Milwaukee Brewers Announce 2021 Triple-A Coaching Staff

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced today their 2021 Minor League Baseball coaching staffs, including the Triple-A level, which is expected to be the Nashville Sounds. The Sounds have been invited to be Milwaukee’s top affiliate as part of Major League Baseball’s reorganization of the minor leagues, a process that is expected to be finalized next month.

Rick Sweet will be the manager of the Nashville Sounds for the 2021 season. Sweet is joined by pitching coach Jim Henderson, hitting coach Al LeBoeuf, coach Ned Yost IV, athletic trainer Lanning Tucker and strength and conditioning specialist Andrew Emmick.

Sweet returns to the Sounds seven years after he managed the club for the first time in 2014. He becomes the third person in team history to be appointed manager multiple times. He led the Sounds to a 77-67 record in 2014.

Since 2014, Sweet has served as the manager for Milwaukee’s Triple-A club. He was scheduled to manage the San Antonio Missions in 2020 prior to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled. During his tenure with the Brewers organization, Sweet has compiled a managerial record of 439-402-1 (.521). In 30 years as a minor league manager, Sweet has amassed 2,031 wins, the 11th-most all-time. Sweet has garnered multiple awards including Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 1994, International League Manager of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and Baseball America’s Manager of the Year in 2010.

Henderson returns to Nashville for his first season as pitching coach for the Sounds. The right-hander pitched professionally for 14 seasons, including with Nashville (2011-12, 2014). The Canadian enters his fourth year as a coach in the Brewers organization. He assisted in Milwaukee’s scouting department and was short-season affiliate the Helena Brewers’ bullpen coach in 2018, was the pitching coach for Single-A Wisconsin in 2019 and was scheduled to be the pitching coach for Triple-A San Antonio in 2020 prior the season being cancelled.

Henderson pitched in the big leagues for the Brewers and New York Mets and compiled a 10-11 record with a 3.61 ERA in 155 career games. Henderson also represented Team Canada in the 2011 Pan American Games, where he won a gold medal and represented his country in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017.

LeBoeuf also returns to Nashville for his second stint on the Sounds coaching staff. He will serve as the team’s hitting coach, the same position he held with Nashville in 2012. 2021 is his 12th year in the Brewers organization and 34th as a coach in professional baseball. LeBoeuf’s coaching career began in 1988 and he has previously held many positions within the Brewers organization. He was also slated to be a member of San Antonio’s staff in 2020 prior to the pandemic. LeBoeuf played eight professional seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies organization from 1981-88. He was drafted in the 28th round of the 1981 June Amateur Draft out of Eastern Connecticut State University.

Yost IV begins his 14th year in the Brewers organization, and first as a coach with the Sounds. He played in Milwaukee’s minor league system from 2005-07 and has held various coaching roles since 2008. Yost was also slated to be on San Antonio’s staff in 2020 prior the season being cancelled. He is the son of former Brewers manager Ned Yost.

Tucker begins his first season as the athletic trainer for the Sounds. He joined the Brewers organization prior to the 2020 season and was scheduled to be the athletic trainer for Triple-A affiliate San Antonio. The Texas native worked in the Minnesota Twins organization from 1992-2017.

Emmick returns to Nashville as the team’s strength and conditioning specialist after spending five seasons with the Sounds from 2010-14 during the previous Milwaukee affiliation. The Kentucky native enters his 13th year in the Brewers organization.

The Nashville Sounds play at First Horizon Park. For more information on 2021 Season Ticket Memberships, call (615)690-4487 or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.

John Loar Leads Charge To Bring Sports Entertainment District to Music City [Interview]

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John Loar

Businessman John Loar moved to Nashville to be closer to his daughter. Now he finds himself leading the charge to bring a Major League Baseball team and sports entertainment district to Music City.

His background is in real estate operations and acquisitions. In the late ’90s, Loar led the effort for the Seattle Seahawks acquisition and near-relocation to Los Angeles. He also supported former pitcher and Diamondbacks GM, Dave Stewart, on the acquisition of the Miami Marlins.

It’s clear that Loar sees Nashville’s potential future as part of MLB as a full circle investment in Music City’s entertainment capacity. He’s interested in creating a sports, family entertainment district—like that of Atlanta, Georgia’s The Battery Atlanta, and Ballpark Village in St. Louis, Missouri—not just a baseball field.

Loar founded Music City Baseball, LLC, an organization primarily of Tennessee business, sports, music, and community leaders that is committed to bringing a MLB franchise to the City of Nashville, without government funding. With a focus on securing MLB approval of an expansion franchise in Nashville, the leadership team is also open to the possibility of relocation and rebranding of an existing franchise.

Understanding the fabric of Music City and it’s business climate, Music City Baseball has already engaged with the music industry, securing Music Advisory Board Members to involve them in the plan for bringing MLB to Nashville and the concept of a new entertainment district. Entertainment icons Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Darius Rucker and Justin Timberlake have joined the Board thus far.

Darius Rucker. Photo: Courtesy FINN Partners

“The importance of the music industry to Music City Baseball’s objectives, extends to why Nashville is an important market,” Loar tells MusicRow. “It’s the opportunity to just connect the two of those going forward. Nashville is Music City, it’s the hottest market in the country. This ballpark is truly not a ballpark, it would be an entertainment venue for world-class entertainment, where you can imagine residencies like in Las Vegas. It would be air conditioned and covered, so they could use it year round. So it’s not about baseball, it’s more about that opportunity to create a world-class [entertainment complex], for convention use, for corporate use, etc.

“Baseball is the reason why I’m the catalyst behind it, but what we’re building here is a world-class entertainment venue. Baseball plays for 22% of the time, 81 games, but what it creates is an opportunity to have a venue within a venue. By design with our partners ASM Global, coordinating our music industry advisors, [the Nashville music industry can have] an important role in being part of this process. They can be included in the design of how the facility operates, how it’s designed and how it functions,” Loar says.

Rendering of potential ballpark / entertainment complex. Photo: Courtesy Music City Baseball

In an effort to build a Major League franchise on equity and celebrate diversity, Music City Baseball wants to name the team Nashville Stars, in honor of several Negro league baseball teams that played games in Nashville in the 1940s. They established a partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which includes a net sharing of revenues from the sale of merchandise bearing the name “Nashville Stars,” and cooperation between marketing and social media efforts.

“It gives Major League Baseball the opportunity to take its place in history and be proactive instead of reactive in the conversations that continue to go on diversity and inclusion,” Loar says.

Music City Baseball was positioned to submit a proposal to MLB to establish a team in Nashville, but that step has been delayed a year due to business effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. Until then, Loar is focused on site selection for the proposed entertainment district.

“We hope it’s in Davidson County, but it will possibly be in Williamson County or Rutherford County. We’ve got eight sites that we’re considering,” Loar says. “We hope it’s part of the East bank, potentially the Tennessee State University site. A downtown ballpark gives us the opportunity to build, with our partner ASM Global, a world-class entertainment venue. The walkability, bringing the Cumberland River alive, and just being part of a downtown park is the objective.”

In 2021, it’s important for Music City Baseball to show their partner (ASM Global) that the Nashville market can be a revenue contributor, the reasons why, and to find a site for the ballpark.

“We think we can privately finance a ballpark here, as it’s really not a ballpark. It’s an entertainment venue. The baseball team becomes a tenant,” Loar says. “It’s driven by the music industry in residencies, and in conventions. It supports the growth of Nashville, the airport growth, the expansion internationally, and the hotel industry and the restaurant industries that continue to grow, even with COVID. People come to Nashville just because it’s Music City, so when the Red Sox, the Phillies, the Giants, or whoever see the Stars on the schedule, they’re going to come here for a three-game series, and be a part of the town and the market area.”

Darius Rucker Joins Effort To Bring Major League Baseball To Music City

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Darius Rucker has joined Music City Baseball as an investor and Music Advisory Board member. Rucker joins fellow artists Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and Justin Timberlake on Music City Baseball’s Music Advisory Board in providing deep music industry influence in the plan for bringing Major League Baseball and the concept of a new entertainment district to Nashville.

“I have always been a big fan of Major League Baseball so I’m excited about being part of bringing a team to Tennessee,” says Rucker. “Nashville is already a great home to several professional sports teams, and I believe baseball is the next step in continuing Nashville’s reputation as one of the greatest cities in the United States.”

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Darius to our growing team,” says Managing Director of Music City Baseball, John Loar. “His star-power and genuine enthusiasm for this effort will be contagious as we expand our reach and generate excitement throughout Tennessee.”

Music City Baseball is pushing to bring a MLB team to Nashville with private investment and without the help of government funding. In addition to a team, MCB is partnering with Moody Nolan Architects and former Titans running back Eddie George, who is co-leading their real estate development advisory team, to design a family and entertainment district that will intersect with Nashville’s lively music and sports scene.

MCB is committed to bringing a Major League franchise to Nashville that is built on equity and celebrates diversity. The team name would be the Nashville Stars, in honor of several Negro League teams that played games in Nashville in the 1940s. Additionally, Music City Baseball has established a partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum that includes a net sharing of revenues from the sale of merchandise bearing the name ‘Nashville Stars’ and cooperation between marketing and social media efforts.