What Made Milwaukee Famous / Made a Loser Out of Me

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Miller Park opened a couple years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and it seems like the Brewers want to thank the fans for it. What used to be one of the saddest franchises in all of baseball (what kind of team can switch leagues and no one even cares?) has rebounded to become one of the best teams in the National League. And I'm happy for them. As Paul notes, the Brewers are another team who actually seems to treat their fans in a respectful manner.

Beers were so affordable that I even bought one ($5.25 for a pint of Miller High Life and $4 for a pint of Sharp's; I went for the High Life), and although I didn't try the food, I've heard that it's pretty good. In any event, High Life on draft is delicious.

Because it is a retractable dome, the stadium is very different from the others that we've seen on the trip (and that I've ever seen except Skydome in Toronto, Ontario), but it definitely had charm in its own way. Although it did not have the same view of the cityscape that many of the other stadiums have had, the view that it did have was framed very nicely by the sides of the dome. I've heard that the roof only takes a few minutes to close (when I went to a game in Toronto as a kid, it started raining and took quite some time to close the roof). But I cannot verify this, because the night was clear, so the roof stayed open all game.

The scoreboard was very nice (although there was no clock) and the out-of-town scoreboard was adequate (though it did not declare pitchers). No $5 hats outside, but decent $12 hats (ball and glove logo) inside, though I did not buy one. Unforunately, we didn't get to see Ben Sheets or Cubic Centimeter Sabathia, but Dave Bush pitched pretty well and Jimmy Jazz Hardy and Mike Cameron each homered. Unforunately Cameron's homerun (which was directly down the rightfield line) occurred just after we left a great view directly at the rightfield foul pole (if you go, definitely check out this vantage point, it is a unique -- and exceptional -- one I've never seen at another stadium). This is another stadium, by the way, where you can walk all the way around the stadium and the ushers let you walk around as you please.

We spent the afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin Badgers. This is a great city, if you are in the area, it is definitely worth checking out. Madison is characterized by a very nice landscape and a nice downtown with plenty of bars and a great university district. Plus, you can buy beer at the University of Wisconsin Student Center (supposedly the only public university in the country where this is the case. I'm not completely convinced. I went to a public university, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and they gave away free beer once a month). We even got to go for a swim in the lake adjoining the university grounds.

Miller Park Grades:

Biggest Advantages: Good and inexpensive beers, Good team, Interesting design
Biggest Drawbacks: Did not feel as close and intimate as PNC or Wrigley
Overall: B+

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