Wisconsin gets its very own...

[Aaronhere]

By Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel

While all of us were immersed in Super Bowl fever, a new professional sports team was born in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Blast, newest members of the American Basketball Association, will begin play in late November or early December, according to Joe Newman, the ABA's ceo, and Elzie Flenard, the Waukesha businessman who is the Blast's owner.

The ABA is decidedly minor league, but is proud of it. Newman said Flenard paid $10,000 as a licensing fee, and "I financed it," Newman said.

Newman said the league's goal is to provide a fan-friendly, affordable game to basketball fans. Ticket prices are in the $10 range.

As for Flenard, he said in an interview Tuesday that his team will play its games at Wisconsin Lutheran College. A spokesman for the school could not be reached for comment.

"I've always been interested in owning a team," Flenard said. "It is the right time."

Flenard said tryouts for the team - the ABA likes its teams to find local players - will be held March 12. Ten players will be picked, along with 10 alternates.

Newman said each team has a $120,000 salary cap for 12 players.

The ABA now has 60 teams around the country, in large markets and small. Newman said he hoped to expand to as many as 100 teams next year.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/115579914.html

[tops804]

[quote=""Aaronhere""]
The ABA now has 60 teams around the country, in large markets and small. Newman said he hoped to expand to as many as 100 teams next year[/quote]

40 times $10,000 ??? Yes, I can see why Newman would be "hoping" for that many more teams.

Meanwhile, the followers of the ABA "hope" that ABAlive will be updated with schedules and scores.

It looks pretty obvious that the writer of this article didn't go to his required, second source, to verify his information.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

[quote=""Aaronhere""]Newman said he hoped to expand to as many as 100 teams next year [/quote]

Some variation of this silly, nonsensical comment has been spoken or written by the Kitchen Czar annually since at least 2004, if not earlier.

And he STILL hasn't reached 100 in any one season.

Putting aside the nearly 300 teams he has already burned through in that same timeframe, of course...

[Paul S]

[quote=""Joe the Magpie Newman (AKA BS Joe; ABAJo86er; ABAfan; Forked Tongue Joe ; UsedCarSalesJoe) ""]

Flenard paid $10,000 as a licensing fee, and "I financed it," Newman said.[/B]

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/115579914.html[/quote]

Remember you are running a publicly traded company Joe. Did you finance it how? Did you file the right form? Did you alert shareholders, the SEC and investor relations Joe? Did you do the due diligence that the owner needed to submit? Did you send a prospectus to the investor Joe? Did you send out a comparison to the owner showing what outside financing would cost Joe?

Or were you misquoted. You better call Dick Tinkham and have him dust off some books on the legalities of a CEO of a publicly traded company financing new investment into the company Joe.

Just saying'



Oh ya...................what the hell is a licensing fee Joe? First I've heard of that. Remember you were calling it a franchise fee? Then it was a market reservation fee? Now it is a licensing fee???????? License for what? This owner better check what exactly was financed. If Joe doesn't have a license from the NBA to run the ABA, what can he possible license? Another ABA Utah shell company maybe?

[wisminorlgefan89]

I know this league is a joke but I will still go check out a game or 2