MERCHANT, BASKETBALL MAGNATE, SENATOR.

Twitchy contributor Ranty Amy Curtis, a Wisconsin resident, remembers her former senator Herb Kohl.  "He was born in Milwaukee in 1935, the son of Jewish immigrants. He got involved in real estate and business, spawning Kohl's grocery and retail store, which made the Kohl one of the richest U.S. senators in history."  Since then, creative destruction has come for retail, with former Kohl's grocery stores with their distinctive arch roof becoming beer depots or Sentry food stores, and the department store side becoming Amazon parcels terminals, that is, when they're not repurposing Boston Stores.

None of which might be as important as her recollection.  "Back in 2007, this writer and her infant son ran into Kohl at Ma Fischer's -- a local diner Kohl frequented. He was tremendously kind, humble, down-to-earth, and very doting to a random baby in his favorite diner."

I continue to have doubts about his tenure as Bucks owner, mostly thanks to Don Nelson being run off as coach.  Fans are right, though, that his money, and his quest for new owners who wouldn't move the franchise to San Diego Los Angeles Sacramento Las Vegas Alturas (odd how some of those Californian relocations have worked out, isn't it?) did keep professional basketball in Milwaukee for another, long delayed, championship.  (That first one arrived as the last Green Bay trains tied up.)

Kohl money also made possible a bigger arena for Wisconsin basketball, still looking for the first national title in over eighty years, and hockey, continuing to stack titles, particularly by the young ladies.

It's because of Herb Kohl that the University of Wisconsin Men's Hockey Team can play at Fiserv Forum for the annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off.

They also call the Kohl Center home ice because of his generous contribution back in the 90's.

"A man who kept the Milwaukee Bucks here and also built the Kohl Center. I mean just a wonderful person” Jim Becker a Wisconsin Hockey fan explained.

Becker and his buddy Bill Flood are longtime Badger sports fans. They went to school at Wisconsin too.

"Putting the Kohl Center up there just became kinda a little monument out there, a great court, a great atmosphere, the ticket sales went up, the alumni ot engaged." Flood, a proud alumni and fan explained.

UW Athletics said in a statement that the department is "forever in his debt for the arena on campus that bears his name…”

No Bucks, no Fiserv Forum.  The men posted two shutout wins in that holiday tournament.  Will they follow up with a national title for Wisconsin's Herb?  R.I.P.