How low can you go with payroll? Ask Brewers. GM Doug Melvin has been asked to cut the payroll to $30 million next season, which would be the lowest in baseball. Guess they're out of the Vlad sweepstakes. (ESPN.com)

Brewer Thoughts. "I expected a decrease, but not by 25 friggin percent...And with such a huge slash in payroll, I think the fans need some answers. The Brewers promised that Miller Park would give them additional funds to put into the team when they sought legislation for taxpayers to foot most of the bill for building the ballpark. Now, with the prospect of a very tight payroll - and almost certainly more losing seasons - many fans feel betrayed." (Cheesehead Sports)

Legislators want to audit Brewers.

[Former Governor Tommy] Thompson, a strong supporter of the Miller Park financing package that the Legislature approved in 1995, said the franchise was not keeping its commitment to the state and the taxpayers in southeastern Wisconsin.

"The Brewers made it clear that if we built a modern, state-of-the-art stadium, it would provide them with the resources to field a winning baseball team," Thompson said in a statement that his office released Wednesday night. "They promised to go out and get the star players that would allow them to compete for a World Series.

"The taxpayers stepped up, built the stadium and kept Wisconsin a major-league state. Yet the Brewers have not upgraded the quality of their team, and now they are apparently cutting their payroll further. The Brewers need to put an end to the games. They need to invest in a winning team."

(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

David Cameron: "As advertised, here is my not-comprehensive list of free agent suggestions. It includes guys that I endorse as quality acquisitions, guys I would avoid like they had the bubonic plague, and guys I can't make up my mind on." (U.S.S. Mariner)

Mickey Kaus: "In 2004, Bush will want to stay in the game and finish the job. He's Pedro Martinez. The voters have to decide whether to keep him, or thank him for several well-pitched innings and bring in a reliever. They're Grady Little." (Slate)