The Brewers released a "sharply worded letter" blaming
Robert Trunzo, head of the Milwaukee Professional Baseball Park
District, of media leaks and questioning his commitment to the
project. The letter was the first public display of the team's
"anger and frustrations over the continued controversy"
surrounding their $250M stadium plan, according to Gilbert &
Rinard of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Brewers Exec VP Wendy
Selig-Prieb wrote to Trunzo that his actions "raise serious doubt
about your sincerity in pursuing a successful conclusion to the
negotiations for Miller Park." Asked to respond, Trunzo said
"personal attacks on my credibility ... really serve no
meaningful purpose." The JOURNAL SENTINEL reports the "tone and
the substance of the team's letter represents another dark sign
for the project." Parties close to the deal say the team may now
be forced to draft a new financing package that does not rely on
"a conventional loan" from NationsBank or another bank. That
would force Brewers President Bud Selig to consider other
options, such as obtaining new investors in the team, or agreeing
to a downtown site to obtain more public funding (MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/28).
SLOW SALES: The stadium financing controversy has brought
Brewers ticket sales to "a grinding halt." The club was on
target to break the franchise record of 8,994 season ticket
plans, but as a result of the recent negative publicity the team
has just passed the 7,200 mark for the year (Tom Haudricourt,
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/28).
