Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Here's what I did with MY weekend...

Yep, I attended my first ever Brewers game at Miller Park.  My brother and sister-in-law were hoping for a visit before they move this Summer, so I drove up to Milwaukee on Saturday, and we took in the Brewers-Cardinals matchup on Sunday afternoon.

First up, pictures!:
I was thoroughly impressed with how easy it was to get to the stadium off the highway, with very manageable traffic and clearly marked routes.  Parking was a breeze as well since I sprung for the $9 "general" lot, which truly was easy in, easy out.  There was a good amount of tailgating in the lots pre-game, which was nice to see.  This walkway takes you on the fairly short walk from the lots to the stadium.
The dome was open that day, which was great since the temperature was right around 60 and the sky was pretty clear.  You can see Bernie's slide right through the opening, plus the very cool Harley-Davidson Deck on the left.
Here's a shot of the field where you can see what the stadium looks like with the dome open.  Even with it closed I think it would look pretty nice.
 
 
Here's a trio of shots showing off Milwaukee's '82 Pennant and retired numbers.  You can also see Bernie's slide in the first image.  These were from my seats on the terrace (read: cheap, upper deck) level on the third base side.
The view was still pretty nice from up there, though, and I got a few action shots.  Here's a rare case of a Brewer batting with someone on base against Jaime Garcia.
What's a Brewers game without the famous sausage race!  The Polish sausage took home a close win in this one.
Here's the front of my score card along with my $1 pencil.  I dutifully kept score through the top of the 8th, but this one was over by the second when St. Louis scored six runs.  The Brewers were comically inept, both at the plate (besides Ryan Braun), on the mound (sooooo many walks!) and in the dugout (you left Estrada in HOW long, Roenicke?!).  Still, I had a great time since I wasn't really rooting for either team.  I did enjoy this bit of trivia:  Sunday's Mexican pitching matchup of Jaime Garcia and Marco Estrada was the first such to occur on a Cinco de Mayo!

The biggest reason I chose Sunday's game, by the way, was this:
Corey Hart bobblehead day!  Too bad he was on the DL at the time, but it was still a fun giveaway nonetheless.
Here's some key Hart stats along with a blurb about the 1913 Brewers, whose logo and uniforms looked very familiar and spiffy.  The team wore the same thing for the game.
This was the third of 10 bobblehead giveaways this season, and Ryan Braun is next up for you collectors out there--you can grab one of him on May 26.  Hank Aaron is the next best get on July 7.  Not too shabby!
I'm not exactly Comic Book Guy, so I opened it up to take a look and grab a picture.  Very nice!  I do want to make it known that this is up for trade, though I'm just as happy to keep it, and I'd like something just as nice in return, preferably of the Tigers or Wolverines (and I'd want something better than cards).

Despite the epic beatdown (final:  10-1) the Brewers suffered in a game that reminded me of some of the Tigers teams from the dark years, I had an awesome time.  The stadium is excellent and lines for concessions and bathrooms are practically nonexistent due to their relative abundance.  I definitely wouldn't mind catching another game there sometime, but regardless, I'll definitely retain good memories of attending this one with my brother and sis-in-law!

And now, here are some things that rhyme with Corey:

14 comments:

  1. Very cool! That seems to be a really nice park.

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    1. Yeah, like I said, I really came away impressed. Now they just need a team that doesn't suck at everything!

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  2. I have to agree. Looks like a great park to watch a game at. You did a great job with the pictures showing some parts I've never seen

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    1. Thanks for the positive feedback. I was just happy that the game would have gone on rain or snow or whatever. And if recent weather was anything to go by, snow was a possibility. I wouldn't mind even trying to sit elsewhere next time, but for $20 I was happy with my seats.

      Oh yeah, and thanks for giving me another blog to follow!

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  3. Went to Miller Park to watch my Twins get spanked 11-1 on my birthday in 2011. Very nice ballpark, but I prefer Target Field, and probably would even if I weren't a Twins fan. Going back to Miller Park later this year to see Paul McCartney for the first time. Pretty excited!

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    1. Maybe I'll make it up for a Twins game at some point. I still don't understand why they didn't go for a retractable dome too! That sounds like a fun show, have a great time!

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  4. That was the throwback game, right? I mean - the bobblehead has the throwbacks.

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    1. That's correct, and I sort of threw in a mention of that talking about the Hart bobblehead. St. Louis also wore throwbacks, including helmets that didn't appear to include logos, actually. I of course very much liked the block "M" that the Brewers were rocking.

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  5. Very nice. I finally got to go to my first Brewers game at Miller Park too. I had been to County Stadium a few times before I moved to Alaska. I also ended up going on a bobblehead day, I got George Scott.

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    1. Yeah, I had a feeling you'd enjoy this, and I did remember your post about the Scott bobblehead--I just forgot to make a mention of it in the post!

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  6. Very cool looking ballpark. I've gotta take a trip out there... ideally in September, so I can go to Lambeau too.

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    1. That sounds like a fun idea--I'd love to see a Packers game as well, and I can't imagine wanting to be up there much later when the weather gets worse!

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  7. Thanks for posting pics. I've always wanted to travel to other ballparks, but I've been unable to thus far. Outside of the old Fulton County stadium and the current Turner field in Atlanta, the closest I've gotten was driving by Fenway Park while in New England visiting my wife's family.

    My wife just surprised me w/ tickets to a Braves game in June for my birthday. I think they are playing the Giants. Man I can't wait!

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    1. My total this far is Tiger Stadium many times, Comerica Park a few, the Skydome once, Wrigley twice, and now Miller once. I've gotta get myself to some others at some point.

      Now that sounds like a great wife! Have fun at the game!

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