WI Gov. Tommy Thompson is pushing to have a stadium
financing plan for a new Brewers ballpark done by Saturday, "but
he wasn't certain that would happen," according to Rinard & Lamke
of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Another private commitment,
this one a $1M low-interest loan by the Evan and Marion Helfaer
Foundation, was offered as officials met in Thompson's Capitol
office to discuss the project. They agreed the ballpark will not
be completed until 2000, but that it can be built for $250M
without "sacrificing its signature convertible-roof design."
Acting Commissioner Bud Selig was not happy about giving up on
the originally planned completion date and losing the '99 All-
Star Game, which had been committed to the city. Asked whether
another All-Star Game in Milwaukee was possible, Selig said "I'll
talk to the commissioner on the way home." Selig said he is "not
actively pursuing" Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist's idea that MLB
contribute $12.5M toward the stadium. Selig: "It's never been
done before" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/28).
