Rob Manfred flexes his muscles, threatens Brewers

Oakland battled for years with the ownership of the Athletics over the building of a new stadium and it would seem that they have lost, with the team now looking to up sticks and go to Las Vegas. Tampa Bay seems to be in a never-ending struggle of their own. Now, it would appear that Milwaukee is in the crosshairs.

The commissioner of MLB, Rob Manfred has waded into the issue by threatening the city with the loss of the franchise if hefty renovations to American Family Field is not on the cards.

The Brewers started off in Seattle in 1969 before moving after only one season to Milwaukee. They played in Milwaukee County Stadium until 2001 when they moved to American Family Field, then known as Miller Stadium.

While the stadium is only two decades old, and there have been improvements made over that time, it would seem that the ownership is keen to make some radical changes. And it must be remembered that Rob Manfred works for the owners of MLB franchises. All talk about the integrity of the game or impartiality must be seen through this lens.

For the moment, all of this may simply be threats, calculated to move things along in negotiations. But if so, it would be in very poor taste indeed.