Baseball has always been meant to be played in the great outdoors.
The air seems fresher. The sounds seem clearer. The smells seem more fragrant.
So when we pulled into Milwaukee on the Diamond Baseball Tours‘ Rockies Plus College World Series Tour in June and saw the roof open at American Family Field, it brought a smile to my face.
Pulling in from I-94, you can’t miss the stadium. It definitely stands out, especially the hulking roof, which is unique itself. Most retractable roofs go from one side to the other, in a rectangular shape.
At American Family Field, the roof is fan-shaped, with the roof panels opening and closing simultaneously in a sweeping manner from the first and third base sides toward center field.
The stadium didn’t open to the best of beginnings, though. After groundbreaking in 1996, construction was delayed after three workers were killed in an accident on July 14, 1999. A crane, nicknamed Big Blue, collapsed while lifting a 450-ton roof section during windy conditions. Repair work and the investigation forced the Brewers to play one more year in County Stadium, until 2001.
The workers, members of Iron Workers Local 8, are remembered with a statue called Teamwork in front of the main entrance. The three fallen workers were William DeGrave, Jerome Starr, and Jeffrey Wischer.
Outside American Family Field, there is plenty to see. In addition to the Unity statue, there are also statues of former stars Robin Yount and Hank Aaron. There is also one of Bob Uecker, famed Brewer radio announcer.
Walking up to the field, you see the Brewers Walk of Fame, which was created in 2001. It is on the plaza near the home plate entrance. There are 18 honorees. The walk honors both former Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Braves.
Not far from there is the Wall of Honor, created in 2014, on the outside wall of the stadium, near the Hot Corner entrance. This commemorates players, coaches, and executives based on club or career accomplishments. There are 15 honorees.
Milwaukee is known for its tailgating atmosphere. Fans will show up hours before game time, pitching their canopies and firing up their grills, long before gametime. In that tailgating lot sits a plaque in the exact spot that Aaron hit his 755th home run.
You might also notice another oddity not far from there. There is a baseball field in the middle of the parking lot. Helfaer Field is a youth baseball facility, where the infield is laid out on the former footprint of the County Stadium infield. It was named in honor of the Evan and Marion Helfaer Foundation, which was founded in 1974. Evan Helfaer was an original investor in the Brewers.
Moving inside the park, one of the more popular aspects of the park is the Sausage Race, which is run during the middle of the sixth inning. It used to be in the bottom of the sixth, but was moved to create more excitement as the Brew Crew came to bat.
The current roster of sausages is the Bratwurst, the Polish, the Italian, the Hot Dog, and the Chorizo. The Chorizo, which became a full-time participant in 2007, is the most recent addition to honor the growing Latino population in the region.
There are plenty of other fan interactive attractions. Bernie Brewer is the team mascot and has a club house above the left field seats, called Bernie’s Chalet.
After Brewers’ home runs and victories, Bernie slides down the slide onto a platform to wave a Brewer flag and celebrate. In the old County Stadium, Bernie would slide into a giant mug of beer. During the home run celebrations, you’d get a brief burst of fireworks and hear famed radio announcer Bob Uecker and his catchphrase, “Get Up, Get Up, Get Outta Here, Gone!”
Speaking of Uecker, you can sit a spell with him up in the cheap seats. Up on the Terrace Level in Section 422 sits the Uecker “Last Row” statue. It was installed in 2014 as an homage to the popular Miller Lite All Stars ad, which featured Uecker’s famous line, “I must be in the front row.” But he always ended up in the last row.
During the seventh inning stretch, you’ll get the traditional “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” but you also get a rousing rendition of “Roll Out the Barrel,” a nod to the beer-making roots of Milwaukee.
If you get tired of game action, you can visit The Selig Experience, located on the Loge Level, in the left field corner. It features about 1,400 feet of exhibit space. There is a 15-minute documentary film, detailing the life of the former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner emeritus, Bud Selig. You can also see a replica of his office in County Stadium, as well as artifacts and memorabilia.
American Family Field was built with plenty of windows to allow natural sunlight into the stadium, even when the roof is closed. You do get a sense of openness, as you are able to look out. There is no grand skyline, like at Comerica Park or Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, though. But it is nice that the game is played on natural grass.
The dimensions are about average by MLB standards. In left field, it is 342 feet; in left center, 371 feet; in center field, 400 feet; right-center, 374 feet and 337 feet down the right field line. There is only 56 feet to the backstop behind home plate.
Food-wise, how could I go to Milwaukee and not get a brat, which was quite tasty and fairly economical, by ballpark standards.
Some of the other food options include: a hot dog with fried cheese curds; a peppered brandy burger, as well as breakfast sandwiches available all game long.
As far as the game, it was a chance to see St. Louis Cardinals’ icon Albert Pujols in his final season. It was a back-and-forth game with three lead changes. The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the first inning. Cardinals came back for a 4-3 lead in the fifth, before St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado ended the scoring with a two-run home run in the sixth. It was one of four homers in the game.
In the bottom of the ninth, Milwaukee put two men on base with two outs, without the aid of a hit (a walk and hit by the pitch). But Brewer outfielder Christian Yelich grounded sharply to second to end the game.