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Bridgeman has interest in investing in Bucks

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Bridgeman has interest in investing in Bucks 

Post#1 » by Captain Erv » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:22 am

I didn't see this posted, so I thought I'd put it up for discussion. Pretty interesting read, but nothing we don't already know. Is it realistic? I have no idea.

Bridgeman has interest in investing in Bucks
By DON WALKER
dwalker@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Feb. 8, 2008

Former Milwaukee Bucks great Junior Bridgeman is interested in being part of a local ownership group once U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl puts the team up for sale.

Bridgeman, in Milwaukee to see his No. 2 jersey rededicated by the Bucks at halftime of their game against the New York Knicks tonight at the Bradley Center, expressed interest in joining an ownership group. Kohl, who bought the team on March 1, 1985, has said in the past that he has no timetable for selling the team but is intent on selling to an owner or ownership group committed to keeping the team in Milwaukee.

And if that's the case, Bridgeman is an interested party.

"I would not want to be the main person," Bridgeman said Friday. "You'd like to add whatever insights you have into the game and that would be how I see being involved."

Asked if he had spoken with Kohl about ownership, Bridgeman said he had talked with the senator about a number of issues.

"But there again, when's he ready I think he will talk to me," he said. "My sense is that you don't push him. It's not anything that he wants public, to happen. When he thinks the time is right, with the right group, I think he'll do something. For the last 20-some years, he has carried the load for the franchise. Just because of that, it deserves to happen on his time frame."

Although Bridgeman is based in Louisville, he has a strong business presence in Wisconsin. Bridgeman oversees 160 Wendy's franchises in five states, including 42 in Wisconsin.

Besides Bridgeman, another potential new owner might be Racine businessman Craig Leipold. Leipold, the former owner of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League, recently bought the NHL's Minnesota Wild franchise.

Before that sale was made public, Leipold said he, too, might be interested in being a part of a local ownership group that would bid to buy the Bucks.

Bridgeman said he thought the Bucks could succeed despite playing in such a small market. But he said the National Basketball Association had to help the smaller teams.

"The league has to ensure that they succeed," he said. "It is not in my opinion good for the sport of basketball to only be in the major cities. The game is played in the back yards, on rims on the side of barns. It should be played where everybody has a chance to see it."

Bridgeman said it would wrong for a new owner to buy the Bucks and move them elsewhere.

"It's on the league to ensure that the smaller markets are successful and be able to compete with the New Yorks and the people with all of the money," he said. "They have to even it out."

Quietly, Kohl and other small-market owners in the league have lobbied NBA Commissioner David Stern and the rest of the owners to tweak the league's modest revenue-sharing plan.
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Post#2 » by ACGB » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:28 am

If nothing more, this shows me that the calls for a new owner are getting louder to the point where JB is talking to the media about wanting to buy the team.
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Post#3 » by MickeyDavis » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:30 am

Let's not forget that Junior is from Louisville, they want an NBA team and are opening a new state of the art building in 2010...
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Post#4 » by Fort Minor » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:31 am

While far from cementing the Bucks' future in Milwaukee, this is very encouraging to hear nonetheless.
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Post#5 » by aboveAverage » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:31 am

What we need is a mark cuban. I'll take bridgeman, however.
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Post#6 » by ACGB » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:31 am

MickeyDavis wrote:Let's not forget that Junior is from Louisville, they want an NBA team and are opening a new state of the art building in 2010...

You're too cynical.
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Post#7 » by Captain Erv » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:33 am

MickeyDavis wrote:Let's not forget that Junior is from Louisville, they want an NBA team and are opening a new state of the art building in 2010...


You mean the Bradley Center isn't state of the art??
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Post#8 » by WEFFPIM » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:36 am

Well, at least someone wants this...thing
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Post#9 » by Fort Minor » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:53 am

MickeyDavis wrote:Let's not forget that Junior is from Louisville, they want an NBA team and are opening a new state of the art building in 2010...


Gee, thanks Mr. Buzzkillington.
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Post#10 » by jbone » Sat Feb 9, 2008 5:01 am

dude mick why dont you buy the bucks, they love dealing with former players and personnel, id bet kohl would give it to you on the cheap for your loyalty.

but for real i think kohl likes having this team. he has two powerful things in his life senatorship and ownership one of those he can have removed, the other i think he will hold onto until he can;t anymore.

its like saying oh yeah well i still got my team, even though i haven't the slightest clue about basketball. plus i don't think he is looking to sell anytime soon, they just got yi. that has doubled his profits right there why would he give that up so quickly considering profits are the only thing he cares about.
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Post#11 » by zizek » Sat Feb 9, 2008 5:46 am

I don't think the profits from "overseeing" 160 Wendy's franchises are enough to control an NBA team. As long as the rest of the ownership group has Wisconsin ties that shouldn't be enough for Louisville to get a team.

However, after looking him up he is on the Board of the Louisville Arena Authority and seemingly any other Boards Louisville has to offer. Here's his Arena Board bio:

"Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman is the owner and President of Bridgeman Foods, Inc. and currently oversees the administration and operation of 156 Wendy
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Post#12 » by schweig » Sat Feb 9, 2008 7:29 am

I guess if you need a whole team of investors instead of one smart rich person, that's what you want is more guys who know what they're watching and would rather give a little input than see a profit returned every year on top of that. Maybe he'd want that too, I don't know.

WEFFPIM wrote:Well, at least someone wants this...thing


Haha:lol:
This team is going to end up either in Herb's will or on craigslist before it's all over.
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Post#13 » by bigkurty » Sat Feb 9, 2008 7:40 am

You know whats crazy is say we were to all put 100k down on it, it would take 1800 to 2000 of us to purchase it. Thats crazy. How many frequent posters do we have on the Bucks board? If we had 90, it would take 2 million a piece or more to put a decent bid together.
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Post#14 » by MickeyDavis » Sat Feb 9, 2008 2:48 pm

schweig wrote:I guess if you need a whole team of investors instead of one smart rich person, that's what you want is more guys who know what they're watching and would rather give a little input than see a profit returned every year on top of that. Maybe he'd want that too, I don't know.

-= original quote snipped =-



Haha:lol:
This team is going to end up either in Herb's will or on craigslist before it's all over.


I also don't really want an ownership "group". Usually a group of investors wants a return on their investment every year, rather than waiting until they sell their share down the road.

That's how it is with the Brewers. Attanasio is one of 10 owners and he has made it clear that they expect a profit every year even though they will cash in whenever they eventually sell.

Bridgeman is a good businessman and has ties to the Bucks but his ties to Louisville are far stronger.
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Post#15 » by paulpressey25 » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:06 pm

We don't need Junior....he'll move the team if he were to own the whole thing....

He also doesn't appear to have the money......this story seems to be a trial balloon to some potential money guys in Milwaukee to take him on to run the thing.

Obviously JB would put some money in, but he's not got the net worth to do it himself.

What's Jim McIlvaine doing with all his money these days? :rofl:
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Post#16 » by MickeyDavis » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:48 pm

I wonder why Leipold's name is being floated again. He sold one NHL team and bought another. Although he married into big time money I can't imagine why he would want to own two pro teams. And he's made it very clear he's a hockey guy.
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Post#17 » by xTitan » Sat Feb 9, 2008 4:57 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:I wonder why Leipold's name is being floated again. He sold one NHL team and bought another. Although he married into big time money I can't imagine why he would want to own two pro teams. And he's made it very clear he's a hockey guy.


Leipold is on record saying he would not want to be the primary owner of the Bucks but might be interested in being part of a group.

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