Thanks Art!

[TheOldRoman]

Hate to say it... but seeing fans of the Packers and Cubs telling Browns fans to "get over it" is sending my hypocrisy alarm into overdrive.

Could you imaging the riots in Green Bay and Chicago if either one of those teams tried to move?

As long as they kept Wrigley Field open, sold $6 beers, had TV cameras for people to wave at, and the Tribune kept running articles on how great the attendance was, people wouldn't notice.

[illwauk]

Good point... I'd forgotten how much of a lakefront condo dwelling yuppie community center Wrigley has become (at the expense of real baseball fans).

[quantum]

Hate to say it... but seeing fans of the Packers and Cubs telling Browns fans to "get over it" is sending my hypocrisy alarm into overdrive.

Could you imaging the riots in Green Bay and Chicago if either one of those teams tried to move?

The difference as far as Packer fans go is they have their priorities straight. When it comes to public funding, the Packers would always win out over any other sport or project. Cleveland can't say the same. Both the Bucks and the Brewers could threaten to leave the state and the locals would call their bluff. A threat by the Pack would be taken much more seriously.

[illwauk]

Hate to say it... but seeing fans of the Packers and Cubs telling Browns fans to "get over it" is sending my hypocrisy alarm into overdrive.

Could you imaging the riots in Green Bay and Chicago if either one of those teams tried to move?

The difference as far as Packer fans go is they have their priorities straight. When it comes to public funding, the Packers would always win out over any other sport or project. Cleveland can't say the same. Both the Bucks and the Brewers could threaten to leave the state and the locals would call their bluff. A threat by the Pack would be taken much more seriously.

Good point... those morons in Cleveland and Milwaukee would rather spend their money on frivolous things like education and city matinence. The hell are they/we thinking?

[Mac the Knife]

I try to live a more healthy lifestyle in part just so that, when the time comes, I will still be around so I can visit Art Modell's grave.

And piss on it.

[KDubK414]

I've seen some local/"local" guys here that have shared their sentiments on the issue that has arisen.

To the local guy iilwauk, remember back in '95/'96 when the Brewers were trying to get the new "Palace of Baseball" aka Miller Park built? They went through a lot of road blocks. So much so that when the stadium deal before the one they got wasn't passed, threatened to fold or move. I was absolutly heartbroken that day. I'll admit I cried so much too! I thought I lost the Brew Crew forever!!! It was one of those moments where I first realized that I had the feelings of "I hate my life!" I felt I could not live without baseball here. Thank God it never happened, but still.... Imagine if the Crew was not here today!?!

To other "local guy" "Gothamite," I am first and foremost disappointed that in OUR city's first penant race in eons, you decide to take up with the NYM in your avatar, instead of your tried and true Brew Crew. That sucks dude! Where do you come off telling others how to support their local teams when it seems like you can't either. YEAH yeah, I get it you "live" in NY now, but dude you say you're a Brewers fan until this year hmmmmm?

To both of you! Ask your dad/uncle/grandfather/granduncle or whatever and ask them how they felt when the BRAVES left Milwaukee for Atlanta? My dad is a sports fan through and through. He will never forgive and forget about the Braves leaving!!!

The Pack Attack will be here forever it seems But, stranger things have happened?!? Milwaukee almost lost baseball TWICE! Which sucks! TG it didn't happen yet again!

Let Cleveland Browns fans have their passion over this! If I was EVER to lose the Brewers, which isn't gonna happen.... I'd be devastated too!!!

Kyle

PS. I know the Braves came from Boston, but they have the Red Sox still!!!!

[illwauk]

The Braves and Brewers are two different animals though. There's a bunch of reasons why the Braves loss hit this city as hard as it did. For one, they were our first true "big league" team. Sure, we had the Packers part-time and we had the Hawks before the NBA was a blip on anyones radar... but a lot of people felt that the Braves were what cemented Milwaukee's status as a major city. Also, contrary to popular belief, the Braves were still one of the best supported teams in the NL when they left. They only left because Atlanta had built a shiny new concrete donut to play in.

Had the Brewers left in the mid-90's, people wouldn't have been nearly as upset. A lot of us were still pissed off at Bud Selig for the Paul Molitor situation and (rightfully) felt that we shouldn't use public money to build a stadium for a millionaire bastard who wasn't even willing to try and put a winning team on the field. Besides, who can forger Brett Favre scoring the final touchdown at County Stadium in front of a banner that said "Thank you Packers, and take the Brewers with you."

[cmm]

I think telling Cleveland to "get over it" is a little harsh. I know some older Brooklyn Dodgers fans who still aren't "over it" 50 years later, even though New York still had the Yankees and got the Mets. I know it isn't exactly the same, since the Mets are in Queens and not Brooklyn and the Dodgers' name and history went to LA, but it's close enough. And to make things worse, Modell's team won a Super Bowl after they left and the new Browns haven't been very good.

And if Fred Wilpon ever did the same thing with the Mets--move them and leave the name/history for an expansion team--I'd want to piss on his grave, too.

I don't like the Thanks Art logo, either.

[bigbaze98]

Thanks Ioawhoo for explaining a few reasons why Art Modell is the most loathed man in Cleveland. Don't forget, he also ran Jim Brown off for wanting to go film the Dirty Dozen.

[DrBear]

Also, contrary to popular belief, the Braves were still one of the best supported teams in the NL when they left. They only left because Atlanta had built a shiny new concrete donut to play in.

The real problem was that the new owners, unlike Perini, knew something about TV markets, and for that, Milwaukee sucks. Somebody described the Brewers' TV market as "Chicago to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Minneapolis-St. Paul to the west, and a lot of deer and bears to the north."

Unfortunately, attendance - and except for the early years of the Brewers when they stunk and the fans still weren't over the Braves, it's been good - isn't the key to a successful team any more. Give the Yankees an average crowd of 1K a day, and they'd still make money.

[Burning River]

Are there not enough threads talking about this "What if you lost your team?" matter. That topic has been beaten to death. Well, the topic sub-header being "Cleveland Fans are gonna Love This" is what triggered it. I'll just say this: Baltimore has a right to "Thank Modell" just like Indy has a right to "Thank Irsay". Arizona can "Thank Bidwell" and St. Louis can "Thank Georigia". You see... the cycle is basically ENDLESS. As long as "it" remains about money, ANYTHING can happen. Even to this day! Sure, If Cleveland never got a team back and they were the Baltimore Browns... yeah, I'd have trouble getting over it. It's just that it's 2007 now and this happened basically in 1995. Trust me a lot of Cleveland Fans are over it. You just don't have 73,000 Cleveland fans subscribed to this board saying "We're OK, really!".

Regardless, the logo isn't that good. The gradient football is terrible. They should have tied it in to the look of the Ravens logo set.

[Gothamite]

To other "local guy" "Gothamite," I am first and foremost disappointed that in OUR city's first penant race in eons, you decide to take up with the NYM in your avatar, instead of your tried and true Brew Crew. That sucks dude! Where do you come off telling others how to support their local teams when it seems like you can't either. YEAH yeah, I get it you "live" in NY now, but dude you say you're a Brewers fan until this year hmmmmm?

What are you talking about? I've never had a Mets avatar. Are you talking about the Giants? The defunct team? I used it earlier this year, but swapped it out for my Packers one a couple months ago.

And I had a Brewers pennant in my sig until I started to get tired of the overblown bulky sigs everywhere and thought I had to lead by example. Never occured to me that somebody would look at that and call me a traitor to my heritage, especially when I tend to be annoying and turn every conversation around to the Brews eventually.

But hey, if superficial things like that trump the actual content of my posts....

To both of you! Ask your dad/uncle/grandfather/granduncle or whatever and ask them how they felt when the BRAVES left Milwaukee for Atlanta? My dad is a sports fan through and through. He will never forgive and forget about the Braves leaving!!!

Broke my grandfather's heart, it did. I like to say it killed him. It's the Romantic in me.

The Pack Attack will be here forever it seems But, stranger things have happened?!? Milwaukee almost lost baseball TWICE! Which sucks! TG it didn't happen yet again!

The Packers almost moved as well. At least twice. The NFL was pushing to move them into a larger market in the 1940s - first Milwaukee, then San Francisco. So while it can't happen now, it could well have happened in the past: on several occasions they were more tenuous than now seems possible.

[illwauk]

The real problem was that the new owners, unlike Perini, knew something about TV markets, and for that, Milwaukee sucks. Somebody described the Brewers' TV market as "Chicago to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Minneapolis-St. Paul to the west, and a lot of deer and bears to the north."

I think the social geography of Wisconsin has as much lot to do with that as anything. In theory, Green Bay and Madison should also be considered the Brewers market (giving it a share roughly the size of the Twin Cities). But people in other parts of Wisconsin are reluctant to support Milwaukee teams the way they do with the Packers and Badgers... at least til they make a run at a title (see: Brewers 1982, Bucks 2001, Marquette 2003, UWM 2005).

To other "local guy" "Gothamite," I am first and foremost disappointed that in OUR city's first penant race in eons, you decide to take up with the NYM in your avatar, instead of your tried and true Brew Crew. That sucks dude! Where do you come off telling others how to support their local teams when it seems like you can't either. YEAH yeah, I get it you "live" in NY now, but dude you say you're a Brewers fan until this year hmmmmm?

What are you talking about? I've never had a Mets avatar. Are you talking about the Giants? The defunct team? I used it earlier this year, but swapped it out for my Packers one a couple months ago.

That's funny. I have a NY Giants hat that's collecting dust because I got sick of being accused of being a turncoat by people who mistook for a Mets hat. You can only explain that you're a Willie Mays fan so many times.

[illwauk]

Double post... might as well use it for something relevant to the topic.

When the US economy gets passed up by China and people are looking for somewhere to point fingers, I'll direct them towards Modell. Our kids might have gotten sh**ty educations in our public schools, but at least our privately owned pro sports fracnhises had shiny new facilities every 20 years!!!

[powersurge]

Are there not enough threads talking about this "What if you lost your team?" matter. That topic has been beaten to death. Well, the topic sub-header being "Cleveland Fans are gonna Love This" is what triggered it. I'll just say this: Baltimore has a right to "Thank Modell" just like Indy has a right to "Thank Irsay". Arizona can "Thank Bidwell" and St. Louis can "Thank Georigia". You see... the cycle is basically ENDLESS. As long as "it" remains about money, ANYTHING can happen. Even to this day! Sure, If Cleveland never got a team back and they were the Baltimore Browns... yeah, I'd have trouble getting over it. It's just that it's 2007 now and this happened basically in 1995. Trust me a lot of Cleveland Fans are over it. You just don't have 73,000 Cleveland fans subscribed to this board saying "We're OK, really!".

Regardless, the logo isn't that good. The gradient football is terrible. They should have tied it in to the look of the Ravens logo set.

You pretty much nailed it there. How people feel about a notorious owner or a team relocating all depends on which side of the story your on.

I think most of the people are missing the sarcasm in some of our "Get over it" statements. The topic has been beaten to death. Its like a kid whose ice cream fell off his cone, got a new ice cream cone but is still crying over the last one.....get over it kid and enjoy your treat before I do.

[leopard88]

And what does Art have to do with the Babe Ruth Museum?

The Babe Ruth Museum and Sports Legend At Camden Yards, which is a museum for all Maryland sports, are jointly owned and operated. I suspect the Sports Legend side of the operation is more involved in this function, but the press release does not appear to distinguish between the two.

I can't wait untill the day times get tough in Baltimore(beacuse, guess what, they will). I bet the guy packs up and moves again.

Just for the record, Art no longer owns the Ravens. He sold a minority interest to Steve Bisciotti approximately 6 years ago. Bisciotti then exercised an option to purchase the remaining interest (or at least a sizable majority interest) about 2 years ago.

[02Rover]

Apparently, the Babe Ruth Museum and the Baltimore Ravens are having a celebration of Art Modell, and they made a logo for it.

Thanks Art!

That doesnt bother me. It just makes Baltimore and whatever organization that is from look like even bigger asses than they already do by embracing this guy the way they have after deriding Irsay for all those years.

Can you say hypocrites???

If thats what they want to do, go for it. He's your problem now.

Go Tribe!

[quantum]

Hate to say it... but seeing fans of the Packers and Cubs telling Browns fans to "get over it" is sending my hypocrisy alarm into overdrive.

Could you imaging the riots in Green Bay and Chicago if either one of those teams tried to move?

The difference as far as Packer fans go is they have their priorities straight. When it comes to public funding, the Packers would always win out over any other sport or project. Cleveland can't say the same. Both the Bucks and the Brewers could threaten to leave the state and the locals would call their bluff. A threat by the Pack would be taken much more seriously.

Good point... those morons in Cleveland and Milwaukee would rather spend their money on frivolous things like education and city matinence. The hell are they/we thinking?

I think you know I was referring to Cleveland's favoritism of basketball and the RnR HoF over football. Wisconsin citizens have a choice of buying Packer license plates to fund team projects because they are the state's team. The Bucks and Brewers get shafted because they belong to Milwaukee only (mindset-wise, anyway). Bottom line is, the Bucks and Brewers could leave and most people wouldn't care.

[02Rover]

Hate to say it... but seeing fans of the Packers and Cubs telling Browns fans to "get over it" is sending my hypocrisy alarm into overdrive.

Could you imaging the riots in Green Bay and Chicago if either one of those teams tried to move?

The difference as far as Packer fans go is they have their priorities straight. When it comes to public funding, the Packers would always win out over any other sport or project. Cleveland can't say the same. Both the Bucks and the Brewers could threaten to leave the state and the locals would call their bluff. A threat by the Pack would be taken much more seriously.

Good point... those morons in Cleveland and Milwaukee would rather spend their money on frivolous things like education and city matinence. The hell are they/we thinking?

I think you know I was referring to Cleveland's favoritism of basketball and the RnR HoF over football. Wisconsin citizens have a choice of buying Packer license plates to fund team projects because they are the state's team. The Bucks and Brewers get shafted because they belong to Milwaukee only (mindset-wise, anyway). Bottom line is, the Bucks and Brewers could leave and most people wouldn't care.

Do you really believe that?? If so, just stop talking on the subject before you say somethine ELSE stupid.

Thanks.

Go Tribe!

[leedsunited]

Apparently, the Babe Ruth Museum and the Baltimore Ravens are having a celebration of Art Modell, and they made a logo for it.

Thanks Art!

That doesnt bother me. It just makes Baltimore and whatever organization that is from look like even bigger asses than they already do by embracing this guy the way they have after deriding Irsay for all those years.

Can you say hypocrites???

If thats what they want to do, go for it. He's your problem now.

Go Tribe!

Far be it from me to hijack this thread, but I don't remember Art Modell packing up some Mayflower moving trucks and stealing away in the middle of the night for parts unknown.