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:
