Ron Roenicke (left) surveys the field during spring training.

Ron Roenicke played in the 1984 World Series and won a championship ring as a coach with the 2002 Los Angeles Angels. Can he bring a title to Milwaukee as the Brewers’ new manager? Before heading to spring training, Roenicke talked with M writer Cathy Breitenbucher.

How does the addition of starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum affect the team chemistry?
It doesn’t change the way we go about doing things, but it changes the attitude of the fans, the attitude of some of the players. It excites them, because if we have the same kind of offensive year (as in 2010) and now we have this great starting staff, we’ve got a really good chance to win.

Attendance was almost 2.8 million last year. How do you personally plan to connect with the fans, to keep their interest strong and positive?
I want the focus to be on the guys. I’m going to get criticized for some things I do. That’s fine, that’s part of the job. Say we succeed as a team — I don’t want this to be because of me. It’s because of the guys.

You’re the fan in the stands. What’s more fun to watch: a walk-off home run, a no-hitter by a pitcher or a double steal?
The walk-off homers and no-hitters are huge — don’t happen all that often. The double steals or just the plain stolen base, hopefully that’s going to happen a lot.

It’s been said you have good people skills. How do you "coach" fun in the clubhouse?
There are little things a manager can do, but I think most of it is trying to get the personality out of the players. If you can just get the players to relax … to laugh, to have fun and to play their game, if you have a good team and good quality players, they’ll come out of a slump quicker than being uptight about things.

Describe yourself as far as someone with a passion for the game.
I’m pretty consistent in my personality. There’s not a lot of real highs and not lows. I try to stay positive. I need to care about what’s going on off the field and make sure everything’s fine there. If I can help with anything, fine. It may be just picking up a guy, just walking by and picking him up a little bit.

Do you have a favorite sports movie or a sports movie moment?
"Brian’s Song" is one of my favorites, with the adversity that some people go through, and keep coming back. "Hoosiers" is just a great movie. It talked about the mental part of it a lot, and how people struggle with different things, and sticking with people.

Do you have special memories of some of the old stadiums that don’t exist anymore?
The first time in Detroit, our first baseman, Pat Putnam, hit three home runs in one game. The third one, the right fielder would have caught the ball but it hit the upper deck — it hit that thing that protruded out. Yankee Stadium, going out to the monuments and looking at those things was pretty impressive. Candlestick, how cold that place was. The elements were so tough, the wind and the cold.

You have a sense of the history of baseball, and that’s one of those things that connects with fans, the continuity of the game over the years.
I think so. Free agency has changed some of that, because players move around so much. The Angels in 2002, fans got really attached to those guys. When Scott Spezio came back, after he’d left the Angels, there was a big ovation for him and what he had done for the Angels. Those things are pretty neat when they happen.

Are you planning to move to Wisconsin?
I still live in southern California. I do like the warm weather. When we have off days, I’m looking forward to (being in Wisconsin). I love the outdoors, I love to fish and hunt and I do play golf. All three of those things really fit.

You’ll have to get Uecker to take you out on the lake.
Does he fish a lot?