foamboy1

Great point. Who would think that of that group, Escobar would be the best four years later. It's not even close. I forgot to list him in my previous post.

The lineup at Huntsville is beginning to remind me of the 2008 Starts, with LaPorta, Salome, Gamel, Brantley, Cain, Gillespie, etc.

Time for Brooks Hall to establish himself as a top prospect.

Thanks. I wasn't calling you out. I was just curious as to the rationale. You could well be right. The basis for my communication was to lay out how I expect an arena to be built in Milwaukee. It won't happen soon, but the framework and taxing authority are already in place - this is a big hurdle.

Cougars... I don't understand why you believe the Bradley Center has to torn down. The Cell has been maintained as the backup to the BC. Why not allow the BC to be the backup to the new arena? Tear down the Cell - the Cell is Flintstone's compared to the BC's Jetson's. I would believe that MU could improve their financial standing by establishing a relationship with the BC after a new arena is built. Today, the BC operates solely to support the Bucks, squeezing every source for the franchise. If the Bucks has a new arena and MU wanted to be the lead tenant in the "old" building, they likely would have more revenue rights. It wouldn't be as sexy as playing in the new NBA arena, but it's still a nice place that MU could be the "lead dog."

I'm fairly confident that Marquette would not be a financial contributor to a new arena. I'm also fairly confident the US Cellular Arena would go away and those event would then be played at the BC.

As far as the Juneau/McKinley corridor being too narrow, I'm virtually certain the BC owns all the land and buildings to the north of their site. There were a couple of parking lots, but then a couple of business/buildings as well. If I recall correctly, they finished buying the buildings a few years back. That gives them a lot of space to begin something north of the BC and all the way to McKinley. I know the Journal Sentinel buildings have been discussed as part of an acquisition to a "sports entertainment district." The initial discussions around the merger (of the two groups) would be to shut down the Cell once the new place is built and move all of those events to the BC. I'm not sure about how Marquette plays into this. I know they like to sell to their kids "they play in the same facility as the NBA team." At the same time, the BC is still a nice venue. Not sure how that plays out. The WI center district earns monthly tax revenues from a surcharge tax on hotels, rental cars, etc. within Milwaukee County only. This tax is enough to make the debt obligations of the $185M borrowed for the new convention center. The merger of the WI center district and the BC board is a no-brainer. The only thing that has prevented a merger is ego. It makes way too much sense for it to not happen eventually. That said, there is a lot of work to be done. I think we'll see this become a more more visible issue after the recall election. Even then, a committee would likely be formed to identify the best sites, etc. If you recall, the water street business coalition had a site for the Brewers and were offering serious money in order to locate there. The same thing could happen here. I think the end result is more of an "entertainment district" than just another arena.

There is much work to be done in order to get a new arena, but I believe it's likely to occur. The public discussion is just beginning. Nothing will happen until the recall of the Governor is settled. I'm not sure which politician would be better for a new stadium. In the end, I'm not sure it's going to matter. Kohl has already indicated a willingness to contribute. That helps move the process forward. The question will be how to obtain the public funding needed for this arena? If you can believe it - this is already in place. There are two options. First, merge the Bradley Center with the Wisconsin Center District, which manages the US Cellular Arena and the smaller Milwaukee Theater (as well as the Convention Center). The Wisconsin Center District already possesses taxing authority and could raise the public funds. The bigger issue is clash of egos between those in charge of the Bradley Center and WI Center District. With the current leadership (Marotta and Gimbel), I can see a deal get done. What would happen would be to build a new arena in the Park East Corridor, to the north of the BC. Scuttle the US Cellular arena and move those events to the BC. The new arena would serve as the anchor to the Park East development. Aside from egos, there is the issue of the WI Center District being union and BC being non-union. Otherwise, this is a no-brainer and the way I'd expect this to play out. The funding ability already exists. The second option is the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball District (aka, Miller Park Stadium Board). They have untapped borrowing capacity and a tax that is already in place. They could borrow the money from their stated capacity and just not sunset the existing half cent tax for another 10 years or so (don't have the projection in front of me). This arena would likely be placed between Miller Park and Potowatami Casino (but wouldn't be required). This is more of a long shot, but equally viable as the tax exists and the borrowing capacity is there. There has been plenty of discussion over the year by the board to mandate the sunset of the tax and restrict any future borrowing, etc. because this possibility has always been whispered about. It would be a battle, but could get done. Those are the two options and the constructs are already there. The BC-WI Center District merger should have taken place years ago - it's logical. BC gets a new facility by tapping into the WI Center District's taxing capacity and is part of a new neighborhood "entertainment district" that could include acquiring the Journal Sentinel buildings as part of a larger real estate deal. A new owner who is also involved in real estate development would make lots of sense.

This is a really sad situation. He had come so far - from high school kid to prospect to super-prospect, battling some physical setbacks to place himself on the doorstep of superfandom and financial well-being --- only to see it slip away. I'm sure the Brewers have been patient. You don't give up on a young, hard throwing lefty. The Brewers have reported a sleep disorder and lack of timeliness to meetings. I think they are describing the symptoms and not the problem. They don't owe us the truth of course - nor should we necessarily believe their spin. Their intention is to protect the player and franchise - but not protect the knowledge base and understanding of the fan. The disinformation makes it more bewildering since we're not being fed the truth. Speculation about Zach would begin with a drug problem - the symptoms of which would cause sleep issues and timeliness/responsbility relating to meetings. This could be any number of drugs - you know the leading suspects. Wrapped inside drug abuse is mental health issues. It's oft-debated about which one comes first, the drug addiction or the mental health issues. It's sad. This isn't like losing Wilhelmson or others who flamed out before getting out of the starting gate. Zach was in the show with a cannon arm and a great age and pedigree. I wish him the best and hope he figures it out. His odds are probably longer at this point than when he was in A ball.

First things first: I don't think that Braun is a roider, at least in the Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, etc. sense of the word. It would be foolish for anyone to be in this era. However, Braun did nurse an injury for a good portion of the season, and he never was on the DL. It's not inconceivable that they gave him an injection of sorts as either a painkiller or to speed up heeling to which they simply didn't tell him what it was for his own good so that he could avoid the DL and keep on playing. Even though he likely knew damn well that whatever he was given was some variety of steroid, as long as he didn't ask what it was, they weren't obligated to tell him what it was so he has the right to plead ignorance if he were to test positive for it. I'm sure this wouldn't be the first case of something like this happening. However, one thing against him is that there is a 0 tolerance policy, and they'll likely jump on the opportunity to make an example of someone, especially one of the top stars in the game today. The fact that he has somewhat of a good guy image, though a bit of a douche could make them even more eager to use him as an example. Wow....denial is a common stage at this point.

I'm not trying to act self-righteous, but I've called this for years. I love Braun...and the Brewers....but have to be objective. They can take back the MVP and give it to Kemp...but I'll be at 95% that he's a user as well. Same with Weeks. Many of you think he's not a user. I'll bet the house. I have experience. Given the money and celebrity in sports stardom...and the small differences that separate guys making millions from guys you'll never hear of...far more users exist than we would like to believe. As Victor Conte, owner of BALCO said in an editorial during the Michael Phelps olympics, "you'd have to be an idiot to get caught today. the chemists are always ahead of the testers." At that time, either two or three of over 10,000 athletes in the Olympics tested positive...he was mocking the system. I think there are way more users than you think.

Loved the work. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the insight on this year's draft class and the LA guys. Thanks.

Great work. For many years now, I begin my day for almost six months a year with your reports. You will be missed.

They will make money this year - how much will be dependent upon their run into the postseason. They have made money every year since Attanasio has acquired the team - at least in cash flow. The "value of the player contracts" at the time of the transaction can be amortized over some period of time - I think it's four or five years now. So "losses" can be claimed/manufactured/taken if necessary. I would estimate the team was in line to make about 10 million or so before this playoff run, maybe a bit higher.

The only thing that could make this more amazing is to offer arby, have it turned down and then have the Mets sign KRod, forfeiting their draft pick to Milwaukee. Given how this turned out, there might be an 80% chance of this happening.

I am a huge fan of the folks on this site, including Brian, Toby, Patrick, Maas, etc., etc.......but wanted to encourage you to continue posting. I think the site traffic is way down (my opinion not based on numbers) and the exchanges/ideas are almost non-existent (sorry to offend). We need more provocative posts...thanks.

Adams never made it out of the gate. Another great Seid selection.

Khris Davis was the closest comparison I could think of - but someone already listed him. It's not that Davis is being overshadowed by anyone really. It's that we have a lack of sure-thing talent in the minors right now. Davis continues to perform at an All-Star caliber. I'm looking forward to seeingh him in AA later this year.

Thanks, Geezy. Your summary is very helpful. Reading the first DSL box was like trying to make sense out of a Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan Cricket scoresheet. I lacked context and you gave me a few people to cheer for.

Walker has been red hot lately. Is he a legit prospect, or an over-age guy playing in A?

Like Coca-Cola Classic.....a grand revival.

I'm familiar with the Salome story and saw what happened last year. I guess I missed the part about Milwaukee releasing him. I figured he was on some reserve, non-injury type status as he took time away from baseball. What a shame. He was one of my favorite prospects over the last 4 or 5 years. I hope he triumphs over his challenges.

I set my alarm early. Nothing yet.

I'm really happy for you, Patrick. Persistence pays off. This is something you truly deserve.

Ditto. Every roster has some interesting player combinations that will be fun to watch. I can hardly wait until they start. There is a prospect-vacuum and some of these guys will step up and demand more serious consideration. Thanks for the great work, Toby.