Q:  After a few tough years, the Knights seem to have found some traction and are poised to make a playoff run in ’08.  What do you attribute this turnaround to?

A: I think that it’s our change in philosophy about how a winning team in a tough league like the NASBL is constructed. When we came into the league in 2001, we took over a brutally bad North Celtic club that had just come off seasons of 99 and 122 losses. We didn't even have a chance to draft anyone that year, since we took over after the draft was already over. We knew that New Yorkers would never tolerate a team that bad, so we tried for the quick fix, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and maybe contend for a wild card. That was the philosophy behind trading for Jim Thome. We brought in a slugger that the fans could root for and tried to build a team around him. We did win 71 games in 2003, which was more than any North Celtic team had ever won, but New Yorkers weren't satisfied and I wasn't satisfied either. I met with Jim, who was the team's captain, over the Christmas holidays in 2003 and told him that I intended to tear the team apart and rebuild with draft picks and young players. He told me to hold off until the end of Block 1 of the 2004 season, to see if the team could improve. Well, we started out 12-28 and that's when I decided to pull the plug and trade whatever assets we had and basically blow up the team. Trying to slug our way into contention wasn't working, so we decided to start with a clean sheet of paper, and build a team from the ground up.

That's where we are now. We're not adhering to the "build-around" philosophy anymore, but we are trying to construct a young core of players who are as close to 5-tool players as we can get. I think we've gotten off to a good start in Garret and Grady, but we have pretty far to go.

Q:  With your starting pitching needs already met (7 returning SPs with 6 having 190+ IP), will the draft be used to shape the pen or will NYK attempt to grab a few more assets for the future?

A: Both. We will be looking for pitchers who can bridge the gap between the starters and Takashi Saito, but we will also be looking out for non-pitching talent. I have no problem passing up a good veteran if it means selecting a young player who could fill a hole for years to come. It depends on what comes our way and where we are in a particular point in the draft.

Q:  Picking in the middle of the 1^st round (#8) is always an interesting spot.  It’s a little too late to grab top tier talent, but it’s a little too early to draft solely to meet a positional need.  What direction is New York management thinking of heading?

A: Again, it’s a little difficult to tell right now. We have several plans, several different directions mapped out depending on who is taken in the first seven spots and who is available at #8. At this point, I can tell you that we probably won't take a starter at #8, since we have a lot of starters right now. But you never know.

Q:  When you made Grady Sizemore the #1 overall pick, is this the exact type of production you were expecting, or has he already exceed the expectations?

A: Grady was the first player we drafted using the post-Jim Thome philosophy, if you will. We didn't have a #1 pick in 2005, but we were lucky enough to pick up Hideki Matsui that year. Going into the 2006 draft, I was looking for a 5-tool player to put at the top of the lineup, and Grady fit that bill. I am very satisfied with what he's done for us and I look forward to having him around for a long time.

Q:  When looking ahead five years, what player on your team gives you the most cause for optimism?

A: I think the young guys, Atkins, Sizemore and Cain really give me the most hope that we can go on a sustained run of contention. Cain's still very young and hopefully he'll keep developing into a top of the rotation guy. Sizemore and Atkins project into solid top of the lineup players. I also think that Adam LaRoche can be a great hitter, but needs to learn some plate discipline.

Q:  What do you enjoy most about NASBL?

A: I love the competition. The NASBL GM's are tough, knowledgeable baseball men and I learn a lot from them.