6/28/2009 - Miller Park - MLB Ballpark #11

2009 Game #9 - San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers
Final Score: Giants 7, Brewers 0
Hot Dog - 3/5

Miller Park has a sausage race, tailgating before and after the game, an organ, and Super Mario Brothers World 1-2 music.  What more do you need? 

Too bad the Brewers didn’t show up today.When we got to the White Sox game yesterday, we were surprised at the number of people tailgating.  I know I always associate tailgating with football, not baseball.  However, the Chicagoans yesterday and the Milwaukeeans today showed me that baseball is also tailgate-able.  The amount of stuff going on in the parking lot today was amazing!  There were plenty of hibachis, and the smell of lighter fluid was strong.  People also brought beanbag toss games (usually sports themed), and I saw at least one group playing ladderball.  Someone even had a portable picnic table!  There were tables full of food, and the Brewers were kind enough to provide 2 important things to the partiers in the parking lots: bins in which to safely dump hot coals, and Port-a-Potties.  On the approach to the park, we encountered The Sausages on their way in.  “Guido” was kind enough to pose for a picture with me.

After the celebrity encounter, we continued on our way in.  Giveaway today: Jason Kendall Bobblehead!  (?)  We tried to make a complete circuit of the park, but it is actually not possible on the levels we had access to.  The main concourse was wide, but not entirely open to the field.  It was open for 2 sections at a time, then blocked off.  Also, the stands were set up almost like stations.  Here for nachos, there for a hot dog, over there for a soda.  Different than the other parks we’ve been to so far, since most of them had a few “specialty” stands, and then most things available at the other windows or stands.

The park itself was actually very nice, and Rich and I both would put it in the Top 3 to date.  Miller Park has an interesting design for its retractable roof.  There are 2 parts that come together from a 90 degree angle.  However, the weather today was perfect, so the roof was open anyway.  The seats we had were upper deck (as usual), under one part of the roof.  Behind us was a wall of windows, and the view in front of us had the field and the open walls in the outfield.  Watching the game, it felt like a regular outdoor game, but turning around, it felt like being inside a warehouse, I thought.  Not in a bad way, but just different.

As I mentioned earlier, the Brewers did not come out to play today.  Jeff Suppan was lousy, giving up 5 runs in 5.2 innings.  But it was also the offense that stunk.  They didn’t even seem to try.  There were many strikeouts, but that was a good thing for the Giants pitcher, who was making his Major League debut in today’s game.  So good for him.  Perhaps the Brew Crew were still tired from celebrating the previous night’s walk-off win.

In the middle of the game (well, between the middle innings), the ever popular sausage race took place.  It was a heated battle between the 5 competitors (including my buddy Guido the Italian Sausage!).  In the end, Polish Sausage overtook Hot Dog to win today’s contest.  Phew!  That was exhilarating.  In the 7th inning, as with all the other parks, they played “Take Me out to the Ballgame,” which the Brewers followed up with “Roll out the Barrel.”  You know– that classic polka tune.  Also, as a “Let’s Go Team” kind of rally music (not that it helped), they also featured a snippet of the Super Mario 1-2 music.  You remember the level, I’m sure: underground, blue goombas and koopas.  And access to warp pipes if you ride the platform to the top of the screen at the end then run across.  So that makes 2 parks so far that have featured Nintendo music or graphics.  Cool!

As a historical aside, when Miller Park was being built, there was a bit of tragedy.  3 workers were killed when a crane that had been lifting a section of the roof toppled over and fell.  Apparently, the disasters continue at Miller, as there was massive flooding of the clubhouses a week or so ago (no human damage though), and crews had been working 24 hours a day to get it ready for the beginning of this series.

RIP Billy Mays.  I won’t really miss your shouting at me to buy stuff.

-Karyn