9/9/2009
Cardinals 5 @ Brewers 1
The difference between my night game experience at US Cellular Field and my day game experience at Miller Park was like, well, night and day.
It cost me $8 to park and $10 for a pretty nice seat. And still $5 left over from the parking fee in Chicago.
Miller Park is beautiful. It opened in 2001 in the shadow of old County Stadium and is a big landmark in the middle of Milwaukee's suburbia.
It is located a few miles from Downtown Milwaukee, so there isn't much to do in the immediate area before and after games. Except tailgate. And wow, what a tailgate scene it is. This is Wisconsin, and they sure love their grills and beers. You don't need bars or restaurants for pre and post-game entertainment here. Just pull out the grill and cooler, and you're set.
There is still excitement and optimism around the Brewers in these parts, despite the disappointing season to this point. After last year's magical run to the playoffs, the city of Milwaukee is very interested and very passionate about their Brewers, and sports in general. Most of the people at Miller Park are very nice and talkative, and its a very good and positive atmosphere in the ballpark.
Miller Park also has great food. It is famous for its Sausages, and I'm told that all of them are pretty good. The stadium makes its own "secret sauce" which is pretty good on just about everything.
Miller Park has a few quirks, including the Uecker Seats high above home plate. The supports that hold up the retractable roof form an obstructed view for these seats, and they humorously named after the Brewers' famous radio broadcaster, Bob Uecker. They cost just $1 on game day, and actually aren't THAT bad of a view.
But the best has to be the famous Klement's Sausage Race. It is such a bizarre and almost surreal thing to see 5 people dressed as large sausages (Polish, Italian, Bratwurst, Hot Dog, and Chorizo) run around the warning track in the middle of the 6th inning. It is a distinctly Milwaukee thing, and even though other small-market teams have tried to copy it, there really is nothing like it in Baseball.
The game was pretty special, as well. Even though the Brewers lost, Albert Pujols of the Cardinals did hit 2 home runs in the game. As a baseball fan in general, that is something I'll be able to hold on to for a long time. Unless it's revealed that he's a steroid user.
I had been to Miller Park once before and loved it then, too. It is a very, very cool baseball experience in the midwest, and I highly recommend a visit if you have the means. It's affordable, a nice ballpark, and the Brewers currently have an exciting (well, offensively) team.
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