Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio

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<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?t=43452 target=_blank>Report: Brewers sold for $180 million</a>

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<b><font size=4>Here's hoping...</font>
A letter to the new owner</b>

Dear Mark,

Hopefully we are not being presumptuous in addressing you by your first name. But we see that you own a second home in Malibu, which is nothing if not casual.

You will find that roughly the same degree of informality exists here in Milwaukee, where ties are optional except in all-star games.

Anyway, welcome.

We are thrilled that you decided to buy our baseball team and are even happier that somebody actually fought over us.

Did you happen to read the statement from Dan Gilbert, the bidder you beat out? Poor guy sounded like a spurned suitor. It reminded us of that one episode of "Roseanne" in which a couple of guys nearly came to blows over cynical ol' Darlene. Did you catch that one?

No, probably not. A man like you who amasses that kind of fortune by his mid-40s isn't sitting in front of the TV, which is probably a good thing for us. You see, the Brewers don't generate enough television money to sign a rag-arm mop-up guy, but that did not stop you. You are obviously a man of great vision who sees tremendous possibilities for this franchise.

At your earliest convenience, please clue us in on exactly what those possibilities might be. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you out at the park.

Please, however, check the forecast to make sure your visit does not coincide with rain. Oh, yes, you'll have a roof, but everything seems so much more pleasant when the thing doesn't have to be closed.

But before jetting in to get the keys, please know that while absentee ownership is an unfamiliar concept around here, we don't mind as long as you do three things: Spend, spend and spend.

Growing up as you did in the Bronx, you know exactly how an interloper from Cleveland made the Yankees a winner. George Steinbrenner budgets more than $27.4 million a season on fungo bats. Just something to consider.

You may have noticed that we offered a little indirect advice last Saturday, but that was before we were absolutely certain that you were our guy. All of it still applies: Keep Doug Melvin and Ned Yost, re-sign Ben Sheets and buy a big bopper or two in the free-agent market. And if we may be so bold, here are a few more suggestions:

There are a couple of local legends who are either out of work or will soon be seeking employment. Find a way to get Robin Yount and Paul Molitor back to Milwaukee in some capacity. Outside of Pete Vuckovich Look-A-Like Day, it would be among the deepest public-relations home runs you could hit.

You also may have noticed that, in a fit of political correctness, Bernie Brewer is no longer allowed to slide into a beer mug. You also may have noticed that the name of your team is not the Milwaukee Milkshakes. For the love of Pete (Ladd), bring back the stein.

The previous administration also lost its advertising contract with a certain local motorcycle company. Maybe it's just me, but a pickup truck circling the track somehow doesn't fit Milwaukee.

And most of all, don't be a stranger when your schedule allows. People genuinely appreciated that Bud Selig enjoyed being seen at the hot-dog stand and in the corner convenience store. This is a friendly town, and don't you forget it.

Now go buy some ballplayers.

Suspiciously yours,
An Interested Observer

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio not playing to lose</font>
Ex-partner thinks he'll increase payroll</b>

Mark Attanasio has been doing his homework on the Milwaukee Brewers.

The prospective new owner of the club has been in contact in recent weeks with Tom Hicks, who owns the Texas Rangers. Hicks and Attanasio were business partners who helped found an investment firm in Dallas in the early '90s.

"I've talked to him a couple of times about this," Hicks said Monday night while sitting in the owner's suite at The Ballpark in Arlington, watching Texas play Anaheim.

"I encouraged him to get involved in baseball. He was trying to do his homework on the league and the direction the league was headed, and if a team can be competitive with a modest payroll."

Hicks said he believed Attanasio was prepared to raise the Brewers' player payroll, which at $27.5 million this season is the lowest in the National League.

"From what he told me, that's already kind of built in, that there will be increases," said Hicks. "That's the way the system works.

"I think Mark will be the type of owner that the size of the payroll fits the revenue of the team. Do I think he'll operate at a profit? Yes. Do I think he'll be competitive and try to win? Yes."

Hicks learned a valuable lesson in the dangers of overspending after taking over the Rangers in 1999. Last season, in large part because of the 10-year, $252 million contract of Alex Rodriguez, the Texas payroll soared to $103.5 million.

With losses mounting and the team failing on the field, Hicks made the decision to cut his payroll to $55.1 million this year. The 47% decrease was the largest among the 30 major league clubs.

Entering play Monday night, the Rangers were only two games behind first-place Oakland in the AL West race.

"If you look at the Texas Rangers, we were one of the highest payroll teams in the league and we finished in the cellar," said Hicks. "We cut the payroll in half and we're competing for the division title.

"It's not about payroll; it's about talent. The general trend in baseball is moving away from high payrolls and expenses. People aren't trying to copy the Yankees."

Having said that, Hicks agreed that you can't have the lowest payroll, either. The Brewers are trying to compete in the NL Central with three high-payroll teams, the Chicago Cubs ($90.6 million), St. Louis Cardinals ($83.3 million) and Houston Astros ($75.4 million).

"If you can get your payroll into the 50s (million), you have a better chance, in general," said Cubs President and CEO Andy MacPhail. "The problem is sustaining it after you get there.

"Our people think the Brewers are on the right path. They are on their way to following the model of the Minnesota Twins. They are developing a productive farm system, and I think the new collective bargaining agreement gives them a better chance than they had five or six years ago."

The labor deal put in place before last season increased revenue sharing to the point that the Brewers received more than $20 million in 2004. But that agreement also made teams fall in compliance with a debt service rule that states you must keep a 60-40 ratio of assets to debt.

A legislative audit this year revealed the Brewers are $133 million in debt, forcing them to funnel a good portion of revenues and revenue sharing into debt service rather than payroll. Attanasio will come in with no outstanding debt, allowing him to put more money into team payroll.

Though the team's players were generally unaware of the pending sale as they prepared to play the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, the general consensus was that more money needed to be pumped into the payroll to make the Brewers more competitive.

"In the long run, you've got to have a guy with money because you're not going to generate the revenue in Milwaukee that they do in other places," said shortstop Craig Counsell, a Milwaukee native.

"If it's true, I think it's good news. It's going to be a big change. The Seligs have owned the team for a long time. That's all people in Milwaukee have known."

Hicks said Attanasio plans to spend a good deal of time in Milwaukee while retaining his home base in Los Angeles. Tim Sheehy, head of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said it will be important for Attanasio to strike a cord with local fans and provide hope that the string of 12 consecutive losing seasons will end soon.

Sheehy also noted that ownership is a two-way street.

"While the community rightly wants to know what a new owner will do, an owner might also ask what the community can do for him," said Sheehy.

"I would hope Milwaukee will reach out and pull him in. I don't want him to feel like an absentee landlord," Jay Williams, chairman of the Miller Park stadium district, said.

Milwaukee fans will want to see immediately whether the new owner is committed to a winning baseball team.

"That's what the community is looking for," Williams said. "The owner needs to be committed to Milwaukee and the history we have here of baseball.

"I think this is a great baseball city. It is much more than having money. It's behaving in a way that people know you are committed. And that you are interested in having a great franchise."

According to Hicks, who said Attanasio has family ties in Wisconsin, his former business partner will have no trouble living up to those expectations.

"Mark is a very smart guy," said Hicks. "He is a great judge of people. I'm sure he'll surround himself with really good people. I have no doubt that Mark will be a good owner.

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<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=331602#post331602 target=_blank>New boss not novel for Melvin</a>

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<b><font size=4>Brewers buyer pitches investors</font>
Local owners sought for a stake in baseball club</b>

The presumptive new owner of the Milwaukee Brewers is looking for local investors to buy a minority stake in the team, some of whom could be current shareholders in the team, according to baseball sources.

If successful, the effort to include current owners - or new, local investors - would deflect concerns that Mark L. Attanasio, who lives in Los Angeles, would be an absentee landlord.

"Some existing owners could roll over their ownership interest into Attanasio's," one source knowledgeable about the future direction of the team. "Mark also has been in touch with some local investors."

One of the sources said Attanasio, whose bid for the team was accepted by the team's board of directors last week, was excited about the prospect of owning the Brewers.

"He'll be good for Milwaukee," said the source, who requested anonymity because of his relationship with current ownership. "Mark's planning to spend time here, and he's pumped up."

Attanasio has not issued any statements since his bid for the team was accepted over bids from Daniel Gilbert, the chairman of Quicken Loans in Livonia, Mich., and a bid from Miles Prentice, a New York lawyer who owns the Brewers' Huntsville, Ala., franchise.

Bill Mendel, Attanasio's spokesman in New York, declined to comment about Attanasio's interest in finding prospective local investors. Steve Greenberg, the broker handling the sale for the Brewers, was unavailable for comment.

While Major League Baseball encourages local ownership, baseball sources differed on how big a local presence Attanasio might have.

One source said the deal called for Attanasio to sell 30% of the team to local owners, while another source said that was only a goal, depending on the interest locally.

Some said Attanasio's purchase price was well in excess of $200 million, with one team source saying the price was $220 million. Earlier, other sources had said the sale price was between $180 million and $200 million.

The discrepancies in the sale price, those involved in the sale say, stem from the complexity of the proposed transaction. In addition, the amount of debt the team carries, as well as other legal considerations in the deal, explained in part the different reports on the sale price.

"It was a long meeting. A lot happened that day," said one baseball source of last Thursday's meeting.

The team's debt load also has changed.

As of the end of 2003, the team had $133.2 million in debt, according to two independent financial reviews of the team. However, a baseball source said the franchise had been able to whittle down team debt to near $100 million this year.

At close to $100 million, the Brewers debt load is below the industry average of $140.1 million for clubs with new ballparks. Throughout Major League Baseball, average indebtedness is $120.5 million, according to a financial review completed earlier this year.

At the same time, the Brewers have been successful in meeting a Major League Baseball requirement that clubs maintain an assets-to-liabilities ratio of at least 60/40. The rule was put in to ensure financial stability.

On Tuesday, Attanasio continued telephoning key players connected with the Brewers, as well as touching base with potential local investors, sources say.

Sources said one current owner who may be willing to stay on as a minority shareholder is John A. Canning Jr., a Chicago businessman who has close ties to Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, sources said. Canning declined to comment on Tuesday.

Sources say another current owner who has expressed an interest in retaining an ownership interest is Harris Turer, a Milwaukee businessman. "I have no comment at this time," Turer said Tuesday.

David Uihlein, who also owns a portion of the team, also has been mentioned by sources as someone who might want to become part of new ownership team. Contacted Tuesday, Uihlein said, "I don't think I'm going to make a comment."

Attempts to reach other current owners were unsuccessful. In addition, local businessman Joe Sweeney is working with a group of potential investors who may have an interest in ownership, a source said. Sweeney was unavailable for comment.

Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., said that, based on what he had read and knew about the Brewers' financial situation, a sale price of $190 million to $200 million for the club made sense to him.

"The deal for the Brewers, I suspect, is an asset price, not an equity price," Zimbalist said. "The debt is included, the new owner is assuming team debt. For the sake of argument, if the price was $190 million, and the debt was $120 million, the owner paid $70 million in cash."

What has made the Brewers and other baseball franchises more attractive is the growth in revenue sharing, Zimbalist said.

"Bud Selig orchestrated and set up a revenue sharing system in which the Brewers' share went from $3 million to $17 million," Zimbalist said. "If you add that with a low payroll, the fact they could become competitive and a new stadium, all of a sudden this team could be generating cash flow. That's basically what's happening. Baseball salaries have gone down, and baseball is on an uptick.

"Selig has been around long enough to arrange for the franchises to sell at a good price."

Sports finance experts had suggested the Brewers would not get such a high price for the team, especially since the Anaheim Angels, who play in a larger media market, sold for $182 million.

But Zimbalist said he viewed the Angels sale as an aberration.

"I still don't understand that sale," he said. "There may have been some side deals. Very often what happens, owners have other assets that somehow get involved in the sale."

With many details of the sale to Attanasio still unknown, it is difficult to determine how the current owners of the team will fare if they choose to cash out. The independent financial reviews conducted earlier this year showed that, from 1997 through 2003, the team's owners contributed a net amount of $31.7 million in equity to fund the team's operations and make debt-service payments.

Selig, whose 27.8% ownership in the team is now controlled by a three-member trust, has contributed at least $13.2 million to the team, Major League Baseball officials said earlier this year.

Asked if some owners would make money in the Attanasio sale, one of the baseball sources replied that the answer was complex.

"It depends when they came into the deal," the source said.

Attanasio's purchase of the team will not become final until it is formally approved by Major League Baseball owners. Assuming there is no problem, final approval could come in November.

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<b><font size=4>Local firm might invest in Brewers</font>
Lubar says his group is in talks with Attanasio</b>

The head of a well-known Milwaukee investment company said Wednesday that his firm was seriously thinking of becoming a minority investor in the Milwaukee Brewers under Mark L. Attanasio, the presumed new owner of the franchise.

Shel Lubar, chairman of the firm that bears the family name, said his son, David, met with Attanasio a few weeks ago. Both Lubars were impressed.

"David has been counseling Mark and has tried to be helpful in this transaction," Shel Lubar said.

He said his son was more involved than he in the discussions with Attanasio, a Los Angeles investor whose bid to buy the baseball team for as much as $220 million has been accepted by the Brewers' board of directors. David Lubar was not available for comment.

"We invest as a family. He has to invite us, and we have to understand what the investment is going to be," Shel Lubar said of Attanasio.

Asked whether it was unusual for his firm to invest in a professional sports franchise, Lubar replied, "It's no more unusual to build a ferry boat to get across Lake Michigan."

He was referring to the firm's investment in Lake Express, a high-speed auto / passenger ferry in operation between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Mich.

Adding local owners would give Attanasio more credibility and stability in Milwaukee. Sources have said that Attanasio, who is a senior partner in Trust Company of the West, a major investment firm, will maintain a strong presence in Milwaukee, assuming the sale is finalized.

Also Wednesday, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig acknowledged that he had met Attanasio, but was circumspect in his comments about the sale of the team in a meeting with local reporters.

Selig, who also has a 27.8% ownership stake in the Brewers, repeated statements from members of the Miller Park stadium district and the Brewers that the team's lease with the district was "ironclad." The Brewers' lease at Miller Park runs through 2030.

Since the board accepted his bid over two other bids, neither Attanasio nor the team has spoken publicly about the sale.

Lubar said he was aware of other investors in the community who might want to join with Attanasio and buy a minority stake in the team.

"From his standpoint, Mark wants local people to be a part of this," Lubar said. "But he hasn't indicated what he would be looking for in local ownership. He's prepared to go to closing with no one."

Bill Mendel, Attanasio's spokesman, said Attanasio would have no comment.

Baseball sources have said that Attanasio might look to current board members or to new investors locally. Among those who baseball sources have said might be part of a new ownership team are John A. Canning Jr. and Harris Turer, both of whom hold ownership shares in the team.

Sources also have mentioned David Uihlein, who owns part of the team, as a possible new investor. All three have declined to comment.

Baseball sources said the board had discussed the need for Attanasio to try to have a significant local ownership team.

The deal has not been finalized, and the application must still pass muster with Major League Baseball. Lubar said it was his understanding that the sale was on a fast track, and that after baseball attorneys and the game's ownership and executive committees meet on the matter, a final vote of baseball owners could come in November.

"Mark's approach has been that he'll buy the team, he will get this sewn up, and he will select partners who can be constructive," Lubar said.

A baseball official has said there appeared to be no red flags that would halt Attanasio's bid.

Lubar said Attanasio would be a good owner and would be good for Milwaukee.

"I really like him. He's very intelligent, and he is very positive," Lubar said.

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<b><font size=4>A 26-year guarantee</font>
Selig addresses Brewers' future</b>

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig gave his personal assurance Wednesday that the Milwaukee Brewers will not be moved to another city by prospective new owner Mark L. Attanasio.

At least, not for 26 years.

Speaking at a Milwaukee Press Club luncheon, Selig said the 30-year lease the Brewers signed with Miller Park before taking occupancy in 2001 ensured that the team would remain in the city.

"No. 1, (the lease) is ironclad," said Selig. "Believe me, you can thank the Brewers for that.

"No. 2, baseball has never broken an existing lease. While I'm commissioner and other people who follow me, I can assure you there (will be) no leases ever broken.

"We do not break leases under any circumstances. There is no worry about that. None. Zero."

Because of his somewhat delicate position as both commissioner and a member of the Brewers' ownership, Selig was reluctant to say much about the pending sale to Attanasio, a senior partner in the Trust Company of the West, a Los Angeles investment firm. In fact, he said he had met Attanasio only once.

But Selig did address several questions from an unusually large media contingent at a speaking event that had been planned for several months. He said he was not surprised at how quickly the sale progressed or by the amount of Attanasio's bid, believed to be approximately $220 million.

Selig said baseball's new economic system, with expanded revenue sharing among clubs and other financial safeguards, made the Brewers a good buy. Major-league clubs shared $270 million in revenue this year, and that figure will increase to $300 million in 2005.

The Brewers received $16 million in revenue sharing in 2003 and more than $20 million this year. The team also had a better year than expected at the gate, drawing more than 2 million fans despite a second-half collapse that guaranteed a 12th consecutive losing season.

"There's no question the system is the key here," said Selig. "An owner said to me the other day, and I'll tell you he was from a small-market team, 'This is the time to buy, not sell. The system is really working.'

"I'm not surprised. A commissioner's job is to improve the asset values of the franchises. That's a manifestation of everything else. That means labor is working, television is working, attendance is working, marketing is working."

Selig also addressed the conspiracy theory that the Brewers raised the value of the franchise by getting taxpayers to foot most of the bill for a new ballpark, then slashed expenses, including player payroll, to the bare minimum with the intention of selling the club for the highest possible profit.

The Brewers played this season with a $27.4 million player payroll, the lowest in the National League.

"We've had two audits," said Selig. "The ownership has poured a lot of money into it. It has now been documented. This group has poured $46 million to $50 million the last few years of their money.

"Did things not work out from a baseball standpoint the way we wanted? I've said that. I understand the frustration.

"You had a Legislative Audit Bureau (review). You had the Metropolitan (Milwaukee) Association of Commerce go into great detail, all the losses, all the money poured into it.

"If somebody is suggesting somebody is walking away with a lot of money, that's about as disingenuous as you can get."

The ownership group led by Selig is going to profit more than many expected from the sale, however. Originally, the franchise was expected to sell for $180 to $200 million, based on sales of previous franchises.

And, as it turns out, the team's debt has been reduced greatly from the $133 million level reported in the legislative audit earlier in the year. A baseball source said the Brewers' debt now is approximately $100 million.

What does the sale mean for local baseball fans and the city of Milwaukee?

"They've got a team for 26 years," said Selig. "They've got a lot of hope for the future; they've got (members of the ownership group) that want to continue.

"I understand how painful losing is and I understand some of the economic myths. But they've been covered now in documents that have been released to the public."

Selig said Miller Park had to be built for one reason and one reason only: to ensure that the Brewers could remain in Milwaukee.

"The fact is, you have a team now for the next three decades in a great facility," he said. "Without it, no team could survive here under any (economic) system. There is no system that we could design that would protect you.

"I wish everybody well. They have a great ballpark here. In the next 26 years, that team will have many, many great moments. There's no telling."

[yagsy]

So when is this sale going to closing? When will this sale be finalized. Sheesh, I'm not even a Brewers fan (well not til the Seligs are out of the picture) and then I'll be fan again. I am waiting with baited breath... :hmm:

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<b><font size=4>Brewers' new boss steps up to the plate</font>
Friends, family say he'll bring golden touch to diamond</b>

It's a script straight out of Hollywood:

A boy from the Bronx grows up playing baseball and dreaming of the day he can be part of the national pastime.

Mark L. Attanasio's dream is about to become reality. This weekend, lawyers for the Los Angeles investor and the Milwaukee Brewers are working on final legal language that will put in place Attanasio's intent to buy the club for approximately $220 million.

The formal local announcement is expected to come Monday, with final approval expected from Major League Baseball's owners in November.

Once the local announcement is made, Attanasio, who has not spoken publicly about his plans, will be free to meet Milwaukee's long-suffering baseball fans and articulate his vision for the franchise.

Paul Attanasio, Mark's brother, knows a little about Hollywood and a good story. He is a former journalist now living in Hollywood writing screenplays for a living.

The story of his brother, he said, begins when the brothers were young boys, flipping baseball cards, hitting the Wiffle Ball around the yard, following the fortunes of old Yankees such as Tom Tresh and Roy White, and playing the game with friends.

"I think it's every boy's dream and every baseball fan's dream to own a team," said Paul Attanasio, one of the few people who agreed to talk about Attanasio for the record. "To his credit, he made the dream come true."

Paul, the author of such successful screenplays as "Donnie Brasco," "The Sum of All Fears" and "Quiz Show" and of the pilot for TV's "Homicide: Life on the Streets," said Hollywood would love this story. From boyhood to business to baseball.

"I think a lot of movies are about dreams coming true and wishes that are fulfilled," Paul Attanasio said. "He's a big fan of baseball."

Peter Mahler of Milwaukee counts Mark Attanasio as one of his friends, and has done business with him. Attanasio, Mahler said, will be good for Milwaukee and good for the Brewers.

"I think Mark is charmed by Milwaukee," Mahler said. "I think he recognizes all of the city's tremendous assets. The quality of the people here, the high quality of life we have here. The business and philanthropic community. And I think he is very impressed with Miller Park and the ball team and the front office."

But can he lead a franchise that will finish the 2004 season today with its 12th straight losing season?

"I think that Mark is committed to building a winning ballclub," said Mahler, who owns and operates Mahler Enterprises, a building maintenance and placement services firm. "He will pursue and study all of the options necessary to get to that point. And he will be a tremendous steward for the Brewers."

Attanasio believes in the culture of winning, Mahler said.

"He wants his shareholders to win, his partners to win and his employees to win," Mahler said. "He is very concerned in every transaction that everyone is treated fairly. He is hard-working, clearly smart, conservative and he's a very disciplined businessman."

Attanasio rose to prominence in the business world in the late 1980s, working for Drexel Burnham Lambert, a New York investment firm. In 1991, he joined a Dallas investment firm and formed Crescent Capital Partners. Four years later, Trust Company of the West, a major West Coast money management firm, purchased Crescent Capital. Attanasio came in as a senior partner at TCW, and became a member of its board.

TCW provides asset management services to pension funds, endowments and foundations. Attanasio currently heads the firm's leveraged finance group.

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<b><font size=4>Quiet but tenacious</font></b>

Paul Attanasio, who at 44 is two years younger than his brother, said Mark will be successful because he is true to his word.

"I'm going to surprise you, especially being from Hollywood," Paul said, when asked what made his brother a success in business. "He's honest. He says something, he does it. And that's a good business strategy.

"At the same time, he is completely tenacious in his quiet way. He's a terrific listener. He never loses his temper. He never steps on anyone's toes.

"But at the end of the day he makes it happen."

Paul Attanasio admits it all sounds self-serving.

"He's just a great guy. He's a mensch," Paul said.

Mahler said there were two characteristics of Mark Attanasio that struck him as important.

"He's one of the only people that I know that has dinner with his parents, children and wife, Debbie, three times a week," Mahler said. "When you spend that kind of time with three generations of a family, that speaks volumes."

And, Mahler said, Attanasio maintains long-term relationships with people going back to his grade school, high school and college days, as well as people from his former businesses.

Attanasio received a bachelor's degree in 1979 from Brown University in Providence, R.I., and has been an active alumnus of the school. He earned a law degree in 1982 from Columbia Law School in New York.

Attanasio first came to the Brewers' attention this summer, according to several sources who requested anonymity because the sale is not final.

Another source said Attanasiohad been aware of the Brewers' difficult financial situation and the front-office turmoil involving Ulice Payne Jr., the team's former president and CEO, well before the team was officially put up for sale in January.

Attanasio made his move for the team and made several visits to Milwaukee. His desire to own the team ultimately eclipsed the efforts put forth by Daniel Gilbert, the chairman of Quicken Loans in Livonia, Mich., and Miles Prentice, a New York lawyer who owns the Brewers' AA farm team in Huntsville, Ala.

When the Brewers' board of directors agreed to accept Attanasio's bid, the plan called for no announcement while the legal niceties got ironed out.

But last Monday, Gilbert released a statement saying he was pulling out and noted that the team had decided to sell the team to someone else. Gilbert, who expressed deep disappointment with the decision, declined to comment further.

Attanasio's dream had come true.

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio makes quality pitch</font></b>

Inferiority complexes, whether involving cities or sports teams - or, in this case, both - are hard to shake. It takes more than building a downtown entertainment center or throwing millions at a free agent for the sake of a quick headline. It takes ideas and attitudes and an acceptance of the beauty of the way things are, as well as the possibility of what they can become.

Sometimes it takes the clarity of an outsider to refine such vision. That's probably way too much to ask of one man when it comes to Milwaukee and the Brewers, but Mark Attanasio certainly sounds as if he wants to be our Moses toward a continued civic revival and, who knows, maybe even an NL pennant.

First impressions of the club's future owner were what one would expect of a 47-year-old who has the wherewithal to pay $220 million for a baseball team. Attanasio is bright, articulate, enthusiastic and blessed with a keen business sense that has allowed him to amass a fortune in the perilous investment world. He seems like the kind of guy you wish you had known several years ago when your 401(k) was vanishing like the second-half Brewers.

Reservations? Naturally. If Attanasio is so smart, why is he overspending to buy an outfit like the Brewers? And if the team hasn't come within a Wes Helms triple of .500 since 1992, why should anyone believe he is the person to stop the hemorrhaging?

For one thing, Attanasio has done his homework to the point that he has propped up the city's economy during the last several months. His people, his people's people and his people's people's people have stayed in the hotels and eaten in the restaurants and patronized Miller Park on numerous reconnaissance missions. They obviously saw things they liked.

For another, it's not like a number of owners have tried to fix the Brewers and fled in frustration. Since 1970 it's pretty much been the Seligs, and for all their good intentions the family and their investment group never had the resources or, frankly, the foresight to create a Minnesota or an Oakland scenario when baseball's economic landscape suddenly made life very difficult for small-market teams. With the Seligs, there was always a parochial, mom-and-pop corner store feel about the team as it tried to compete in a Saks Fifth Avenue world.

What's encouraging about Attanasio, then, is that he brings a Los Angeles-New York perspective to the organization. What's even more promising is that he has decided to keep intact a management team that has been part of World Series teams in Anaheim, San Francisco and Toronto. These are not small-thinking people.

Although the Angels and Dodgers were for sale while he was living in L.A., Attanasio said he did not consider buying those franchises, in part because he said he could not get his arms around that sprawling metropolis. The embraceable reach from West Allis to Whitefish Bay, from Mequon to Franklin is but a mere handful, relatively manageable for someone who aspires to ingrain himself in the rich fabric of this community.

To that end, Attanasio said he would relocate to Milwaukee, quite a leap for someone accustomed to everything offered by L.A. Sure, he can afford to jet back at the first snowflake, but that's not the point.

Yes, he's a businessman and all that implies, but maybe this is actually someone who sees Milwaukee for what it is and says, yeah, what a cool place. That's not a bad lead to follow.

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio wants Brewers to be winning team here</font></b>

Mark L. Attanasio wants to make a few things clear about his Milwaukee Brewers: He intends to win, and he plans to do it at Miller Park.

In two extensive interviews with the Journal Sentinel, the Los Angeles investor said he didn't even consider moving the baseball team as he negotiated to buy it this year.

"To be honest, I never even looked at the contract from the standpoint of whether you could get out of it or not, because you know the big attraction, the dual attraction for me to buy the team, is that it is a great baseball town with a great facility," Attanasio said Monday.

As expected, the Brewers announced Monday that they had entered into a letter of intent to sell the team to Attanasio. The move signals the end of Selig family ownership, which began in 1970.

"One of the things I found most appealing was the tradition of baseball in Milwaukee," Attanasio said. "I'm a traditionalist, and there is a very rich tradition of baseball in Milwaukee, and there is a rich tradition of family-owned ownership in Milwaukee. My goal would be to steward the ownership of this baseball team in this city for 35 years.

"Whether it be my children or the next owner to come in, that will be the long-term goal."

Attanasio, 47, spoke of his interest in bringing in more investors, including local investors; his plans for the next few months for the team, including the much-debated and discussed player payroll; his business philosophy; his desire to get to know baseball Commissioner Bud Selig; baseball's economic system; and, last but not least, his passion for baseball.

And in one sentence, Attanasio outlined his goal for the Brewers.

"My goal for the team is to win a World Series," he said.

Wendy Selig-Prieb, chairman of the Brewers' board of directors, said Attanasio was unrelenting in his pursuit of the club. She said Attanasio was a very strong leader and would be a very strong steward for the franchise.

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<b><font size=4>$220 million price</font></b>

Attanasio, a successful businessman, is to maintain his ties to Trust Company of the West, a major West Coast investment firm, but plans to establish residency in Milwaukee.

He was asked whether he bought the team as an investment or as a hobby.

He said: "My goal is to have everyone win. I expect the investors to win. I expect the fans to win and, first of all, I'd like the team to win. As the team and the fans win, the investors will win."

In the interviews and in a news conference Monday afternoon at Miller Park, Attanasio spoke with a trace of a New York accent from his boyhood days in the Bronx. He is first and foremost a businessman and calls himself a professional investor. But he is just as eager to talk about the game he loves.

And although he might consider himself a traditionalist, he admitted he was a fan of the designated hitter rule because it prolonged the career of so many players.

He also talked of the excitement that fans in Houston and Los Angeles are experiencing. The Astros and the Dodgers are in the National League playoffs.

"The Dodgers won a number of games last week, and you always had the sense that they were going to win," he said. "That's what I'd like people to feel about our team here: that it's a close game, and we're going to win."

On what kind of owner the fans would see, he said: "Hopefully, they will see me for who I am. I'm a fan, just like they are. And in that way, I'm no different than anyone in the park. And I'm going to be passionate about the team winning. Just like they are. Hopefully, we can start with that common ground and develop that into a nice rapport."

Attanasio bought the team for about $220 million, according to sources close to the deal. Attanasio said he could not discuss the price or any other details of the deal.

Now that the letter of intent to buy the team has been approved, Attanasio must go through a round of approvals from two Major League Baseball committees and then a round from all the baseball owners. Baseball officials have said they see no roadblocks to Attanasio's gaining final approval at an owners' meeting, perhaps as soon as November.

Attanasio said he wanted to bring in ownership partners, preferably local, but was prepared to buy the team alone. The interest and the number of local partners in Milwaukee, he said, were pleasant surprises.

"I am looking to bring in partners," he said. "And I'm looking to do that in a disciplined way. I'd like to see the partners have a passion for baseball. I'd like to see the partners have a passion for the community, if they're not local. And I'd like the partners to be able to help in a broader context. That could mean providing capital, or that could mean providing ideas with the talent they have to really do the best job they can of managing this team."

Attanasio said those partners will have to realize there might be some capital calls to fund the franchise. The team carries debt of about $100 million, although that is less than the industry average.

Sources involved with the franchise sale have said that there is abundant interest among local businessmen and companies to become minority owners. That includes Lubar & Co., a Milwaukee investment firm that has expressed interest in working with Attanasio.

In addition, existing owners of the team, including Harris Turer, John A. Canning Jr. and David Uihlein, have an interest in joining with Attanasio, sources said.

"The Lubar family is a paradigm, to my mind, of the right type of local partner," Attanasio said.

Attanasio said he had not set a percentage of minority ownership but that he was gathering information to make a decision.

"So I'm collecting all of the facts I can about potential local owners, collecting all of the facts about potential national owners, collecting all of the facts I can about friends of mine who are interested in owning a piece of the team. And then I'm going to lay that all out. It's one of the reasons that I felt that I was prepared to close on my own, should I need to, not to feel that I need to own it all, but I just feel it's the best way to put the right type of group together."

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<b><font size=4>Payroll questions</font></b>

There also are decisions to make about the direction of the ballclub. The Brewers finished the season Sunday with a 67-94 record, marking the 12th consecutive losing season. The team also finished the season with home attendance of 2,062,382, a promising number for a losing franchise.

To that end, Attanasio was circumspect on the player payroll for next year but acknowledged it is a subject of great interest. It's so great, he said, that his two sons, who attend school in Los Angeles, asked him whether he planned to increase the payroll.

The Brewers' payroll in 2004 was $27.5 million, lowest in the league.

"I'm trying to collect all of the facts. The team's internal budget for next year anticipates increasing the payroll. That's where we would start," he said.

He said he needed to understand the team's financial situation better to decide what to do about player payroll. "I know it's an important question for the community," he said.

"It's very appealing to come in as a new owner, do a couple of splashy signings that garner headlines and make everybody feel good but may not necessarily be in the best interests of the team. I'm not saying we're not going to do any of that. I'm saying we're not going to do that to garner a headline. We will take a responsible view. We want this team to be perennially competitive year after year."

Attanasio, who said he consulted with a number of baseball owners in making his decision to bid on the club, said it's debatable whether more spending equals more winning.

"You can see a lot of franchises that spend a lot of money and they don't win," he said. "That being said, I think we know pretty well that if you don't spend, you don't win. I want to win. Part of the lifelong dream here is to put a winning team on the field."

He added that the Brewers were not burdened with long-term player contracts.

"This team doesn't suffer from that. This team is really moving in the right direction," he said. "My goal is to continue and enhance that."

Attanasio said he was impressed with the current management team, including general manager Doug Melvin, manager Ned Yost, Executive Vice President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger and Chief Financial Officer Bob Quinn. He said those four would stay with the ballclub.

"I'm all about doing things the right way," he said. "Frankly, one of the things I found appealing about this situation is that there was nothing that needed to be changed immediately. You know, the team, both on the business side and on the baseball side, is on a good track.

"I'm also the type of person who doesn't make a change for change's sake. Hopefully, I will gain the confidence of fans over time as we do the right things."

Attanasio said he needed to study the front office further before deciding whether there should be a president for the ballclub. The position has been vacant since Ulice Payne Jr. resigned as president and chief executive officer last year.

Attanasio pointed to successful franchises such as the Florida Marlins, the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics as teams to emulate. Small markets, he said, can thrive in baseball's economic system.

"What we need to do is not use the small-town moniker as an excuse for being anything but best in class across the board," he said.

In baseball, he said, there are the Goliaths, such as the New York Yankees, and the Davids, such as Milwaukee, Kansas City and Minnesota.

"David does win sometimes," he said. "We need to start by putting in best practices across the board so we can put ourselves in the position of making things happen."

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<b><font size=4>A longtime passion</font></b>

Attanasio is buying a team in a unique setting. Although Selig is selling his 27.8% stake in the team, he will continue to run baseball from his Milwaukee office and remain a strong presence for the Brewers. Attanasio said he hoped he could tap into Selig's baseball knowledge.

"As he said the other day, I had the pleasure of meeting him face-to-face once," Attanasio said. "So I'm hoping he will be a resource for me. I think he's a terrific resource as a commissioner who has been an owner. He's a terrific resource for all of the owners. And I understand that some of them call on him in that way. I will be looking for all of the help I can get.

"Frankly, while I don't want to be darkening his doorstep too much by my presence, I feel I want to get to know him better and get access to his advice."

Attanasio also spoke at length about his passion for the game, nurtured when he was a boy. As it did with so many aspiring ballplayers, it became clear by the time he was in high school that he couldn't hit a curveball.

But his interest for the game never left him, and he dreamed of owning a ballclub.

"It's going to be great fun to go to the games as often as I can," he said, "especially in the summer, with the pennant races heating up."

Attanasio said he knows owners get passionate about their teams. George Steinbrenner and Mark Cuban are known for their intensity and their winning ways. Attanasio said he would bring passion, but in a different way.

"I think letting baseball people do the baseball work and the businesspeople do the business work and me just assess the job they're doing is probably the right mix," he said.

He added, "And as much fun as it would be, you won't see me taking batting practice at the stadium."

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio must throw Milwaukee a changeup</font></b>

When Mark L. Attanasio says the Milwaukee Brewers are moving in the right direction, you hope he missed the second half of the season. The new owner bought a bad baseball team in a good city, and if he doesn't change the first part of that sentence in much less than 12 years, the second half will have no time for him.

The worst words this Californian can ever hear in Milwaukee are "Same old, same old." It's good that he's not bogged down in the club's history, but he will ignore it at great peril. He's being welcomed as a last chance by a public more fed up with failure than he has any way of knowing.

You're glad that he didn't come to town wielding an ax and frightening the help, much of which is doing a good job. But the customers know what's old around here, and what they care about is what's new. He can count on their support as long as he shows them things are changing in important ways.

It has to start with the roster. The Brewers got what they paid for last season, a group of overmatched hard workers. The work paid off at the gate, but not on the field, and if the team isn't noticeably better next year, it won't succeed in either place.

There are holes in every direction, and Doug Melvin is the right man to plug them as long as he has adequate resources. Attanasio doesn't need a headline-grabbing signing, but the weaknesses have to be addressed more quickly and completely than they've been in the past.

If the payroll's a penny less than $40 million, people will have every right to wonder how serious he is. Having enough money to run a major-league baseball team is one thing. Spending it is another.

A $220 million investment doesn't buy happiness, but it does pay off a lot of debt. That shouldn't be the fans' problem anymore. They're entitled to know that their money is being spent on future prosperity rather than past mistakes.

"Now it's our job to start winning more games, and everything we do will be oriented to trying to figure out how we can start winning more games," said Attanasio. That's the approach Milwaukee has been waiting for more than a decade. Hold him to it.

This organization has been long on explanations and short on performance since 1992. The first time you hear the new regime excuse itself with the phrase "small-market franchise," feel free to run screaming to the exits.

And if the prices go up, don't feel any urgency to storm the ticket window. The last time the Brewers experienced a big surge in attendance they rewarded the consumers with a major hike. That needs to change, too.

So does some of the staff. Attanasio has declared that nobody has to worry about keeping his job, but we'll see what he's saying a year from now. It makes sense for him to spend some time finding out what he's inherited, but it will be a big surprise if he doesn't bring in his own people at some point.

In the meantime, hire a president and put his face on the team. Ulice Payne had friends and enemies, but nobody could question whether he created excitement for a product people had stopped caring about.

Unless Attanasio plans to spend his winter doing speeches, he needs someone like Payne to make the most of the buzz he's stirred by buying his own baseball team.

He said other owners have told him it's the best thing they've ever done. It can be that way for him, too, but only if he puts his own mark on it immediately, and he does it right.

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio delivers good pitch to Melvin</font></b>

Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin had not met Mark Attanasio until shortly before the team's new owner was officially introduced at the club's news conference Monday afternoon.

Much to Melvin's delight, he quickly discovered that his new boss was on the same page when it comes to building a winning ball club.

"He obviously did a lot of research before he bought this team," said Melvin. "This isn't something he bought as a toy.

"Sometimes, you can get mixed messages. He's very clear with his message."

Attanasio's message was this:

We're going to increase the team payroll for next year so you can acquire more talent in an attempt to end the Brewers' string of 12 losing seasons. But we're not going to go on any crazy spending sprees.

And, oh yeah, with a higher payroll, I'm expecting more victories.

"It's our job to start winning more games. Everything we do is going to be oriented to how we can start winning more games," Attanasio said Monday in an interview at the Journal Sentinel offices.

To boost that process, Attanasio will increase the Brewers' payroll from its 2004 level of $27.5 million, the lowest in the National League. He wouldn't say how high he'll go for next season but a good guess would be between $40 million and $45 million.

Attanasio made a point of noting that the Florida Marlins stayed in the NL wild-card chase until the final stages of the season with a $42.1 million payroll, down from the $55 million level which resulted in a World Series title in 2003.

"I don't like to lose," said Attanasio. "I'm in it to win it, so to speak.

"I want to understand the methodology that Doug Melvin has, to look down the road the next three to five years to ensure we're a perennial contender. It's going to be effective and part of an integrated plan to make sure we're building a strong foundation and be perennially successful.

"I'm going to expect as we spend money, from the manager and the general manager, some results. That's part of the accountability. It's not going to be OK, if and when we get to $40 million, to say we have to get to $50 million."

Attanasio said he'll have more flexibility to increase payroll because the Brewers aren't burdened with many long-term contracts. The only players signed beyond this year are leftfielder Geoff Jenkins (through 2007), centerfielder Scott Podsednik (2006), left-hander Doug Davis (2006), infielder Keith Ginter (2006) and third baseman Wes Helms (2005).

"This team really is moving in the right direction," said Attanasio. "My goal is to continue that and enhance that momentum.

"I'm very excited about this becoming my family tradition, so I'm taking a long-term view. That doesn't mean that we're going to be waiting for a winner. We want to win as soon as we can."

Melvin was pleased to hear that Attanasio plans to emphasize building a winner through the Brewers' highly regarded farm system, which stalled a bit in 2004 due to injuries and younger players pushed to higher levels. But with no real help expected from the system next season, Melvin does need more money to improve the club.

Melvin noted he won't have the resources to go after premier free agents such as Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre and Pedro Martinez. But he does expect to have more leeway than last winter, when he was unable to court even medium-priced players.

"It's obvious the payroll is going to go up," said Melvin. "I think I've got a gauge or a range, a sense of where we can go. The most important thing is to find out what all our options are out there, what we need to do to make the team better, that stays with our plan.

"In the past, you could eliminate a lot of things because of where we were at (financially). Now we have a few more options if they come along. What we do with increased resources still has to be the right thing for the organization in the short term and the long term."

If Melvin and assistant Gord Ash thought there was pressure in trying to field a competitive team with the lowest payroll in the league, they realize it will double because of expectations with a higher payroll. In other words, they won't be able to make bad moves this winter without suffering consequences.

And, make no mistake about it, when it comes to the baseball operation, Melvin will be the boss. Attanasio made that abundantly clear in their initial 45-minute discussion.

"He said he's not going to be a meddler but he wants to know what's going on," said Melvin. "I think there's no doubt we'll be judged on our decisions. I don't have any problem with that.

"He'll study the moves we make with the resources he provides, and we'll be judged on it. But that's no different than any other club.

"This is someone who wants to be kept updated as to all the viable options out there. And it's someone who will answer as to whether it's doable or not. I think there will be more flexibility in doing things."

The top priority for Melvin is to inject life into an offense that ranked last in the league and doomed the Brewers to the worst second-half collapse in major-league history and another last-place finish. Melvin feels better about his pitching depth than a year ago but he can't go into the 2005 season with the same lineup he fielded this year.

Neither Melvin nor Attanasio is kidding himself at this point. They realize that you don't go from 12 consecutive losing seasons to winning the World Series overnight. The primary goal is to show improvement, end the losing and build toward being a yearly competitor.

"I think he's on board with what we're doing," said Melvin. "I told him our model is the (Minnesota) Twins. That's been my philosophy, having success over a period of time. He wants to build this thing and make sure we have the right structure in place.

"You can tell he has a passion for the game. I think he's someone the players will like. That's important, too."

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio hasn't revealed game face</font></b>

Other than how much Mark Attanasio plans to spend, a central question involving the Brewers' future owner is exactly what kind of personality will he reveal when in charge?

In a brief, managed dose, we've seen Attanasio's press-conference visage, the controlled, low-key, articulate performance meant to reassure skeptical fans and calm jittery employees. But when the sale is closed next month and the business sensibilities of a Los Angeles investor are introduced to the organization, what sort of vibes will flow from Miller Park Way?

Equally important, what kind of public presence will Attanasio exhibit during his first spring-training trip to Phoenix and later, when the games count?

Will he be a real dictatorial, hands-on kind of owner like George Steinbrenner? A dominating, camera-mugging, obstructionist like the Atlanta Falcons' Arthur Blank? A dominating, camera-mugging owner who actually has a clue like Jerry Jones?

Very likely none of the above. There seems to be an innate shyness about Attanasio that will probably keep him out of the spotlight, although there will be no question of who's the boss at Miller Park. Attanasio exudes a highly structured, organized, buttoned-down corporate manner that will cause no ambiguity among his subordinates.

While it's encouraging that the guy's a huge baseball fan, there could be a concern that Attanasio might wield a rotisserie point of view to force a trade or a signing his personnel people don't like. Again, that's not likely. Doug Melvin is confident when the owner tells him he won't be a meddler, and that's a good sign because the Brewers have good baseball people in place.

At the same time, you're thrilled to hear that Attanasio is so serious about winning that everyone will be held accountable as the payroll rises. For way too many years, managers, general managers and front-office people were left in power far too long as the franchise first stagnated and then fell into a near-hopeless state. Complacency will not happen with Attanasio.

While the payroll will increase, a business decision that was made before his arrival, it's heartening to know that Attanasio will not immediately begin throwing money around. As the owner and general manager understand, that would be ruinous for a franchise trying to regain its financial footing while waiting for its farm system to mature.

A payroll in the $40 million range seems sensible for 2005 as adjustments are made with an eye on the future. While this club still isn't ready for a major free-agent signing, it does have the luxury of only a handful of multi-year contracts, none of which are a financial burden. That's the kind of starting point with which a man of Attanasio's background should thrive.

One of the most endearing things about Bud Selig during his reign was his jocular strolls through the press box to trade good-natured barbs with the writers. Selig's emotions were so tied to the well-being of the Brewers that you would know what was happening on the field merely by watching his facial expressions and body language. Selig's tantrum explosions from his box were legendary when his beloved team failed.

That's probably not going to be Attanasio, but the Brewers don't need a character like Bill Veeck or a loose cannon like Mark Cuban or another formerly faceless rich guy trying to shake his anonymity by buying a professional sports team. From Attanasio the Brewers merely need clarity in leadership and strength for changing a losing culture.

Is he that guy? We'll see.

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio takes all-business tack</font>
So far, experts see the right moves</b>

Mark L. Attanasio won't formally take over as owner of the Milwaukee Brewers for a few months but that doesn't mean he's not thinking about the future of baseball in Milwaukee.

Last week, Attanasio got his first look at the team's business plan for next year, the blueprint prepared by team executives that will guide his decision-making in the next season and the years ahead.

In due time, he will also pore over the team's baseball plan, which will be prepared by general manager Doug Melvin and his staff. Attanasio has indicated that he will rely heavily on Melvin's expertise on the baseball side, though he has clearly shown he is conversant with the Brewers' strengths and weaknesses.

Attanasio will handle all of this while he tends to his day job in Los Angeles as a senior partner at Trust Company of the West, a money management firm. In interviews and in his one public appearance last week in Milwaukee, the presumptive owner made it clear that he will be a delegator.

But he is also clearly aware that fans are eager to see what he can do to turn a perennially losing team into a winning and contending one. The franchise has already said it plans to increase the team's payroll next year from a National League low of $27.5 million, and Attanasio has signaled that he wants the team to be a winner, if not a playoff contender, in three years.

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<b>Impressions important</b>

How much more he will spend on players will be a business decision that has not been made and not until major-league owners formally approve the sale of the team. But team officials have indicated that Attanasio wants to build a payroll that could reach $50 million in three or four years.

But until final decisions get made, the impressions that Attanasio leaves will mean everything.

"When I think about a new owner coming in from the outside, he has to be immersed and well versed in what's going on in the community," said David Carter, principal of the Sports Business Group in the Los Angeles area. "He has to be believable, he's going to have to get in there and really get grounded and he's going to have to surround himself with people who are in a position to have credibility in the marketplace."

Carter, who does not know Attanasio, said it was not just a matter of finding local investors to build credibility.

"The initial thrust has to be heavy public relations, heavy community relations and heavier media relations," Carter said. "Not just for the photo ops, but to actually demonstrate with his actions that he is immersed in the community."

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<b>Bigwigs invite him</b>

Attanasio has received a number of invitations to meet with movers and shakers in Milwaukee. He is planning to make an appearance Nov. 8 before the Greater Milwaukee Committee, one of the area's best known civic advancement groups.

"You don't want to be an absentee owner," said Gordon Saint-Denis, president of Triton Sports Associates, a sports consulting firm in Pleasantville, N.Y., who has done work with the Brewers. "The best way to show them is to put a strong management team in place, someone the people will respect.

"No one expects him to double or triple the salary structure. But make a few moves to show you're trying to do the right thing."

Owners of professional sports franchises come in all shapes and sizes, added Don Hinchey with the Bonham Sports Group in Denver.

"Some of them have an entrepreneurial background, a corporate background and others have a team through a family inheritance," he said. "There's not necessarily a prototype that governs who is going to own something. It's really a question of desire and sports interest."

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<b>Measured approach</b>

Hinchey said it made sense to him that Attanasio is taking a strictly businesslike approach to making decisions on the team.

"You don't have those gargantuan media revenues like in New York that you can use to supplement your payroll. You have to be extra savvy," he said.

Carter said the fact that Attanasio comes from the financial world speaks to his business philosophy.

"This is not an industry where you make rash decisions," Carter said of Attanasio's primary business of managing money. "It's not an industry where you go off half-cocked. His business training suggests he would do this even if he bought the Yankees."

In baseball, many sports business experts point to Arte Moreno, the new owner of the Anaheim Angels, as someone who made the right moves immediately after taking over.

It didn't hurt that the Angels were in the World Series in 2002. But many say Moreno made the franchise better.

Carter said Moreno looked for ways to enhance revenue and made aggressive moves to get more support from sports fans in the region.

"I think he's done a marvelous job," Carter said. "To me, it's all clean, hard marketing."

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<b>The Angels model</b>

Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers' executive vice president of business operations, came to Milwaukee from the Angels and knows the market well. He said Moreno was successful in capitalizing on the goodwill the franchise had generated.

"In southern California, we didn't compete just with the Dodgers," Schlesinger said. "We competed with the Lakers and all of the other sports teams, and the other entertainment things. It's a different level of competition and expectation. But there's nothing that breeds success like victories."

One top priority for the Brewers will be to find customers to fill 30 suites at Miller Park. The leases for those suites expired after the season, and Schlesinger said the team was working with suiteholders to renew, or find new customers.

"The process is going on as anticipated," he said. "We are about 50% there already. We knew going in what the landscape is going to be. And Mark's presence is going to help. I expect Mark's presence will help us in all of the revenue area."

How the Brewers fare in filling those suites will be a key component to determining how much the team will spend next year on players, team officials said.

In the meantime, Brewers fans will have to wait and see.

"He's coming in with a fresh slate," Saint-Denis said. "Fans will welcome him with open arms."

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<b><font size=4>Brewers will be staying put</font></b>

Mark L. Attanasio says he is still coming to grips with the fact that he will soon own the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I still wake up in the morning and pinch myself,” Attanasio told members of the Miller Park stadium district Tuesday in his first public appearance since the Brewers announced the sale in late September.

In brief remarks to the board, the Los Angeles-based investor reiterated his commitment that the Brewers under his stewardship are staying in Milwaukee.

“The Brewers are a Milwaukee team and they will play in Milwaukee,” he said. “That is unequivocal.”

As part of the sale process, the district board approved a resolution that gave Attanasio the go-ahead to proceed with the purchase of the team. Attanasio’s ownership team must agree to abide by a number of agreements involving the stadium district, including a commitment to the existing 30-year lease, a shared ownership agreement involving Miller Park and a non-relocation agreement.

In every case, Attanasio said he would abide by the terms of those existing agreements.

The sale of the team still must be approved by Major League Baseball and its owners. The owners have a regularly scheduled meeting this week in Chicago but baseball officials have already said that a closing on the Brewers’ sale is unlikely.

Nevertheless, Attanasio plans to be in Chicago to meet with owners, with the closing expected some time after that.

On Tuesday, Attanasio said the long tradition of baseball in Milwaukee, the franchise’s current baseball plan and management team, as well as the ballpark itself, sold him on buying the Brewers.

But the fans will come first, he said.

“I want the fan experience in Milwaukee to be the best it can be,” Attanasio said.

Attanasio also praised the stadium district board, saying it had fulfilled its responsibility to represent the taxpayers. who built Miller Park through a tenth-of-a-cent sales tax.

He made brief mention of the ongoing issues with the stadium’s roof, noting that the board had “stood up and faced the issues.” The board has gone to court seeking nearly $50 million in damages from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, which built the roof. Mitsubishi has filed a counterclaim and is seeking $34 million. The dispute is expected to go to trial on Jan. 10.

Attanasio spoke glowingly of the passion fans in Wisconsin have for sports, particularly baseball, and added that the community supports the team out of proportion to its population.

The Brewers drew 2,062,382 fans this season, ranking them 20th in baseball.

“I would expect the team to be in the top half of attendance in baseball,” he said.

At the meeting Tuesday, board members were told how Attanasio’s ownership group will look legally. According to Norm Matar, a stadium district attorney, the current Brewers ownership team is operated under a limited partnership arrangement.

Before Attanasio completes the sale, the current team structure will be converted to a limited liability company organized under Delaware law.

At that time, Matar said, some current owners of the team will become new members of Attanasio’s ownership team, and new investors will join as well.

The new ownership team will then be run by Attanasio as a limited liability company.

The board also agreed to a new $17.94 million budget for 2005, which includes at least $9.4 million to replace the bogie drive-train system after the 2005 baseball season. The bogies are the train-like devices used to open and close the roof.

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<b><font size=4>Brewers introduce new owner</font></b>

MILWAUKEE -- Most kids dream of playing for a Major League Baseball team.
Growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., Mark Attanasio dreamed of owning one.

"As a kid, I lived, breathed and died with the Yankees forever," said Attanasio, who on Monday was introduced as the owner-elect of the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Once I realized that I wasn't going to be able to hit a curveball, I gave up dreams of playing Major League Baseball, and when I got a little older thought maybe one day I could own a team."

That day is near. Brewers chairman of the board Wendy Selig-Prieb said on Monday that the club had entered into a letter of intent to sell the ballclub to Attanasio, a 47-year-old investment banker who described himself as "up to the challenge" of turning around the franchise.

"It feels great today," said Attanasio, a married father of two boys who resides in Los Angeles. "There's only 30 Major League teams, so frankly, it's still sinking in that this has all happened."

Attanasio must now be approved by Major League Baseball. When that process is complete, it will dissolve the longest-tenured ownership group in the game and will formally sever Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig's association with the team.

Selig organized the original group of investors that purchased the Seattle Pilots in federal bankruptcy court on April 1, 1970, and relocated the franchise to Milwaukee. According to various reports, Attanasio will pay $220 million for the club and intends to bring in a number of minority investors.

"The Attanasio family feels it has big shoes to fill here," Attanasio said. "But that being said, we know that we can be the stewards of baseball in Milwaukee for the next 35 years."

With that, Attanasio answered one major question: No, he does not intend to try to break the team's lease at Miller Park and move the club elsewhere.

He answered other questions, too, though his introductory news conference lasted barely 20 minutes.

Yes, he will examine boosting the National League's lowest payroll. Yes, the baseball operations team, led by general manager Doug Melvin, assistant GM Gord Ash and manager Ned Yost, and the business operations team, led by executive vice president Rick Schlesinger and senior vice president Bob Quinn, will remain. No, he will not hire a club president, a position vacated last year with the messy departure of Ulice Payne Jr.

Several employees who attended a pre-press conference meeting with their new boss said he assured everyone that their jobs were safe. At least for now, it's business as usual at Miller Park.

"This is not a guy who is going to do change for change's sake," Schlesinger said. "That does not seem to be his M.O. I think his approach is to see what you've got, evaluate your management and make changes over time based on that. That's fact-based management. There's nothing wrong with that. That's how it should be."

Attanasio described himself as a delegator.

"By profession, I'm an investor, and what we look to do is find good management teams and give them responsibility and authority and measure how they do," Attanasio said. "Right now, everything is really on a great path, so I just want to continue with more of the same."

He later clarified that comment.

"I'm very sensitive to the fans here who have been living with the burden of a team which hasn't been at .500 since 1992," Attanasio said. "That being said, it's very easy to get bogged down with the history, fortunately. I can just look at where we are today."

The Brewers finished their season with a loss to the Cardinals and posted a .293 winning percentage (22-53) after the All-Star Game, the worst finish in baseball history for a club that was over .500 at the break. The team finished in last place for the second straight season and has not had a winning season in 12 years.

But there were plenty of positives. Buoyed by a great first half and 10 weekday home games against the cross-border Cubs, the team drew two million fans this season for just the third time in franchise history. Pitchers Ben Sheets and Dan Kolb, first baseman Lyle Overbay and center fielder Scott Podsednik all broke franchise records this season.

And there is more, Attanasio said.

"I can look at the fact that we have very capable people in management," he said. "I can look at the fact that while we have a low payroll, we're not burdened by contracts, so as we add to payroll, it's all players who are coming in who are going to improve the quality of the team. I can look to the fact that we had two million fans come to see the team play while we re-tooled and had some challenges. And I can look at the players we have in the farm system coming up, and whether they're rated the top farm system or one of the top three farm systems in baseball, it's a great farm system.

"Those are all salient factors, and all good. There's nothing bad in any of those factors. Now it's our job to start winning more games. Everything we do is going to be oriented to how we can start winning more games."

That's the bottom line.

"I want to win," he said.

Attanasio has held positions at various investment firms since 1985 and is currently a partner in the Los Angeles-based Trust Company of the West. According to a biography on the company's Website, he is the firm's chief investment officer for U.S. below-investment-grade fixed-income assets and has been with the company since 1995.

He is a graduate of Brown University and received his law degree from Columbia University.

For now, Attanasio said he did not intend to establish a residence in Milwaukee, but he indicated he would re-evaluate that possibility after a year. He intends to become immediately involved in local charitable and civic groups.

"I think a strong city will contribute to a strong baseball team," he said.

The Brewers had been on the market since January. When it moved into Miller Park, the club signed a lease through 2030 that Selig last week called "ironclad."

Selig-Prieb and board member Michael Grebe announced on Jan. 16 that the ownership group intended to sell the franchise. Selig, who relinquished control of day-to-day operations of the Brewers when he became Commissioner in 1998, owns slightly less than 30 percent of the club in a voting trust.

After a unanimous vote to sell, the board retained Allen & Company, a New York-based investment firm that specializes in sports, media and entertainment, to handle the deal.

[645]

<b><font size=4>Payroll expected to increase</font></b>

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers general manager Doug Melvin met for 45 minutes on Monday with Mark Attanasio, his new boss, and discussed the team's baseball plan for 2005 and beyond.
"He's familiar with our ballclub and familiar with our farm system," Melvin said. "When you invest this kind of money into a franchise, you have to do your due diligence."

Melvin did the same, asking plenty of questions of the Brewers' new owner, who must now be approved by Major League Baseball. The team's fans will also have plenty of questions, beginning with one whopper: Will Attanasio raise the payroll?

The short answer was a definitive yes. But Attanasio vowed to not throw his checkbook at every aging slugger who shows up at Miller Park.

"It's very appealing to come in as a new owner [and] do a couple of splashy signings that garner headlines and make everybody feel good, but that may not necessarily be in the best interests of the team," Attanasio said in his introductory press conference.

"I'm not saying we're not going to do any of that," he continued. "What I'm saying is that we're not going to do that simply to garner headlines. We're going to try to take a responsible view, because we really want this team to be perennially competitive in the National League, year after year after year. We're going to try to put those pieces together."

Right now, only a few pieces are in place.

The team cut payroll before last season to about $27.5 million, lowest in the National League. The Devil Rays were the only team in baseball who paid less for their Opening Day roster, but only because the Cardinals paid most of Tino Martinez's 2004 salary.

Only five Brewers are under contract for 2005 or beyond: outfielders Geoff Jenkins and Scott Podsednik, infielders Wes Helms and Keith Ginter and pitcher Doug Davis.

Attanasio viewed the situation as a clean slate.

"The corollary to low payroll that nobody has really looked at is that we're not burdened by payroll," Attanasio said. "Looking at other Major League teams, many of them have big contracts for players who no longer play there. As we spend money on this team, it will be for players that will play for this team and for our fans, and I am very pleased by that."

He will spend more in 2004 under a baseball plan that already called for a bump. A large portion will go to starting pitcher Ben Sheets and closer Dan Kolb, who are entering their second seasons of salary arbitration and due huge raises.

Sheets made $2.45 million this season and will likely more than double that in 2005 after one of the best seasons of any pitcher in baseball. Sheets tossed a franchise-record 263 strikeouts in 2004. Kolb made $1.5 million this season and may be due a similar increase after notching a franchise-record 39 saves and joining Sheets on the NL All-Star team.

"There are contractual and arbitration-built-in raises that are going to happen," said executive vice president of business operations Rick Schlesinger. "If you did nothing with the team -- you had the same guys -- yeah, payroll is going to go up. But having said that ... I don't think [Attanasio] is going to stay pat with the same team."

Melvin got the same feeling during his 45-minute meeting.

"I know [payroll] will be up," said the Brewers' GM, coming off his second season with the team. "But we will look at all the options with certain players -- 'Where will this guy take us?' -- and he'll sign off on it or he won't sign off on it. Any decisions we make are going to be in the long-term interests of the ballclub."

Attanasio said he would use the time it will take for Major League Baseball to approve the sale to "get his arms around" the team's baseball plan and business plan.

In the meantime, Schlesinger said the annual budget process would begin as scheduled while Melvin and assistant general manager Gord Ash continue their regular organization-wide evaluations. There is no rush; players cannot declare their free agency until 10 days after the end of the World Series.

The Brewers opened 2004 with a payroll "a hair under $30 million," according to Ash's count. That represented a drop of about $14-$15 million from the previous season and $23-$24 million in two years, and it touched off a public debate sparked by concerns raised by former club president and CEO Ulice Payne Jr.

Still, the Brewers put together a fabulous first half in 2004, only to collapse after the All-Star break.

With Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, the team finished 67-94, one-half game behind its 68-94 finish in the first season of the Melvin-Ash-Yost regime.

"We never made an excuse about the payroll," Melvin said. "I didn't want to talk about the payroll. But we've got a one-game difference with $15 million less. I think you can look at it that way.

"But [lowering payroll] was our choice, too. That wasn't just a choice of ownership. I was a part of it, and I agreed to it. I think it was the right thing to do. If we'd have spent $40 million and ended up with the same record, or .500, or two games above, for me there's always the fear of cutting back. I didn't want to see that happen because I think this was a year we still had to evaluate our talent."

That process will continue this winter. But instead of bottom-feeding for budget free agents like they did in each of the last two winters, Melvin said the Brewers "want to raise our sights."

[645]

<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=342112#post342112 target=_blank>Melvin: `Payrolls are on steroids'</a>

[645]

<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=343372#post343372 target=_blank>Attanasio proving he’s ready to play ball</a>

[645]

<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=353149#post353149 target=_blank>Letter From New Owner</a>

[645]

<b><font size=4>The looking glass</font></b>

One has to admire the restraint and patience of new Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who after waiting more than three months for the sale process to be completed has shown no knee-jerk tendencies to make immediate changes.

When told that many U.S. presidents present 90-day plans upon taking office, Attanasio laughed.

“When I first went into this, there was a notion from some folks that we should do that,” he said. “At the end of the day, I dismissed that because it smacked of artificial deadlines and P.R. benefit.

“Things are already moving in the right direction. I want to step back and assess the best practices to use. It doesn’t necessarily get done in 90 days.

“Everything we do has to be with an eye to the fans. We have to balance raising more revenue with providing the fans the best experience we can. We have a lot of work to do. I’m giving myself a year for that.”

Attanasio said one of his major goals was to figure out the best way to brand the Brewers as a regional team.

“We want people outside the city of Milwaukee taking an interest in the team and coming to as many games as possible,” he said.

[645]

<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=354157#post354157 target=_blank>Attanasio to be at Brewers On Deck</a>

[645]

<b><font size=4>Q-and-A with Mark Attanasio</font></b>

MILWAUKEE - Mark Attanasio vividly remembers his introduction to the sometimes cruel world of Major League Baseball.

He was your typical 7-year-old in the Bronx who loved the New York Yankees. First baseman Joe Pepitone was a neighborhood pal who didn't hesitate to play with the kids on the block. Shortstop-turned-outfielder Tom Tresh was Attanasio's favorite player.

But the St. Louis Cardinals did a terrible thing that year, 1964, to that little boy who was just beginning a love affair with baseball. They beat the Yankees in the World Series.

"I have very vivid memories of (the Yankees) losing to the Cardinals and being so upset that I walked around the block crying," Attanasio said Friday at Miller Park.

Now, 40 years later, Attanasio has a chance to avenge that loss to the Cardinals as the new owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Los Angeles-based businessman had completed his first week with his new title when he sat down with the Wisconsin State Journal to discuss his new role. An edited transcript of that interview follows:

WSJ: When you bought the Brewers, were you buying the team as a baseball fan or as a businessman?

Attanasio: I was buying it as a baseball fan. That said, it had to hit certain prerequisites as a businessman or it would not have been feasible. If you take a very long view, ownership in sports franchises in the United States is a good investment, depending on where and when you get into it. But at this point, given the valuation, you'd have to say it's a sound investment but probably not the highest or best use of (my) dollars.

WSJ: Some would argue that next to the NHL, a Major League Baseball franchise is the worst kind of franchise to invest in.

Attanasio: Yeah, but I don't think that's right. That would be correct pre-collective bargaining agreement of 2002. Without revenue sharing, the Brewers would be losing money every year. There was an article this week about the increasing disparity in payrolls, but that disparity would be even more stark without revenue sharing. ...

I think if you look at what's been going on in Major League Baseball over the past few years, I think we're clearly on the right path. Take this out of the fan realm and put it in the business realm, a lot of things I look at are trends and momentum. Baseball has all the right trends and a lot of momentum.

WSJ: You're described as someone who is involved in high-risk investments in your business life. Is purchasing the Brewers a high-risk investment?

Attanasio: If you were teaching a business class at the University of Wisconsin, you would say yes. But then you'd be looking at a range of investments from government bonds ... to bankrupt bonds, which I often invest in. It's not as risky as buying or investing in bankrupt companies, nor is it as risk-free as government bonds. But I expect the return on this to be greater than what you get on a government bond for a period of time.

So what you look at is: Is there an appropriate risk-reward? You buy a government bond and expect to get a 4 percent return. You invest in a distressed company and you get a 20 percent annual return. This should come somewhere in between over a period of time.

WSJ: Is the return purely financial or is there another level of return because you're a fan?

Attanasio: I look at this first and foremost as a fan. I didn't take this to the level of analysis where you would say: Is the risk appropriate to the return? If you were to look at this purely as a business matter, you could make the argument that it is a good investment, but then you would have to commit at an appropriate time to selling your investment, which we do for our investment groups. I plan on holding on to this investment for a very long time.

I have described to our investor group that between years five and 10, we could make a terrific return by selling the team. We are not going to sell the team because I am doing this for the love of baseball. For the holding period, this may go from a terrific investment to an average investment by holding it for 20 years. You get out your calculator and start compounding things at 5, 6, 7 percent, track it over 20 years, and you'll see that that's a lot of money to make. It is, but the return is still just 5, 6, 7 percent. Certain investors will tell you that you shouldn't make a long-term investment for a 5 to 7 percent return.

WSJ: When you put together the members of your ownership group, are they investing for the same purpose as you? That is, are they baseball fans who are not looking to turn a profit in four, five or six years and sell their interest?

Attanasio: I have expressed (to) the investors that this will be a long-term investment. The investment group falls into three categories, and some of them have two or three of the criteria. They love baseball; they love the community here; or they are close to me and want to support me.

WSJ: You are well-known in the business world and have been in the spotlight of that world. But stepping into this circumstance, it seems the spotlight gets broader. It's unlikely that people would walk up to you on the beach in Malibu and ask about an investment fund. But if you happen to walk down Wisconsin Avenue and you're recognized, someone might ask why you didn't try to sign Carlos Beltran. Are you prepared for the bigger spotlight?

Attanasio: There's no question it's a bigger spotlight, and you're right, if you walk on the beach no one really cares about what we are investing in and what the returns are unless they happen to be an investor. But everyone is vitally interested in baseball - including people on Malibu Beach, by the way.

The biggest hurdle I had to get over in deciding to do this is I am a private person. We run our business without a lot of fanfare. This, obviously, changes that dynamic. I had to decide if I was ready to do this. Though I decided to do it somewhat uneasily, it has been a lifelong dream to own a baseball team. That's been there as long as you can remember and now you're not going to do it just because you don't think you can handle the publicity? I kept coming back to: This is baseball and not national security. One of the great things about baseball is that everybody has an opinion. So I felt I would learn to deal with it. By the way, the fans and the community here have been so welcoming, the transition has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. ...

I'm happy to talk about the team with fans. Not every decision we make is going to be popular. We're going to try to make the right decisions to field as competitive a team as we can within the confines of a budget of a small- to mid-market team.

I call it small because in terms of our media contracts and media position, we're small. But in terms of our attendance, we're mid. The fans are so supportive that we were 20th in attendance last year. That's the bottom of the middle tier, but it's the middle tier. That really speaks to the support the community has for this team.

I'm a businessman, and I have some discipline. The investors, even the investors who love baseball, are disciplined. If they're not disciplined, they have advisers who are disciplined. Folks expect me to run this like a business. But that means if you have an opportunity to get Carlos Lee and go a few million (dollars) over budget, you go a few million over budget. He can dramatically change the look of the lineup. One of our investors reminded me that if we get more fans because of the trade, we can make up the difference. We want a competitive team out there. So that allows us to get a Carlos Lee at $8 million a year. But it doesn't allow us to get a Carlos Beltran at $15 million a year. It's an unfortunate economic reality.

WSJ: I didn't mean to imply that you should have been in the bidding for Beltran.

Attanasio: We have to be a little bit smarter. Carlos Beltran is a magnificent player, but if you look at the productivity of Carlos Lee and Geoff Jenkins, between the two you have about 60 home runs and 200 runs batted in for $16 million.

WSJ: Besides, Carlos Lee is not represented by Scott Boras.

Attanasio: The whole agent thing is interesting. I look forward to the day that we can be in an economic position that we have to negotiate with Scott Boras. I wouldn't be intimidated.

WSJ: Along those lines, you're officially in charge for about a week and the first major baseball news to come out of this franchise is the Ben Sheets arbitration case. I know it didn't come as any surprise. Was it, "Welcome to the big leagues?"

Attanasio: Obviously, I have been in a position to approve the decisions that were made to this point. But starting (last) Saturday, it was a little different when the onus was on me. Surely, dealing with arbitration, which is a part of the economic landscape of the game, for a guy I consider to be a franchise player, at big numbers, certainly was a welcome to the big leagues.

(General manager) Doug (Melvin) and I were talking about this and even he said, "This is quite an introduction for you." I told Doug this is a high-class problem. (Sheets) had a phenomenal year last year. I'd rather we have a situation where we have to deal with the economics of guys having phenomenal years than guys having mediocre years and it's easy to pay them. That's a great challenge for us to figure out how to motivate and retain a guy like Ben Sheets.

WSJ: The first thing you have done from a marketing standpoint is emphasize that this is a regional team. That doesn't sound different than what the former ownership group said. How are you going to be different?

Attanasio: We're going to figure out ways to promote the team on a regional basis. We have some ideas that we're not prepared to talk about yet but may announce in the next month. They will reach a much wider audience than just the people of Milwaukee. We want to make weekend ticket packages not only affordable but doable for people who may want to buy hotel packages along with tickets. It's a matter of focus. The prior ownership group did this ... but I think the regional focus is going to be a little higher on the priority scale.

WSJ: As you look to the future, what do you consider a successful season in 2005?

Attanasio: I'm trying to accomplish a number of goals. I'm putting a timeline on them, but I'm not putting a 2005 versus a 2006 type number on them. I've said that over three years I'd like to get the team over .500 and be perennially competitive after that. We may get to .500 this year, which would be great. But if we dip below .500 after that, we're not looking to bounce up and down. We're looking to be competitive and stay there. I'm giving us three years to do that. Some folks may say: Who wants to wait three years? We're tired of waiting. We're not saying just wait. We went out and got Carlos Lee and Damian Miller.

It's like looking at a business. Would we like to get off to a good start? Sure, we'd like to get off to a good start. But it's what happens over the first three years that will define your success, not what happens over the first three months or the first year.

We'd like to be as responsive to the fans as we can be, whether it's pricing, concessions. We're listening to everything from where you can buy a pork sandwich, to the interactive games are upstairs and not downstairs, to certain concession lines are too long.

[645]

WSJ: Are you going to lower the price of beer?

Attanasio: We'd love to do as many things that are fan-friendly along with doing as many things that will help us meet our budget. We have a $40- to $42 million payroll (for 2005) and our goal is to get to a $50 million payroll. So somewhere, somehow, we have to figure out over the next three years how to generate $10 million. ... The more things we can figure out to do to bring more revenue in is a win-win for everybody.

It would be very easy to make a few splashy announcements, get a lot of good headlines, feel good but not really have any change. I'm trying to work on things more meaningful for the team and beneficial for the team from a financial standpoint over time. If I don't get any headlines, I don't really care.

[645]

<b><font size=4>Brewers' new owner already a big hit</font></b>

Mark Attanasio has owned the Milwaukee Brewers for less than a month, but already the man who bought baseball's biggest losers from the Selig family has made his mark.

Take the payroll, for instance. Last year, the Brewers paid their players about $27.5 million, the lowest figure in baseball.

This year? Well, the Brewers aren't saying what their payroll will be, but they are dropping hints.

"It starts with a 4, and last year it started with a 2," general manager Doug Melvin said. "So that's the good news."

Giving Melvin the opportunity to play with bigger numbers is good news indeed. But bumping the payroll above $40 million is only one indication of Attanasio's impact on a team that showed signs of breaking out of its 12-year slump early last season before its weakened batting order - twice the strikeouts, half the power - caught up with it in the second half.

When the team's winter caravan stopped in Madison Thursday night, the Brewers were peddling their usual month-before-spring-training optimism. They talked about the positive effects the new guys - slugging outfielder Carlos Lee and veteran catcher Damian Miller - will have, how the return of injured second baseman Junior Spivey will fire up the offense, how the team has more power arms than in the past.

However, the Brewers' best hope to reach the .500 mark for the first time since 1992 is the new owner and the affect he's having on everyone around him. So far, it has all been good. The personable Attanasio made a strong impact on the players when he met them last week and has provided a new, more aggressive voice for the team's decision-makers.

"The ownership change is the best thing that could happen to the Milwaukee Brewers," reliever Mike Adams said at an earlier stop on the tour. "They made some moves and were able to bring in some players. The moves in the upper office trickle down to the field. So far, it's all been positive."

Even before he was officially accepted into the Royal Order of Baseball Owners, Attanasio signed off on costly decisions to sign Miller and trade for Lee. Miller got a three-year contract for almost $9 million. Lee has already cost the Brewers center fielder Scott Podsednik and pitcher Luis Vizcaino and will cost them another $8 million in salary this season.

Melvin said the Lee trade was the best indication so far of the approach Attanasio has taken.

"Podsednik and Vizcaino are going to make $2 million and Carlos makes $8 million, so it was a $6 million swing and he approved that trade," Melvin said.

"He also approved the (Dan) Kolb trade, which was a tough one because (you're) trading your closer for a young prospect. He showed confidence in leaving it up to us."

That confidence in the front office is vital because the Brewers have been dogged by instability. In an effort to hold the fans' interest, the Seligs kept trying new managers, new general managers and new master plans every few years.

In his short tenure, Attanasio has rocked the boat gently without throwing anyone overboard. The latest plan - Melvin's plan - will remain in place.

"Obviously, he wants to have a winning ballclub," Melvin said. "He wants for us to field a better team. He wants us to stay with the plan that we have, too, to sustain success over a long period of time. It doesn't appear it's going to be a situation where you come in and just throw all the money out there in one year and you might have a short-term fix. He's on board with our plan of trying to get better each year, but using our farm system in that.

"If you look at the clubs that have to do what we're going to have to do, and I keep using Oakland and Minnesota as the two models, they've had stability with their scouting, with their player development, with their front office."

The benefits of Attanasio's ownership aren't all tangible, either. The ownership change has energized the organization from Melvin on down to the players, very timely considering last season's fade.

"I know it has re-energized him quite a bit," Miller said, nodding in Melvin's direction. "For him, it's, 'Finally, I've got a little more room to play with here.' As players, we notice it. When a team sees that the owner wants to improve and that he's going to go out and get players that are going to help the team improve, it definitely excites us."

Which is reason enough for Brewers fans to get excited, too.

[645]

<b><font size=4>Attanasio schmoozes with civic leaders</font></b>

As members of the community's business elite filed into the .300 Club at Miller Park for lunch Monday afternoon, a short, well-dressed man stood nearby, shaking hands and introducing himself.

For those business leaders who were not sure, the hand-written name tag on the man's left lapel provided the answer: "Mark Attanasio, Milwaukee Brewers owner."

For Attanasio, it was the first opportunity since he took control of the team in January to meet the city's civic leaders, who gathered at Miller Park for the annual meeting of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. He used the occasion to talk about Milwaukee and his new team and perhaps sell a few businessmen and women on a new era in Brewers baseball.

In a brief speech, the Los Angeles-based investor thanked baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, and in particular Wendy Selig-Prieb, the former chairwoman of the Brewers' board of directors "who chose me," for their "wonderful stewardship of baseball in Milwaukee for the last 35 years."

He also thanked members of the Lubar family, who have decided to be a part of Attanasio's ownership group, and current board members Harris J. Turer, David Uihlein and Stephen Marcus, all of whom are staying on with Attanasio.

Attanasio spoke glowingly of his new city, saying it was clear Milwaukee was a major-league city, and was one of the main reasons he decided to bid on buying the team late last summer. The city's art museum, its ballpark and the fine hotels and restaurants are marks of a major-league city, he said.

At a podium where the playing field was to his right, Attanasio also spoke of his hopes for the team and the franchise. The player payroll, he said, had been increased 50%, to about $42 million, and allowed general manager Doug Melvin to sign free agents, including slugger Carlos Lee, and retain pitcher Ben Sheets.

"We've really improved the team on the field," Attanasio said.

In the front office, Attanasio said employees were conducting a top to bottom review of the franchise to "make sure we are on the cutting edge," and comparing notes with other major-league baseball franchises.

"We are not looking to be in the middle of the pack in anything; we're really trying to be the best we can be in everything," Attanasio said.

Attanasio called members of the GMC, a civic leadership group that was instrumental in working with Selig to bring baseball back to Milwaukee in 1970, his target audience. He invited them to bring their questions and concerns about the team to him and other team executives.

"The Attanasio family is delighted to become a part of the fabric of this fine community," Attanasio said. "I look forward to working with everyone here to build this great city."

Afterward, Attanasio said he was exploring some possible changes at the ballpark. One might include an expansion of the Friday's restaurant in left field in 2006. Another possibility might be to collapse some of the unsold suites in the ballpark and convert the space to a standing area where a martini bar and other food and beverages could be sold.

In addition, some of the existing suites that are leased by Milwaukee companies could be customized, he said, to reflect the firm's products and services.

In brief remarks, Selig also thanked the GMC for supporting him in his efforts to bring baseball back to Milwaukee. Selig said he regarded the reintroduction of baseball in Milwaukee to be his greatest career accomplishment.

And, he said, people in Milwaukee will have baseball for the next 50 years, and "hopefully forever."

[645]

<a href=http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/showthread.php?p=364249#post364249 target=_blank>GM, owner to discuss Sheets deal</a>

[645]

<b><font size=4>New Brewers owner gets first look</font>
Attanasio happy to get to baseball, addresses team</b>

PHOENIX -- Mark Attanasio's office says a lot about the way he is running his newest investment.
Most guys who had just dropped $220 million on a Major League Baseball team would have claimed one of the big, corner offices on Miller Park's club level, with windows high over the right-field corner. But that would have meant displacing an existing executive and adding another layer of instability onto a front office that has had more shakeups the last two years than the rosin bag behind the pitcher's mound.

So the Brewers' new owner instead chose a modest, windowless space that used to belong to assistant general manager Gord Ash.

"When I'm there, I want to be walking around anyway," Attanasio said.

It's the same approach he takes with his day job as an investment banker: Instead of swooping in and making wholesale changes, Attanasio would rather take a more studied approach. He is gathering research and pressing the flesh, hoping to bring a fresh outlook to an organization aiming to snap a 12-year losing streak.

That process hit a high point on Saturday afternoon on a sun-drenched practice field at Maryvale Baseball Park. With players sprawled out on the outfield grass, Attanasio introduced himself and his vision for the franchise.

"I want to be known as the principal of an ownership group that players want to play for," he told the players. "It will help us get people to surround you with."

A managing partner of the Los Angeles-based Trust Company of the West, Attanasio spoke about how his group has weathered interest rate spikes in 1994, a Russian currency crisis in 1998 and a recession in 2000.

"Yet through it all, my team has stuck together," Attanasio said. "By sticking together and working together, we have been able to succeed."

That's the goal in Milwaukee, too, where Attanasio's bid to buy the Brewers was announced in early October. He bought out a group led by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who bought the Seattle Pilots in bankruptcy court days before the 1970 season and moved the franchise to Milwaukee.

The only player missing when Attanasio addressed the team was outfielder Carlos Lee, who was to arrive late Saturday after problems obtaining his visa to travel to the U.S. from Panama. Attanasio shared his vision of team concept, a desire to win and the Brewers' upward direction.

"I am dedicated to bringing a winning team here," Attanasio told the players. "I am dedicated to spending every dollar that we can on players."

During the winter, Ash and general manager Doug Melvin counseled Attanasio before pulling the trigger on a number of high-profile deals. The team made a pair of major trades at the Winter Meetings, including one that brought Lee and his $8 million salary to Milwaukee.

After beginning last season with a $27.5 million payroll, a drop of more than 30 percent from the year before and the lowest in the National League, Attanasio said this year's figure will be about $42 million, an increase of more than 50 percent. Attanasio said another increase is likely for 2006.

"It is really driven more from the baseball side than the business side," Attanasio said. "We're not going to spend money just to say we spent the money."

"Day-to-day, we're not going to see a huge difference," said outfielder Geoff Jenkins, the team's longest-tenured player. "It's down the road that it will happen."

Attanasio first met Jenkins and a handful of other players last month in Milwaukee. Reliever Mike Adams said the club's new owner imparted a vision of turning the Brewers into a winner, then keeping them a winner by building around young players.

"That's exactly what you want to hear," Adams said. "Especially if you're going to be a part of the organization for a while. You don't want to be part of a team that's not going anywhere. Everybody's goal is to make the playoffs and the World Series, and for us it starts with getting to .500.

"He's already put in the money to make the team better," Adams said. "And he said he wants to increase the payroll a little more every year as we go."

Among Attanasio's other plans:

He called signing Ben Sheets to a multi-year contract extension "the No. 1 decision-point to come to, to figure out how to sign Ben Sheets and for how long. Everything will follow from that."

Attanasio asked Melvin to analyze Major League payrolls over the last 10 years. He will focus especially on the A's, Marlins and Twins, teams that have had success despite limited resources. "We're looking to see if we can identify some common themes," Attanasio said.

Attanasio will convene the first meeting of his "board of advisors" on April 10. The group includes some of his eight co-investors, including John Canning Jr., David Uihlein, Harris Turer and Stephen Marcus, members of the Selig ownership group who bought in under Attanasio, and David Lubar, a new investor.

He said no decisions about hiring a club president would be made until this summer at the earliest. That position has been vacant since the very ugly break with Ulice Payne Jr. in November 2003. Rick Schlesinger, the team's executive vice president of business operations, has served as the Brewers' point man since then.

Attanasio is considering plans to move the interactive games area at Miller Park to the right-field corner and upgrade the offerings, saying, "I'd like to have more of a state-of-the-art games center."

With 15 suites at Miller Park still open, Attanasio is considering plans to convert some of that space into public areas, possibly a martini bar or other common area. Instead of slashing prices to unload those empty suites, the Brewers will sell them for $4,000 per game. "We think the Yankees and Cubs games will sell those suites," Attanasio said. "That covers half of the budget for those [15 empty] suites. ... I'm content to let them be dark for this season if I have to, because I am convinced that we have to have some pricing power."

According to a report in the Small Business Times, the Brewers have purchased two 12-foot by 24-foot electronic display boards that will be erected along Interstate 94 in the Miller Park parking lot. The new display boards will replace the Brewers' current signage along the freeway. "We're replacing that [current board] with these LED electronic displays that will be color and can display images," Schlesinger told the publication. "We're pretty excited about it. The goal is to have it up and running by Opening Day."
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, more than 87 million motorists pass along that stretch each year.

Attanasio will tackle those issues as time goes on. Before returning to L.A. on Sunday, he was mostly interested in getting back to the practice fields.

"It's so exciting to be here and actually get into baseball," Attanasio said. "We announced this at the end of [last] season, and a lot of the discussion has been closing the deal and, 'What about the business side?' I'm doing this for my love of baseball and to be a fan, so to walk out on the field today and actually see the players in their uniforms is a real thrill."

<a href=http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/images/2005/02/26/wEeAnf9q.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/images/2005/02/26/wEeAnf9q.jpg border=0></a>

Owner Mark Attanasio said "to see the players in their uniforms is a real thrill."

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<b><font size=4>Attanasio gives team prep talk</font>
New owner discusses his success in business</b>

Phoenix - In the coming weeks, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio will make the rounds and visit a variety of key local civic groups in southeastern Wisconsin. He'll do breakfast with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, sit down with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor Carlos E. Santiago and speak to representatives from the Metro Milwaukee Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Presidents Organization.

On Saturday, Attanasio visited with a constituency that will play a huge part in determining the success or failure of his first year in his new office:

Brewers players themselves.

Casually dressed in khaki pants, running shoes and a Brewers warm-up jacket, Attanasio spoke to players for about 10 minutes before the team's first full-squad workout of spring training.

The Los Angeles financier, whose purchase of the club for $220 million was approved by major-league owners during a meeting just more than a month ago in Scottsdale, Ariz., talked about the importance of teamwork, winning and his desire to lead a first-class organization "that players want to play for."

Attanasio said that when general manager Doug Melvin first broached the idea of addressing the players, his initial reaction was, "What do they want to listen to me for? They want to get out and play."

As he began formulating his remarks, he hit upon the idea of talking about how teamwork helped him overcome rough times in the financial industry - the interest-rate increase in 1994, the Russian currency crisis in 1998 and the recession that hit the U.S. in 2000.

"Wall Street doesn't always go in one direction and baseball doesn't, either," he said. "In my business career, all