It’s late February. About a foot of snow covers the Canal Park field where, in 40 days, the Akron Aeros, the AA-affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, will take the field in their home opener against the Harrisburg (Pa.) Senators. Outside the office of Akron Aeros General Manager Jeff Auman, with the bitter cold and nothing but flurries in the forecast, the season seems far away. But for Auman and the 16 members of his front office staff, right now is the playoffs and the World Series combined. “For us, the season is right around the corner,” Auman says. “The toughest part for us as a staff is we know how quick it comes every year, but we have to convince the fans and our clients. Our deadlines are here if you want to be in the pocket schedule listing, in the program, in the media guide, all those things are going to print. “When you look out that window and it’s 16 degrees, and there’s a foot of snow on the ground, those people think they have all the time in the world to buy tickets, and get their ad in, but really, it’s coming quicker than you think.” After graduating from Ashland College in 1988, Auman worked for his brother-in-law’s motorcycle dealerships watching the books. A couple years later, he ran into an old friend who had an internship for the Chicago White Sox, and his life took a new direction. “It just stumped me because I was born and raised in Dover, Ohio, and I never knew anybody working for professional sports coming out of that area,” Auman says “You just don’t assume that it’s an option. You know the doctor, the lawyer, the guy in the mill, things like that. “I immediately started questioning him, and I’ve always played football, baseball in high school and college, and thought that would be a great thing to get into.” Luckily, the first door Auman knocked on was of the Canton-Akron Indians, the former name of the Akron Aeros. The general manager at the time was leaving to a take a position in the New York Mets front office, and the assistant GM was moving into his place, leaving that spot open for Auman. “They brought me on as an unpaid intern for six months to do some sales and get my feet wet while they were going through that transition,” Auman says. “They brought me on full time as their business manager doing their accounting and bookkeeping. I was named assistant GM a year after that. Then, in 1994, I was named GM in Canton for the club, and I’ve been with them ever since.”