Cubs / Astros to Play at Miller Park (Official: see replies 87ish to 92ish)

[mothershipconnection]

I doubt anyone in Milwaukee is making much if any money from this.

 

Probably not the team, but this is good for the city of Milwaukee, restaurants, and it's overpriced hotel rooms. Off topic, Milwaukee may have the most overpriced hotel rates in the world, relative to cost of living. You expect to pay $100+ in San Francisco, but Greenfield?

[owbc]

Cub fans will flock to this.

 

It seems like a rip off to Brewers fans, but to Cubs fans who are used to getting cheated by their own team, it's a deal. It's also a chance for Milwaukee Cubs fans to sit close to the action, which usually is impossible due to high demand.

 

I have no doubt that they will fill the field and loge level on Sunday, probably a smaller crowd on Monday.

 

Sadly, go Cubs!!!

[trwi7]

Off topic, Milwaukee may have the most overpriced hotel rates in the world, relative to cost of living. You expect to pay $100+ in San Francisco, but Greenfield?

 

Yeah, my dad came down to visit this past winter and stayed at the La Quinta in Delafield. $109 per night. It's a decent little hotel and all in a nice location (right by a Wal-Mart, Target and some fast food places for easy convenience) but $109 is a bit much.

[holybannana]

I wonder if this will create less demand from Cubs fans to go to the series at the end of the year.

[homer]

"I apologize to all, I made it up out of thin air. I had nothing better to do. Brewers discussion is boring with the rainout and all and I wanted to watch a real playoff contender in Milwaukee this weekend. Mr. Briggs, I'm sorry I wasted the time you took to read this thread. Please don't come back tomorrow with a different tune and offer any insight as to the series being moved, what you think it offers to MLB or the clubs in particular, or the fans of these teams and baseball. Just stick with the one-liners about what you believe/doubt about me and my integrity, because it was obvious it greatly contributed to the content here at Brewerfan.net. "

 

The guy just questioned the validity of your post. No reason to get all snippy.

[homer]

Some are $140, right behind the screen.

 

Tiks are flying off the shelf. I would not dream of going at the marquee rate, but obviously, Cubs' fans will and are, I have already doubled my 6-7K guess...they might do 20K.

 

This will sellout easily.

[homer]

I doubt anyone in Milwaukee is making much if any money from this.

 

Probably not the team, but this is good for the city of Milwaukee, restaurants, and it's overpriced hotel rooms. Off topic, Milwaukee may have the most overpriced hotel rates in the world, relative to cost of living. You expect to pay $100+ in San Francisco, but Greenfield?

When is the last time you did a hotels.com search on Milwaukee? There's plenty of options for less than $100.

[jeffy]

Official announcement from the Brewers:

 

Holy cow! $25-$60 for this? You have to be kidding me. Marquee rates for this? Napes I say! Napes! Who's gonna go besides Cub fans now? $10 for a ticket and free parking would be good and draw folks to cheer for both teams. This is silly.

 

 

What is silly about it? This is much different than the Indians-Angels situation. There are 7 million people in the Chicago area. For many coming to a game here is easier than going to Wrigley, I think there will be no shortage of buyers even with the last minute decision. Some people are even trying to resell these tickets on craigslist at a profit.

 

I just wish they would have made it a double header tomorrow.

[JJHardy7]

I'm a bit shocked this is actually going to happen. Props to those Brewers' employees for pointing this out and I apologize for questioning it. I have a question for those Brewers' employees. Does anyone know if other locations were considered or was Milwaukee the only real choice? This stinks for the Astros and I just wonder if there were other options out there or if Milwaukee was the only real option for some reason or another.

[Phenomenal Smith]

Whenever Bud Selig says "Jump", Drayton McLane asks "How high?"

[jeffy]

It seems like a rip off to Brewers fans, but to Cubs fans who are used to getting cheated by their own team, it's a deal.

 

How do the Cubs "rip off" their fans? If anything the tickets are sold at way below market value by the team, just look at the resale prices on stubhub or wherever. Other than the bleachers, which are priced higher at Wrigley due to the mystique, the teams prices for similar seats are pretty comparable (if not actually cheaper at Wrigley). Of course, the amenties (eg. batherooms) that the ticket price also pays for are much worse at Wrigley.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.c...chc/ticketing/seating.jsp

[ewizabeff]

This is where someone should come up with the link that shows how the Cubs sell huge blocks of tickets straight to ticket brokers....who are conveniently owned by the Tribune.

[cnycerveceros]

I'm sure this has been said, I haven't read all 6 pages of posts, but clearly this is unbelievably unfair to the Astros. This is a team on a tear that not only loses 3 home games, but has those home games turned into home game for the opponent. I know Round Rock is fairly close to the coast as well, but is there any reason they couldn't have played these games there? Any reason they couldn't have used another Astros minor league stadium or another AAA stadium in the southwest? Clearly it would be much smaller, but at the same time it would be a lot of fun for those fans and it would be a home game for the Astros. I once saw the Diamondbacks play against their A team (The Silverhawks) in South Bend, IN (Yount was coaching for them at the time). It was packed and it was a blast to see major leaguers in a minor league setting. I think MLB really messed this up.

[Fatter than Joey]

I know Round Rock is fairly close to the coast as well, but is there any reason they couldn't have played these games there?

 

I wonder if all their stadium staff is sent home for the season.

[pretendastronaut]

Does anyone know if other locations were considered or was Milwaukee the only real choice?

 

I had read Atlanta was being pushed by the Astros as well.

[owbc]

How do the Cubs "rip off" their fans?

A ticket agency owned by the Cubs buys a number of those tickets at "face value" and then resells them at a higher price.

[cnycerveceros]

I know Round Rock is fairly close to the coast as well, but is there any reason they couldn't have played these games there?

 

I wonder if all their stadium staff is sent home for the season.

I guess this a possibility. I know here in Syracuse, NY the AAA affiliate's stadium staff is mostly (if not entirely) local. But, the teams operate their affiliates differently. Here the stadium is owned/operated/maintained by the county and Blue Jays aren't involved in daily stuff.

[hawing]

I'm sure this has been said, I haven't read all 6 pages of posts, but clearly this is unbelievably unfair to the Astros.

Yeah, it has been said, but it bears repeating.

 

Facility-wise, Miller Park is a reasonable choice (virtually no chance of a weather disruption, a reasonable travel distance for many teams, and the organization has pulled together this type of short-notice, emergency location effort before); but for this particular series, it's not a good location.

 

Besides this being a double whammy for the Astros and their fans (as cnycerveceros and others have noted), I expect these games to only reinforce in the minds of the more arrogant CHC fans (I say this acknowledging that not all CHC fans are arrogant, but we know that many who travel to Milwaukee are) that Milwaukee exists to serve at the pleasure of Chicago.

I don't want to send this thread on a Wisconsin-inferiority-complex tangent, but think about it: Miller Park is literally becoming Wrigley North tonight and Monday. And it's not like the arrogant part of the CHC fanbase will be grateful or anything; they probably expect this kind of accommodation.

 

I'm sure there are already rumblings of Bud setting this up to favor the Brewers, which is not helpful either (although the way the Brewers have played lately, it might be moot).

 

Ideally (I think), when an "emergency" location is needed for a MLB game, it should be an opposite-league venue unless there is no feasible alternative, i.e. Miller Park should be the backup for only AL games. At least, games with playoff implications should not be played in the venue of a team involved in the same race.

[zachlaka]

This is where someone should come up with the link that shows how the Cubs sell huge blocks of tickets straight to ticket brokers....who are conveniently owned by the Tribune.

This is the only link I could find with 5 minutes of searching.

 

A premium scam: How the Tribune Co. has your cake and eats it, too

[Team Canada]

Look, if the Astros don't win a couple games because fans are cheering for the Cubs, they don't deserve the WC anyway. Yes, it's unfortunate that it had to work out this way, but you make the best of what you have.

[bball123h]

On the Round Rock front, IIRC when I was there the staff was almost entirely volunteers, most of whom have probably returned to HS/college at this point. It is a great facility, possibly the best in the minors, but it is probably a lot easier to mobilize MLB stadium ops than MiLB stadium ops.

[dadofandrew]

AAA facilities are not major league, to be kind. The Cubs and Astros players would have to sign off on that, and the Cubs have no reason to do so.

[InsomniacInkRoss]

They seem to have opened up the Terrace for at least tonight

[jeffy]

This is where someone should come up with the link that shows how the Cubs sell huge blocks of tickets straight to ticket brokers....who are conveniently owned by the Tribune.

This is the only link I could find with 5 minutes of searching.

 

http://www.bullz-eye.com/...ommentary/2003/120201.htm href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/NewsAndCommentary/2003/120201.htm" target=_blank>A premium scam: How the Tribune Co. has your cake and eats it, too

 

Thanks, was not aware of that. I don't think there would be anything wrong with the team actually setting the face value of tickets closer to the market value, but hiding behind a phoney ticket broker is sleazy.

[1992casey]

I believe this Miller Park arrangement had to be "signed off" by the commissioner's office, the players' association, the Cubs, and the Astros. I don't think it's a great situation for the Cubs (or for that matter, the White Sox and maybe even the Twins) to be the visiting team in Miller Park as a "neutral" site, but I guess this was the least of several evils.