We expected a strong opening, but the response was significantly better than even our most optimistic projections.

I don't want to read that any more. [Getting past .500] is important to me, but I don't want to overstate its importance. Whether we finish 82-80 or 80-82, there were gains this year. I think there has been a lot of progress and our fans should be feeling good about where we're going for 2006.

The response to this promotion has been beyond what we had expected.

This is an opportunity for fans to secure their tickets to great games in prime locations before individual tickets go on sale. By dropping the marquee pricing for the Cubs and Cardinals games, we are offering another incentive to Wisconsin residents to pack the park with Brewers fans on those days.

The support of our fans has been tremendous. The enthusiasm of our fans for this year's team has been outstanding and it has translated well in ticket sales.

I was intrigued. One of the things we're trying to do a better job of is making sure we're relevant here all year long, not just in spring training and in baseball season.

We're seeing the strongest interest in being involved with the team since I've been here. We are working on some national accounts that normally only look at Chicago or Minneapolis. A lot of doors that have been closed in the past are suddenly open.

We know that Cubs and Cardinals fans will still be targeting these games to buy tickets. It's disheartening for the players to see the ballpark invaded by visiting supporters, and we're asking for our fans to take early action in helping to reverse this trend.

We believe the city and southeastern Wisconsin would derive tremendous benefits through participation in the Olympic Games.