matthewweaver.com | mlb ballparks

Ballpark:
Miller Park became the new home of the Milwaukee Brewers in April 2001 after the team finally completed the snake-bitten construction project. The park's opening was delayed for a full year due to a horrific crane collapse that left 3 workers dead and a portion of the stadium damaged. The crane was lifting part of the roof structure in high winds when it gave way and crashed to the ground.

The park is a retractable domed named for the famous Milwaukee beer manufacturer. The dome is unlike any other in baseball, with 7 arched panels that cover the park in a fan shaped design. The panels rotate toward the first and third baseline seats on a hinge above the home plate seats (see photo at top right).

The park feels much like Arizona's Bank One Ballpark - a grass turfed domed stadium with flat outfield wall and large center field scoreboard - but it does not have quite as much charm. However, Miller Park is still a nice ballpark. The concourses are spacious, the sightlines are excellent and the park is very bright inside (even with the dome closed). The food definitely caters to the tastes of Milwaukee, with artery clogging bratwursts and sausages. I had three hot dogs drenched in spicy mustard and they were very good.

All in all, Miller Park is a above average ballpark that has blended the better ideas from other new parks into a fine facility. I give it a "B+".

How to get there:
From downtown Milwaukee, take I-94 West for about 5 miles and exit on Miller Park Way.

City:
Milwaukee is similar in feel to Cleveland, Ohio. In fact, much of the city and ballpark scenes in the film Major League were filmed in Milwaukee instead of Cleveland. Of course, Milwaukee wouldn't be famous without beer, and the team is aptly named.

The downtown sits on Lake Michigan and has a decently sized waterfront park. I'm sure there are at least a few cool things to do in Milwaukee, but due to my travel schedule, I didn't have a chance to partake in them.

Stuff to do while there:
Eat bratwurst and drink Miller beer...and watch Laverne and Shirley reruns. :)

Story:
I drove 5-1/2 hours from Minneapolis to Milwaukee to catch the Saturday afternoon game between the Cardinals and Brewers. This was to be the "sandwich" game between two games in Minneapolis, but a late season snow storm forced me to drive straight to the Minneapolis airport and abandon the Sunday game at the Metrodome.

Fun facts:
President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch in Miller Park on April 6, 2001.

Bernie Brewer is the team mascot that slides down a chute after each Brewer home run. Check out his dugout.

One of the most famous - and fun - things about a Brewers game is the Sausage Race (see photo at right). Four different types of "sausages" run along the infield warning track from shallow left field to shallow right field.

On July 10, 2003, Pittsburgh Pirates player Randall Simon assaulted the Italian sausage with a bat as the costumed woman ran by the visitor's dugout. It wasn't really that bad - it was just a light bop on the costume - but the woman lost her balance in the bulky costume and fell. In a classic over reaction, Milwaukee Police arrested Simon after the game. He was not charged, though the event became known as "SausageGate."

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The home plate entrance of
Miller Park and the funky roof
April 20, 2002

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The view from home plate
April 20, 2002

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Matt from his field side seats
April 20, 2002

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The view from center field
April 20, 2002

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The world famous
Sausage Race!
April 20, 2002

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Robin Yount statue out front
April 20, 2002