wonder what this will be....

[Earl Tatum]

Whoopee! Here I thought Quentin Grimes verbaled to MU.

[jsglow]

I think you're overestimating Marquette's importance as a player in Milwaukee.  IMO we are an incredible but often times underappreciated contributor.  I do not think the Bucks are concerned about our importance at all.

Okay, we disagree.  Let's say the Bucks play ridiculous hardball and literally force MU into the 'B' tenant slot at the Arena as an extreme example.  You think the WI political leaders on both sides of the aisle would take kindly to that?  You think Bucks suite sales remain the same? You think the Journal Sentinel doesn't splash that and denounce these guys repeatedly for failing to 'support the community'?  You think Gov. Walker doesn't have a little chat with his new buddy Terry Gou? 

I'm not saying that Lasry and Edens give a rat's behind about us.  There's no doubt the relationship has soured. But they do care about their own image and business prospects and I'm simply saying they aren't stupid. The relationship will remain publicly cordial and business-like, just like today.

[mu_hilltopper]

Okay, we disagree.  Let's say the Bucks play ridiculous hardball and literally force MU into the 'B' tenant slot at the Arena as an extreme example.  You think the WI political leaders on both sides of the aisle would take kindly to that? 

I think WI political leaders kinda sorta of care about MU like they kinda sorta care about UW-Fond du Lac.

[mu03eng]

Okay, we disagree.  Let's say the Bucks play ridiculous hardball and literally force MU into the 'B' tenant slot at the Arena as an extreme example.  You think the WI political leaders on both sides of the aisle would take kindly to that?  You think Bucks suite sales remain the same? You think the Journal Sentinel doesn't splash that and denounce these guys repeatedly for failing to 'support the community'?  You think Gov. Walker doesn't have a little chat with his new buddy Terry Gou? 

I'm not saying that Lasry and Edens give a rat's behind about us.  There's no doubt the relationship has soured. But they do care about their own image and business prospects and I'm simply saying they aren't stupid. The relationship will remain publicly cordial and business-like, just like today.

Glow, I think you underestimate how little the Bucks (Lasry, Edens, and especially Feigen) care for Wisconsin politics of either party. I think you are correct, that they are going to do what it takes to keep a "clean" image in the community, but ultimately they are going to be a real pain to deal with behind the scenes because they have all the leverage now that they have their stadium.

[We R Final Four]

Okay, we disagree.  Let's say the Bucks play ridiculous hardball and literally force MU into the 'B' tenant slot at the Arena as an extreme example.  You think the WI political leaders on both sides of the aisle would take kindly to that?  You think Bucks suite sales remain the same? You think the Journal Sentinel doesn't splash that and denounce these guys repeatedly for failing to 'support the community'?  You think Gov. Walker doesn't have a little chat with his new buddy Terry Gou? 

I'm not saying that Lasry and Edens give a rat's behind about us.  There's no doubt the relationship has soured. But they do care about their own image and business prospects and I'm simply saying they aren't stupid. The relationship will remain publicly cordial and business-like, just like today.

I think you are really overestimating Marquette's importance as a player in Milwaukee.

[dgies9156]

Yikes.

I think everyone in here is too Wisconsin-centric. Period. Of course, the Bucks owners are from out-of-state. That doesn't make them evil except, perhaps, in Wisconsin.  They drove a tough bargain with Marquette because they could. They did not do anything that any of us under the same circumstances wouldn't do.

The Bucks took their negotiating advantage and leveraged it to no end. We can either play at the Arena, without the suite revenue and with 4,000 to 7,000 unfulfilled fans a game, or we can sign on the line.

Eventually, we could build an on-campus arena of our own but don't expect me as a contributing alum to support or contribute to it. Marquette has other needs, including scholarships that enable qualified students to attend Marquette. With that coming tuition hike, they're going to need all the scholarship support they can get.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

Sounds like it might have made a little sense to put a little money up front in order to buy some equity in the arena.  The state would have jumped all over that. 

[Herman Cain]

Glow, I think you underestimate how little the Bucks (Lasry, Edens, and especially Feigen) care for Wisconsin politics of either party. I think you are correct, that they are going to do what it takes to keep a "clean" image in the community, but ultimately they are going to be a real pain to deal with behind the scenes because they have all the leverage now that they have their stadium.

I have had dealings with the Bucks owners in the business world and they are an unsavory sort. Everything to them is dollars and cents and words in contracts, while there is nothing wrong with that, they could care less about Milwaukee.  The way they look at it ,the Bucks were an NBA franchise available at a discount, and they made the deal.  Their whole mode was to get the new arena built and then position the franchise for sale to the group from Seattle.  I look for that to happen about 5-7 years from now.

Knowing these guys as well as I do, we will be their new best friends about the time they go to sell the franchise. They will need a good tenant to absorb some of the rent they have committed to on their end.

We should forget the athletic research center and start raising money now to build our own arena on that site. The beauty is we control that land and the last I looked the footprint was big enough to put in an arena similar in size to BMO Harris Bradley.  I would gladly donate to that effort .

[mu03eng]

I have had dealings with the Bucks owners in the business world and they are an unsavory sort. Everything to them is dollars and cents and words in contracts, while there is nothing wrong with that, they could care less about Milwaukee.  The way they look at it ,the Bucks were an NBA franchise available at a discount, and they made the deal.  Their whole mode was to get the new arena built and then position the franchise for sale to the group from Seattle.  I look for that to happen about 5-7 years from now.

Knowing these guys as well as I do, we will be their new best friends about the time they go to sell the franchise. They will need a good tenant to absorb some of the rent they have committed to on their end.

We should forget the athletic research center and start raising money now to build our own arena on that site. The beauty is we control that land and the last I looked the footprint was big enough to put in an arena similar in size to BMO Harris Bradley.  I would gladly donate to that effort .

They ain't selling the franchise, not only is it going to make them money hand over foot for the next 10 years but it's a huge ego play for them to be one of thirty owners in the NBA. And just watch what the Rockets go for, they'll use that valuation to leverage even more funds for whatever side ventures they want without having to liquidate capital via sale of the team.

Everything else you have is just put tinfoil hattery. The athletic research center is going to be one of the things that puts MU on the map for all the expense it's going to be. Like it or not MU has decided they want to be the Dartmouth of the midwest and having such a signature research program is critical to that plan.

[Newsdreams]

I have had dealings with the Bucks owners in the business world and they are an unsavory sort. Everything to them is dollars and cents and words in contracts, while there is nothing wrong with that, they could care less about Milwaukee.  The way they look at it ,the Bucks were an NBA franchise available at a discount, and they made the deal.  Their whole mode was to get the new arena built and then position the franchise for sale to the group from Seattle.  I look for that to happen about 5-7 years from now.

Knowing these guys as well as I do, we will be their new best friends about the time they go to sell the franchise. They will need a good tenant to absorb some of the rent they have committed to on their end.

We should forget the athletic research center and start raising money now to build our own arena on that site. The beauty is we control that land and the last I looked the footprint was big enough to put in an arena similar in size to BMO Harris Bradley.  I would gladly donate to that effort .

LOL 

[Benny B]

Like it or not MU has decided they want to be the Dartmouth of the midwest and having such a signature research program is critical to that plan.

If it means being in the same conference as the Harvard of the Midwest, I'll pass.

Can't we be the Stanford of the Midwest instead?

[The Lens]

I think WI political leaders kinda sorta of care about MU like they kinda sorta care about UW-Fond du Lac.

Barry Alvarez and Bo Ryan completely flipped the script on our perception in this state.  Badgers athletics is a strong #2 behind only the Packers.   Certainly we have alums in top places but the University of Wisconsin has never been healthier in all facets. 

I think they could have pushed us out and it only would have hurt their rental revenues.  I think otherwise it would have been a blip.

[warriorchick]

We should forget the athletic research center and start raising money now to build our own arena on that site. The beauty is we control that land and the last I looked the footprint was big enough to put in an arena similar in size to BMO Harris Bradley.  I would gladly donate to that effort .

Should we do this before or after we cut the freshman class in half to improve our acceptance rate?

[Herman Cain]

They ain't selling the franchise, not only is it going to make them money hand over foot for the next 10 years but it's a huge ego play for them to be one of thirty owners in the NBA. And just watch what the Rockets go for, they'll use that valuation to leverage even more funds for whatever side ventures they want without having to liquidate capital via sale of the team.

Everything else you have is just put tinfoil hattery. The athletic research center is going to be one of the things that puts MU on the map for all the expense it's going to be. Like it or not MU has decided they want to be the Dartmouth of the midwest and having such a signature research program is critical to that plan.

Yes they are watching what the Rockets go for and carefully positioning themselves for a similar sale.  They are not going to be able to leverage the Franchise value because of a lack of cashflow. Also ,remember they have local partners in the deal,  so they dont have full access to the cashflow to re leverage.  Only way to get money out is to sell it.   I agree it is an ego play, but for these guys the ego plays don't get in the way of making money.  Remember neither one of the primary owners ever built a business, they were just financial arbitrage guys who were smart enough to not make too many bad trades. I have had lots of dealings with sports franchise owners in NFL, NBA and MLB over the years and they fall into two camps. One is the camp that loves the team etc and wants to be a long term holder.  People like the Mara family. The second are opportunists. These guys clearly fall into the second grouping. Nothing wrong with that. Just know the animal when I see it.

The athletic research center was just a mechanism to get an indoor playing field for Soccer and Lacrosse. The early solid success of Lacrosse was leveraged into getting the bubble on Valley Fields and that is working well now. T We can knock down the old gym and make that an athletic research center. he only comparability we have to Dartmouth is the percentage of students drinking.

[avid1010]

Yes they are watching what the Rockets go for and carefully positioning themselves for a similar sale.  They are not going to be able to leverage the Franchise value because of a lack of cashflow. Also ,remember they have local partners in the deal,  so they dont have full access to the cashflow to re leverage.  Only way to get money out is to sell it.   I agree it is an ego play, but for these guys the ego plays don't get in the way of making money.  Remember neither one of the primary owners ever built a business, they were just financial arbitrage guys who were smart enough to not make too many bad trades. I have had lots of dealings with sports franchise owners in NFL, NBA and MLB over the years and they fall into two camps. One is the camp that loves the team etc and wants to be a long term holder.  People like the Mara family. The second are opportunists. These guys clearly fall into the second grouping. Nothing wrong with that. Just know the animal when I see it.

The athletic research center was just a mechanism to get an indoor playing field for Soccer and Lacrosse. The early solid success of Lacrosse was leveraged into getting the bubble on Valley Fields and that is working well now. T We can knock down the old gym and make that an athletic research center. he only comparability we have to Dartmouth is the percentage of students drinking.

you're so full of sh!t.  herb kohl knew their intentions better than you...

[mu03eng]

If it means being in the same conference as the Harvard of the Midwest, I'll pass.

Can't we be the Stanford of the Midwest instead?

[wadesworld]

you're so full of sh!t.  herb kohl knew their intentions better than you...

In the words of Pardon My Take, "Uhh, no duh!"

[mu03eng]

Yes they are watching what the Rockets go for and carefully positioning themselves for a similar sale.  They are not going to be able to leverage the Franchise value because of a lack of cashflow. Also ,remember they have local partners in the deal,  so they dont have full access to the cashflow to re leverage.  Only way to get money out is to sell it.   I agree it is an ego play, but for these guys the ego plays don't get in the way of making money.  Remember neither one of the primary owners ever built a business, they were just financial arbitrage guys who were smart enough to not make too many bad trades. I have had lots of dealings with sports franchise owners in NFL, NBA and MLB over the years and they fall into two camps. One is the camp that loves the team etc and wants to be a long term holder.  People like the Mara family. The second are opportunists. These guys clearly fall into the second grouping. Nothing wrong with that. Just know the animal when I see it.

The athletic research center was just a mechanism to get an indoor playing field for Soccer and Lacrosse. The early solid success of Lacrosse was leveraged into getting the bubble on Valley Fields and that is working well now. T We can knock down the old gym and make that an athletic research center. he only comparability we have to Dartmouth is the percentage of students drinking.

I'd be willing to wager you some amount of money to a charity of your choice if I'm wrong(vice versa if you are) about the Bucks still being in Milwaukee 7 years from now.

Here's mine:
http://specialops.org/

[bilsu]

Okay, we disagree.  Let's say the Bucks play ridiculous hardball and literally force MU into the 'B' tenant slot at the Arena as an extreme example.  You think the WI political leaders on both sides of the aisle would take kindly to that?  You think Bucks suite sales remain the same? You think the Journal Sentinel doesn't splash that and denounce these guys repeatedly for failing to 'support the community'?  You think Gov. Walker doesn't have a little chat with his new buddy Terry Gou? 

I'm not saying that Lasry and Edens give a rat's behind about us.  There's no doubt the relationship has soured. But they do care about their own image and business prospects and I'm simply saying they aren't stupid. The relationship will remain publicly cordial and business-like, just like today.

I think in general nobody would care (outside of MU fans) unless it resulted in the Buck's needing more public money to offset the MU rent they did not get.

[5DollarPitcher]

This might not be the standard opinion around here, but I have no doubt that Marquette got what they wanted out of this deal as well.  I'm sure these "rough, tough New Yorkers" tightened the screws on MU somewhat.  However, I also believe MU has lawyers and negotiators better than money can buy.  I'm a big Bucks fan and, while these new owners have done a lot of positive for the team, they rub me the wrong way in how they handle almost everything.

[jsglow]

I think in general nobody would care (outside of MU fans) unless it resulted in the Buck's needing more public money to offset the MU rent they did not get.

That's actually one good thing about the new Bucks deal relative to their current situation in the BMO BC.  They actually do owe a 7 figure check to the governing authority every year.  Now is it 'market'? Heck no.  But it's not zero like now.

[mu03eng]

This might not be the standard opinion around here, but I have no doubt that Marquette got what they wanted out of this deal as well.  I'm sure these "rough, tough New Yorkers" tightened the screws on MU somewhat.  However, I also believe MU has lawyers and negotiators better than money can buy.  I'm a big Bucks fan and, while these new owners have done a lot of positive for the team, they rub me the wrong way in how they handle almost everything.

MU got what it needed, but certainly not what it wanted. It's not a reflection on MU's intelligence or ability, but if you don't hold the leverage there is only so much you can do. MU needs the Bucks more than they need MU, so the deal balances out that way.

C'est la vie

[GGGG]

I have had dealings with the Bucks owners in the business world and they are an unsavory sort. Everything to them is dollars and cents and words in contracts, while there is nothing wrong with that, they could care less about Milwaukee.  The way they look at it ,the Bucks were an NBA franchise available at a discount, and they made the deal.  Their whole mode was to get the new arena built and then position the franchise for sale to the group from Seattle.  I look for that to happen about 5-7 years from now.

Knowing these guys as well as I do, we will be their new best friends about the time they go to sell the franchise. They will need a good tenant to absorb some of the rent they have committed to on their end.

We should forget the athletic research center and start raising money now to build our own arena on that site. The beauty is we control that land and the last I looked the footprint was big enough to put in an arena similar in size to BMO Harris Bradley.  I would gladly donate to that effort .

First of all, I think it is safe to say that you have never dealt with the owners of the Bucks.

Second, the Bucks have a 30 year lease with the WCD.  Good luck getting out of that in 5-7 years.

[jsglow]

MU got what it needed, but certainly not what it wanted. It's not a reflection on MU's intelligence or ability, but if you don't hold the leverage there is only so much you can do. MU needs the Bucks more than they need MU, so the deal balances out that way.

C'est la vie

And Eng, you simply have to remember that they would have been negotiating with Herb and/or Marc in the past.  New world brother.  It worked out.  It was always going to.

[5DollarPitcher]

First of all, I think it is safe to say that you have never dealt with the owners of the Bucks.

Second, the Bucks have a 30 year lease with the WCD.  Good luck getting out of that in 5-7 years.

I believe there was an actual clause in the deal these two struck with Kohl that said if they attempted to sell the team or relocate, they would lose control of the team.