some form or another. In the 21st century, you can follow the team quite closely. He watches the game on television, listens to the radio broadcasts and follows us in the media. He's very much in touch.
{image2} OMC: You have a ton of job responsibilities, and one of them is team public relations. This winter, you may have to deal with trading a very popular player, Lyle Overbay. How do you balance what's good for the team and what the fans want to see?
RS: My answer to that question is the Richie Sexson trade. That's the model. Richie was a popular fan favorite, but Doug Melvin decided that in order to improve the team we had to trade him. Doug and I don't talk about keeping a player because of his marketing appeal. You could say the same thing about Scott Podsednik. Both of those trades were done purely for baseball reasons. I would never want a general manager thinking about baseball moves based on the marketing appeal of a particular player. What invariably happens is you do that once, then you do it twice, and all of a sudden your team is not constructed for what is best for baseball. And marketing appeal here is winning baseball. The fans here want a winning baseball team. We'll have enough home-grown players who are attractive to the fans. When you're winning, all of sudden, a lot of fans will embrace the Rickie Weeks, the JJ Hardys, the Geoff Jenkins. Certainly Lyle is a fan favorite and a heck of a nice guy, but if Doug Melvin thinks he needs to make a deal, he will, and marketing considerations won't drive it.
OMC: Is Milwaukee still a baseball city?
RS: Oh, absolutely. One of the things that our new owner has been impressed with is how big of a baseball city Milwaukee is. There's no question how big the Packers are here. They're the dominant team in the state, and for good reason. They've been a tremendously successful organization, and they have a legacy. But I will tell you that we've got 2.2 million fans coming to see the Brewers this year in the smallest market in baseball, with a team coming off a last-place finish. If you take Milwaukee out of the equation, and ask someone what this team will draw? You'd get numbers about 1.7 million. The proof is in our attendance numbers, the proof is in our TV ratings. This is a huge baseball town.
OMC: Last time you and I talked, we were discussing a possible return the old logo. The fans obviously spoke on that one. Any developments on a switch?
RS: There's no question the old logo has a lot of appeal, and without tipping my hand, we're taking that into account in some of our off-season decision making. I think there's a place for the old and the new. A lot of people like the old logo because they associate it with when the Brewers were good. I recognize that. I also think the old logo is very neat-looking, it has that retro look. But I'm also a believer that this team will win with the new logo very soon. As we win, the new logo will increase its appeal. There's a place for both, and I think we will figure out a healthy balance that is respectful of both logos.
OMC: Do you have anything else in store for next season?
{image4}RS: We're working on some ballpark improvements. We haven't made any final decisions, but I'm certainly comfortable telling you what we're considering. One of the big projects is the LED boards, which you see in some of the new stadiums. They're basically boards that allow moving video images for game entertainment. Some of the other projects are new areas for the fans, including a possible upscale club area on the club level that would have an appeal to people looking for a different experience than the .300 Club or smaller suites. We're also looking at an area behind the right field out-of-town scoreboard, and possibly opening that as a patio area.
OMC: Tell me about this free final game at Miller Park. Who made that decision?
RS: That was Mark's. When I was talking with Mark about end of the year things, Mark suggested making the last game of the year free to all fans. I paused for a few seconds and did some quick mental arithmetic on the revenue implications, because that's how I'm trained. I said we'll lose some money, but it's a great idea. It's a great "thank you" to the fans. I thought this would be very well-received, but we wanted to make sure we treat the people who already bought tickets and season ticket holders fairly. It's a message to the fans that this is an ownership and management that really cares about the fans and is appreciative of what they've done to help the franchise.
OMC: Did working for the Angels and for Disney teach you how to make the Miller Park experience more family-friendly?
RS: I think what helped me prepare to build a family atmosphere was not so much working for Disney but working for people at the Angels who were extremely talented and capable executives. I was working with (now Washington Nationals president) Tony Tavares and Paul Pressler, who is now the CEO of The Gap, I learned a lot from them in a whole range of areas. I took from them some management philosophies and business acumen that I can hopefully apply to the market here.
OMC: You went to Madison for your undergrad, but you're a Milwaukee native, too, right?
RS: Yeah, I grew up in Milwaukee and went to Nicolet High School.
{image5} OMC: You ever just sit back and think it's pretty awesome that you're basically running your hometown team?
RS: Only about 20 times a day. I feel very fortunate and privileged to be working in baseball. It's a tough industry to break into, but to work for the team that I grew up rooting for is pretty special. My office looks out at the field, but there are good days and bad days. But you really get a sense of perspective working for your hometown team, helping the team in a small way, and my office is in a ballpark. It really doesn't get much better than that.
OMC: Did you grow up as a Brewers fan?
RS: Absolutely.
OMC: Do you ever get a little star struck when you're talking to some of these guys in the organization?
RS: When you've been in baseball long enough, you sort of lose a little bit of that. I still think it's neat that I can talk to Gorman or Ned or the players, but I wouldn't say star struck. I'm still a fan, and it's much more intense. The wins and losses are much more meaningful.
OMC: You lived in Los Angeles for some time. At what point did you think that coming back to Milwaukee to work for the Brewers might be a reality?
RS: I always wanted to get into baseball, but when I was in college and law school, the front offices were structured much differently. They were much smaller, and baseball teams weren't treated as businesses. So I went to law school and did a little bit of work for the Dodgers, because our law firm represented them. That was kind of fun, and I always was a big fan of the game. But I had no inkling that I would ever work in baseball, I didn't really know how to break in. I was fortunate enough to move from the law firm to the Walt Disney Company, where I was known as the baseball fanatic. Any time we did a movie about baseball, they gave it to me to oversee. When the Angels were acquired by Disney, and there was an opening for the general counsel position, they asked me if I wanted the job. It took me about three seconds to say yes. It was really being at the right place at the right time -- and a lot of luck.
OMC: How has Milwaukee changed since you moved away and came back?
RS: I left after college, so the last time I really lived here was '83. When I grew up in Milwaukee, I was pretty insulated. I lived and hung out in my neighborhood and really didn't venture out to too many places. Going downtown was a big deal. I came back with my wife and three young children, and my perspectives have changed. My first goal in finding a community to live in is whether it's a good place to raise kids. The answer, in Milwaukee, is yes. Maybe if I was 20 years old, I'd have a different view, but I love living here because it's a safe, clean and very friendly city. It's a manageable city, but maybe I'm comparing it to Los Angeles. I like Los Angeles, but Milwaukee, for my kids, is great, because we have a lawn, and Milwaukee has four seasons. And my commute is so much easier.
OMC: Where are some of your favorite places in Milwaukee? Where does your family like to go for dinner?
RS: I spend a lot of time at the ballpark, so my wife and I don't get out as much as we'd like. When we do go out, we go with the kids. We go to Louise's -- it's my kids' favorite restaurant. One of my favorite restaurants in town for fancy dining in Moceans. When we do interviewing and recruiting, invariably we go there because I have the same waiter, I order the same food and desserts. I'm a creature of habit.
OMC: Sounds like life's pretty good right now.
RS: These games have become so much more important. When I was in Anaheim in 2002 when we went to the World Series, starting about July 1, every game became important. Then every inning became important, then every batter became important. It's a very stressful, high-energy environment. This year, it's not quite to that level, but the games are more meaningful. But it's fun. It's great when you win; it's devastating when you lose. I'm sleeping less than I have in the past few years.
OMC: Are you at the pinnacle of your career? You're pretty young to be essentially running a ball club, right?
RS: I hope I'm not at the pinnacle of my career! I'm very happy to do what I'm doing, because there's a lot to do and to learn. I don't think I'll become an owner someday, but that would be interesting. I hope in five or 10 years I'm here looking at the World Series trophies we have on display. I think that's going to happen. There are actually younger people than me in similar positions, so I don't feel so young. But I'm very pleased to be here, and I hope I'm here for a long time.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
