Whoops...

[Hamostradamus]

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/143490406.html

[kneelb4zerg]

So this happened on 1/29, and it's coming out the week MU is in the sweet 16. Timely stuff.

[Gato78]

The date of the citations is January 29th. It is not yet on the City of Milwaukee case database. Wonder which Badger fan decided this was the right time to make this information public? Probably the same cop that was leaking the "sexual assault" information to the JS.

[IWB]

Why? Why Why Why? Why is the Journal trying to sink MU? Did they write a story on the multiple UW players who were ticketed for running through stop signs while racing on mopeds? No. They did not, but they wait two months and publish this on the day MU leaves for Phoenix.

[Drbchilds]

Why is the journal/sentinel bringing this to light publicly now????? Complete bull shit, to bring this up as they are heading off to the sweet 16 ��

I, (and I am sure many of you as well), knew about this many weeks ago. To choose to bring this up now dispels any doubts about the objectivity of the paper.

[Marquette]

Under-aged college kids were in a bar? Shocking.

[Goose85]

So some college kids were in a club. Doesn't say they were drunk or disorderly or even drinking. Were those 6 the only college kids there?
I'm glad there are no underage kids at any other college in this state doing so. What a joke.

Another reason why I can't stand the Journal. I love the comments - MU has character issues. Really? Does the majority of all Wisconsin students have character issues? If you think all college kids are waiting until they turn 21 to have a drink (including football and basketball players) then all I can say is Wow.

[ge1974]

I recall Don Walker himself going to Cal's Shadow Box at State and 19th as an underage patron while at Marquette.

[Gato78]

That just shows our players have better judgment than Don Walker.


I recall Don Walker himself going to Cal's Shadow Box at State and 19th as an underage patron while at Marquette.

[ge1974]

and me, as well! College kids being "college kids".

[Halo]

Awful of the MJS. Keep it up MJS. You think the Wisconsin State Journal would publish this at UW if it happened there?

[ge1974]

I went to the same high school in Michigan as Don and knew him well at MU. He was a year behind me but was a huge Marquette basketball fan back then. In fact, he had season tickets in the row in front of me at the Arena for the 1973-74 season and when Maurice Lucas hit his 35 foot buzzer shot I was pushed and fell on top of Don. We had a great time that year (Final Four Season) with the MU fans seated around us (except the Creighton game - only one we lost at home that year).

Unless Don has soured on MU for some reason, I find it hard to believe he has sinister motives. Its probably been 20-25 years since I've seen or spoken with Don but perhaps I'll send him an email and get the low-down. The Journal's Bob Wolfly was also in my 1974 class at MU but I didn't really know him that well.

[Drbchilds]

Ge,
Send him an email. He and I have exchanged 7 emails over the past hour or so and I think you are correct in that he doesn't have any sinister motives, but who knows????

He claims he just got the info today. I have to take him at his word, I guess. I told him how much I love MU and how I take it personally when any of my Marquette family members are under attack and this felt like an absolute attack

I just don't understand how a marquette grad could write this. I really don't.......

[Goose85]

Well the JS got what they wanted.

6 MU players get tickets - tickets mind you.
I just checked and there are 117 comments (you think message boards can be bad with people and screen names - check out the JS comment section sometime).

One minute after posting the story about 6 MU players getting tickets, they posted a story about an area US Congressman touting a new GOP budget proposal. One comment thus far.

Looks like Walker and the folks at JS know what they are doing - 6 MU players get tickets and you have 117 comments. Congressman Ryan talks about a new budget proposal and nobody notices.

[JDubMU]

Writers have bosses too. Maybe the boss has the vendetta? Its not like Walker is going to rip his boss. Newspaper jobs are pretty hard to come by now days.

[Halo]

I agree Doc. Not only is the timing of the article garbage, so are some of the pieces he put in there. Do people really need to read what Mayo and Blue actually said to a police officer on getting the ticket? Makes them look like fools. I hope the things I have said to a cop when getting a speeding ticket are never published. Just a sensationalism article once again to stir stuff up.

[TulsaWarrior]

"Just got the info today." I wonder who was the source. Timing is everything. As a reporter no one ever gave me information without having a reason. It a rule of nature. I have no problem with the MS carrying the story. I just find the timing interesting. Someone must feeling Marquette is getting too much positive media coverage nationally.

[Gato78]

He just got the info today because someone at MPD wanted it out today--Don may not have had a choice but to report it but the timing is all on MPD. Remember, they had a cop who was dishing on the "sexual assault" allegations too. Also, everything I hear about Walker is that he is a stand up guy.

[ge1974]

I have an email into Don. However, he emailed and said he'd follow-up with me later. I noticed his blog story has been updated with Buzz and Larry Wiiliams quotes.

It's a non-issue, IMO but no doubt the timing stinks.

[ydouask23]

who is this Don Walker guy? Was he by chance the same guy that wrote that pathetic article interviewing Larry Williams? Lots of very fishy things going on, from Williams comments about Buzz, now to this sporatic reporting of non-issues....the day they leave for the sweet 16...unreal

[IWB]

Walker loves MU, still has season tickets. His boss hates MU.

[Goose85]

This stinks to high heaven. For those that like conspiracy theories here goes.

Ok, so let's see.
1. Someone at the Milwaukee Police Dept tips off the Journal about some MU players being at this place (why else would the Journal make such a request).
2. The Journal asks for open record request as they heard some MU players may have been there underage (really, this is a story to dig into).
3. No tickets were issued to underage kids or the establishment at the time and were only issued after the Journal started looking into the underage kids in a bar story. Hmmm, seems none were drinking and the police didn't want to issue a ticket to the establishment.
4. Somehow the Journal gets the information today - just hours beore MU's last press opportunity of the season with all coaches and players in town (unless we make the final 4) and runs the story immediately.
5. News stations have just enough time to send their new reporters there to ask questions, which they did, and from some accounts ruined the event.
6. What was to be a great send off for the team turns out to be crap and I'm sure the players and coaches were happy to leave town.

So the Journal for some reason keeps asking the MPD about the incident so the MPD must have felt the need to issue the tickets.
Hopefully Don and the Journal will make sure that all underage patrons that evening were also ticketed as it appears they did for the MU players.

What a pile of crap. Were the players wrong for being there, sure they were. Not sure why the Journal felt the need to continually push for the information. Could I or anyone else take my cell phone to Madison or East Lansing or LSU or Alabama or insert big time college here (ok, maybe not BYU) area bars and take pictures of football / basketball players enjoying a night out with friends and send them to the paper for publishing. I'd bet it wouldn't be too hard to catch college kids going out with friends and maybe being in an establishment prior to age 21. So would Don run the story if I sent such pictures to the Journal with Wisconsin / Milwaukee / Green Bay or even Bucks players that are not 21 in clubs? I know of some west of here, Don - you interested in pictures? I sure hope not.

Thanks to the Journal and the Milwaukee Police Department leak for ruining what should have been a great day for Buzz and the team. No wonder Buzz has second thoughts about "not messing with happy."

[ge1974]

I just heard back from Don via email. He told me that he was just doing his job, as a journalist. As IWB stated above, he does have MU season tickets and loves MU. If he didn't report this news someone else would have broken the story. Don did update the blog a couple of times during the afternoon with more information/quotes. I am not sure about his boss and I didn't insult him by asking who his source was but the media business is very competetive these days so the Journal had to do what it had to do and I'm just glad Don Walker wrote the story and NOT Jeff Potrykus! Don did mention that he received a ton of emails today calling him out.

Funny, Michale Hunt now has a column on it in the Journal and pretty much states its a non-story.

[ydouask23]

so if this is a non issue, which I believe it is...all college kids are in bars all the time....
are we all adding fuel to the fire by continuing to talk about it?

[Goose85]

I get that GE, and I trust you and IWB when you vouch for him, but I would like to know who the source is that put the Journal on to such a story and why the story was pursued as it appears it was.

No tickets issued until the Journal started poking around. Really, with the limited actual on staff writers they have this is what they are spending time researching? This is a big story?

[MU Viking]

I went to the same high school in Michigan as Don and knew him well at MU. He was a year behind me but was a huge Marquette basketball fan back then. In fact, he had season tickets in the row in front of me at the Arena for the 1973-74 season and when Maurice Lucas hit his 35 foot buzzer shot I was pushed and fell on top of Don. We had a great time that year (Final Four Season) with the MU fans seated around us (except the Creighton game - only one we lost at home that year).

Unless Don has soured on MU for some reason, I find it hard to believe he has sinister motives. Its probably been 20-25 years since I've seen or spoken with Don but perhaps I'll send him an email and get the low-down. The Journal's Bob Wolfly was also in my 1974 class at MU but I didn't really know him that well.


Well, either Don understands and is complicit with this attempt to sully Marquette or he is an unwitting dupe in the J/S's attempt to "make news" right before the team heads to Phoenix. Either way, I have little respect for the man today.

[Goose85]

Don has a new story up today. It says that DJO, who is of legal drinking age, was in the bar too. Now that is breaking news.

[Gato78]

Now I am losing all respect for Don Walker. That is assinine and indicative of motive.

[Goose85]

I can see Walker and the JS is going to be busy.

Looks like Josh Gasser had a ticket as well. Granted being in a bar underage is one thing, but the willful disregard for traffic laws shown by young Mr. Gasser is terrible. Any chance the UW suspends him for the upcoming Sweet 16 game for getting a citation?

http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do;jsessionid=917E1FF34AD8CA054160F354 502A335E.render6?caseNo=2011TR021883&countyNo=13&cacheId=6605B2DFA5ADDF75B6C684C99A11CAA0&recordCount=1&offset=0&mode=details&submit=View+Case+Details