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How this lifelong Brewers fan and famous wood artist played a special role in the 50th anniversary of Robin Yount’s MLB debut

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How this lifelong Brewers fan and famous wood artist played a special role in the 50th anniversary of Robin Yount’s MLB debut


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Milwaukee Brewers legend Robin Yount said he was “the luckiest guy in the world” to have been drafted by the team.

When wood artist Isaac Wynter Weins — a lifelong fan of the Crew — was commissioned by the ball club to make a custom piece to honor Yount, he felt pretty darn lucky, too.

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“It’s one thing to partner with big companies and do cool collabs, but it’s a whole different ballgame when it’s things that are from your hometown, things you grew up with,” said Weins, known as Ike Wynter to his massive social media following. “It’s definitely a dream come true.”

Spring marked the 50th anniversary of Yount’s debut as a Brewer at 18 years old. The Kid, who’d become the face of the franchise, would spend his entire 20-year career with Milwaukee, during which he batted .285 while amassing 3,142 hits, 251 home runs and 1,406 runs batted in.

Ahead of Sunday’s game at American Family Field, the ball club recognized Yount and his milestone anniversary. That included a 35-second standing ovation as the Baseball Hall of Famer took the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

But before that, in a more intimate setting by the clubhouse, Weins — who’s had quite the career himself — got to unveil to Yount and his family the custom wood mosaic he spent 75 hours creating in his Butler studio.

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It’s a home plate with two bats that appear to be crisscrossing through it. A nameplate atop says “Yount #19” with a baseball above and a “50th anniversary” with the Brewers glove logo below.

Besides a couple of bats given to him by the team, the artist used nothing but reclaimed wood — which is Weins’ medium — and his go-to tools: A scroll saw, band saw and sander. He cuts all the pieces to fit together almost like a puzzle. And, he never uses stains or paints.

To bring the piece for Yount to life, Weins used wood from a school desk he found on the side of the road, a sheet of wood paneling and birch plywood from dumpsters, a bulletin board from a Milwaukee elementary school and a kitchen cabinet door from his time in Minnesota.

He knocked out the glove first, then worked his way around the piece, section-by-section, he said. The baseball was one of the last parts he tackled, having to make “the tiniest incisions and cuts” to create its intricate stitching.

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Local artist Ike Wynter unveils the custom wood mosaic he made for Robin Yount

“Are you the artist?” Yount pointed to Weins in a video he shared on social media.

“I’m Robin Yount,” the man of the hour said, walking over to shake the artist’s hand.

Awaiting the grand reveal, Yount joked, “I hope you made me look good,” probably expecting a portrait of sorts, Weins recalled. The two-time MVP was in for quite the surprise.

After Weins pulled off a black sheet to reveal the large wood mosaic, Yount’s response was: “Oh wow, very cool.”

Weins walked Yount through the piece and the elaborate journey that went into making it. Weins said Yount “really got” and appreciated it.

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Weins said he had heard from folks who watched Yount’s career unfold in real-time that he was “the greatest” both on and off the field.

“Meeting him was a testament to that,” Weins said. “The whole time we were talking and chatting, it wasn’t meeting like an A-list celebrity or anything. He was just a very down-to-earth, Milwaukee dude. And, a community-driven dude. And, you can just tell that.”

Weins also made a plaque to attach to the back of the mosaic that’s embedded with the pencil he used to sketch and mark up the piece. “That’s awesome, Ike,” Yount told him.

To memorialize the moment, Yount, his crew and Weins posed for pics with the mosaic, which will be shipped to the baseball icon’s Arizona home.

And, this wasn’t Weins’ only photo op of the day. He also got to go onto the field — which he had never done before — and to a sentimental spot outside of the stadium.

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In 2003, 10-year-old Weins got to play at Helfaer Field, the youth baseball diamond adjacent to where the Brewers play.

Ahead of Sunday, Weins dug up an old photo from that exciting day of him and his teammates outside of what was then Miller Park.

While at the ballpark for the unveiling, Weins stopped by that same spot. It was a “full-circle moment” for him.

“Whatever you want to do or believe in, it’s doable. It’s not out of reach,” Weins said. “If you set out to do something, you can make it happen. You just got to figure it out.”

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If Weins’ name sounds familiar, that’s probably because it is. He was the artist behind that giant wooden Crayola crayon box that was making its rounds on social media earlier this summer.

The Mequon resident’s muses are nostalgia and mental health awareness.

The piece that helped launch Weins’ social media career a couple years back was the one he made for former boxing champ Mike Tyson. Since then, he’s constructed Tommy Pickles from “Rugrats,” a “Hoan Town Lager” for 414 Day, a Polaroid camera with interchangeable photos, Legos, a depiction from “Giannis: The Marvelous Journey,” a Father’s Day surprise for “Power Ranger” and singer Chance Perez, and more.

“I feel like a lot of us, your childhood is your greatest years,” Weins said in a previous Journal Sentinel interview. “You just have so many beautiful, warm thoughts. If I can create art that makes people remember things and experiences in their child for that glimpse of a moment as adults now, I just think it’s a cool opportunity.”

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His own mental health journey is what led him to start creating art that brings awareness. One of those pieces is “YOU HAVE PURPOSE,” a phrase Weins spelled out with wooden Scrabble letters that span six feet. The number values on the letters made up the Suicide Hotline, which has been simplified to 988.

Weins’ first gallery showing was at Unfinished Legacy in 2023. Since then, he’s displayed pieces at the Milwaukee Night Market, the Milwaukee Athletic Club and a private art gallery at the New York Stock Exchange.

But, before Weins became a full-time artist, he lived many other lives.

He was in the hardcore metal band Narrow Hearts, which played shows at The Rave and all across the country.

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He started a junk removal business with his older brother, Andrew, who was formerly in the U.S. Army and remains in the Reserves.

It was during that time that Weins found art as a way to breathe new life into the discarded wood the business collected. And in 2021, Wynter moved to Minneapolis in pursuit of his passion.

Soon after, however, he’d split his time between his own dream and helping make the dreams of others come true. He landed a “dream job,” working as a tour manager for the Los Angeles-based Dream Machine Foundation.

In April 2023, Weins moved back to the Milwaukee area and took his art full-time.

You can read more about Weins and his journey here.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee parents sue MPS saying staff member locked students in ‘dungeon’ as punishment

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Milwaukee parents sue MPS saying staff member locked students in ‘dungeon’ as punishment


Children at Thurston Woods School in Milwaukee were locked in a boiler room as a punishment, a group of parents say in a recently filed lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 8 in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court’s civil division by three sets of parents. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors is among the defendants.

The parents claim in court papers several employees at the K4-8 elementary school on North 35th Street sent kids to the boiler room if they misbehaved.

Some of those staff members, as well as students, referred to the boiler room as “The Dungeon,” according to the lawsuit.

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The lawsuit claims a former male paraprofessional at the school locked three students in a boiler room multiple times during the 2022-’23 and 2023-’24 school years. 

In the lawsuit, the parents said the “dungeon” presented a serious hazard to the children because of the potential exposure to “chemicals, cleaning agents, boilers, and other machinery.”

The paraprofessional resigned in November 2023 after he was investigated for violating several school district policies. At the time, he told district officials he placed the students in the room as a scare tactic, the lawsuit states.

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Among the defendants is former assistant principal Dennis Daniels.

He pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor charge of attempted misconduct in public office after failing to alert police that an 11-year-old student brought a gun to school in February 2024.

He initially was charged with a felony, but brokered a deal with prosecutors to instead plead to an amended lesser charge.

“Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to maintaining safe and welcoming learning environments for all students and staff,” Stephen Davis, an MPS spokesman, said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, the district thoroughly investigated this matter in 2023 and took appropriate disciplinary action which included termination of employment.”

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In a statement, Milwaukee attorney Drew DeVinney, who represents the parents, described the alleged behavior of school staff as “disbursing and egregious,” and that it appeared no one intervened to stop it.

He urged other families to come forward if they also were impacted.

“Concerningly, MPS did not report any of these instances of seclusion and restraint to the Department of Public Instruction, in violation of Wisconsin law.

“We hope that this lawsuit will serve as a vehicle to prevent further incidents and abuse, and to obtain justice for our clients.”

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Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.



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5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee

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5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee


The Celtics have been on a heater recently, and midway through the second quarter against the Bucks on Thursday, it appeared they were going to cruise to a sixth straight win. 

That all changed rather quickly as Boston would go on to miss 16 straight threes, losing in rather embarrassing fashion to a Milwaukee team without Giannis Antetokounmpo and who had lost 10 of its last 12. 

Here are five takeaways from the loss…

Staying hot 

As mentioned above, it wasn’t a night where Boston just didn’t have it — it was actually quite the opposite. The Celtics connected on 10 of their first 17 threes, with Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard each hitting a pair to build a 21-8 lead. 

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Midway through the second quarter, Boston was shooting 56% from the floor and 53% from deep, going up by as many as 14 in the quarter. 

That all came crashing down in the blink of an eye. 

Walsh’s efficient run continues 

Walsh was once again why Boston was finding success on both ends of the floor against the Bucks in the first half. 

The 21-year-old forward was perfect from the floor in the first half, connecting on all seven of his shots — including three triples — to score 18. Walsh also snagged three steals as his defensive energy continued to shine. 

At the half, Walsh was 27-for-32 in his last five games, good for 82% from the floor. Like the rest of the Celtics, Walsh didn’t do much in the second half, finishing with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, but his offensive effectiveness continues to be impressive given where he was even two months ago. 

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Can’t hold a lead 

The Celtics held a double digit lead on three separate occasions on Thursday night, and all three times that lead evaporated in just minutes. 

When you have a team like Milwaukee, who have lost 10 of its last 12 and appear to be on the verge of losing one of the best players in the NBA, it isn’t hard to knock them out rather quickly. But each time the Celtics went up, they let go of the rope just enough to give the Bucks — and their half empty arena — some life. 

A big part of that was Kyle Kuzma exploding for a season high 31 points. The journeyman forward went toe-to-toe with Jaylen Brown all night, getting the better of the superstar on multiple occasions. 

Once that third double-digit lead shrank to nothing, Boston didn’t have enough to muster another one. 

Brutal shooting 

As is often the story with Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics, once the threes stop going in, the ship usually starts sinking. 

That’s exactly what happened in the second half on Thursday night. 

Boston missed 16 straight triples, which is good for the fourth longest streak in franchise history.  During that cold streak the Bucks went on a 27-8 run en route to blowing out the Celtics. 

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The worst shooting offender of all was probably Sam Hauser, who missed all 10 of his attempts, seven of those coming from beyond the arc. 

After scoring 67 points in the first half, Boston only put up 34 in the second half.

Bobby Portis goes nuclear 

When you combine horrific shooting with 30-year-old Bobby Portis pouring in 27 points off the bench, it probably isn’t going to end well for you. Portis scored 18 in the second half, with two corner threes to open the fourth basically being the dagger for the Bucks. 

The forward also wasn’t afraid to go after it with Brown, even drawing a technical foul after getting a little too close for comfort. 

Portis also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.



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Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal

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Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal


The Brewers have made their first major league move in the 2026 free agent market.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are signing outfielder Akil Baddoo to a major league deal. The major league nature of the deal is somewhat of a surprise, given that Baddoo spent almost all of last season in the minors.

Baddoo, 27, was a Twins second-round pick out of high school in 2016 and moved to Detroit in the December 2020 Rule 5 draft. That first season in Detroit went quite well: in 124 games, Baddoo hit .259/.330/.436 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 13 homers, and 18 stolen bases, which earned him 2.1 bWAR. But his bat has not reached those levels since, and in parts of four seasons since 2021, Baddoo has hit just .201/.288/.323 in 682 plate appearances. He spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Toledo, where he had good numbers: he hit .281/.385/.483 with 15 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, and 25 stolen bases in 29 tries.

In the field, Baddoo is primarily a left fielder but has played some in center and a little bit in right. Defensive metrics have graded him as about an average outfielder, but those samples are not large.

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Milwaukee had one open spot on their 40-man roster, which Baddoo will presumably take.

It’s an interesting move. The Brewers could use an upgrade in the outfield, but their depth isn’t bad; between Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, Garrett Mitchell, and (sort of) Christian Yelich, the Brewers have several viable major-league options. Brandon Lockridge is also in the mix as a player at the line between Triple-A and the majors. Baddoo does not project to be much of an upgrade, and instead will slot in for more depth, but MLB at-bats might be hard to come by.

In unrelated free agent news of some interest to Milwaukee fans that broke about the same time, former Brewer Hoby Milner has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, where he’ll reunite with his former Brewers manager.

Update: According to Curt Hogg, the Brewers have also added outfielder Greg Jones on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Jones will be 28 in March and has appeared briefly in the majors over the past two seasons with the Rockies and White Sox. He was a fairly highly regarded prospect several years ago, appearing at #91 on Jonathan Mayo’s Top 100 prospect list prior to the 2022 season. He is likely to be merely added depth for the Brewers’ Triple-A squad.



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