Should Miller Park add curtains? Latest: Braun With Strong Words (Post # 60)

[Invader3K]

I agree the "Tal's Hill" with the flagpole is rather dumb...I'm surprised a player hasn't broken an ankle or something trying to field a ball on that thing.

 

As far as the shadow being dangerous for hitters...I'm sure there are other parks where sun or shadow can make it harder for a player to see a ball coming in. I just think it's part of the game.

[JJHardy7]

As far as the shadow being dangerous for hitters...I'm sure there are other parks where sun or shadow can make it harder for a player to see a ball coming in. I just think it's part of the game.

 

Most of the things you mentioned though were designed as part of the stadiums. I don't think having a nasty shadow was actually designed. I was at Sheets 18K game and as well as he pitched I always felt that the shadows had a lot to do with it. That's not a knock on Ben. I'm sure pitchers love the shadows on day games. I just don't see how the position of the sun should have an impact of the game. Again, it's not always a fair thing for both teams.

[Invader3K]

I just don't see how the position of the sun should have an impact of the game.

 

I get what you're saying, but one could argue that temperature, wind, and elevation above sea level shouldn't have an impact either. I mean, outfielders have had problems for years and years losing balls in the sun...so why shouldn't hitters or pitchers be helped or hurt by it either?

[FVBrewerFan]

I'm sure pitchers don't like the fact that foul territory is alost non-existent in all the new stadiums. Having the roof in-play in the Metrodome shouldn't be "part of the game" but it is. I have to believe most parks have shadows at some point in the day, it's not just Miller Park. Bottom line, there's not a lot of day games. Players have never liked them very much, and that won't change if they retrofit Miller Park with a giant pair of Raybans.

[Baldkin]

This is a problem across pretty much every stadium in baseball, you can't have a high walled stadium where shadows don't come across the field when the sun sets. Its just not feasible.

 

Some shots of Arizona's stadium and the shadows there.

[logan82]

FVBrewerFan wrote:

if they retrofit Miller Park with a giant pair of Raybans.

I can't be the only one hoping somebody does some photoshopping to put a pair of Raybans on Miller Park.

[John Brew]

During several telecasts, Schroeder has said the most difficult time for the players to hit is when the mound and the batter's box are covered in shade but the batter's eye is in the sun. He's heard this from several players.

In the audio from earlier in the thread, Braun mentions the batter's eye being lit up by the sun, and the safety hazard of not being able to see a 95 mph pitch. Maybe the batter's eye is the real problem, and all that's really needed is to change it somehow. Not sure if that would mean using a different material or paint or what, but that seems like it would be much easier to fix than the panels.

[FVBrewerFan]

For day games, just move the mound back 6 feet, problem WHOA SOLVD

[AJAY]

I get what you're saying, but one could argue that temperature, wind, and elevation above sea level shouldn't have an impact either.

 

Actually, engineers have worked hard to try to eliminate these elements as much as possible. So many new ballparks are now designed with retractable roofs to eliminate wind and temperature problems. Coors Field also added the humidor to partially compensate for the elevation above sea level.

 

If there is a way of eliminating or reducing a problem, then go for it.

[JJHardy7]

I get what you're saying, but one could argue that temperature, wind, and elevation above sea level shouldn't have an impact either. I mean, outfielders have had problems for years and years losing balls in the sun...so why shouldn't hitters or pitchers be helped or hurt by it either?

 

Well if the shadow was in the same spot the entire game...fine. Same conditions for both teams is fine by me. My point is that if I'm a pitcher and I know it's more difficult when home plate is in the shadown and the mound is in the sun (let's just say this is a fact...I'm not debating whether it is or not) I'm going to take my sweet time on the mound as the shadow gets closer and closer to the pitching mound. To me, this can be using the 'natural weather' to one's benefit. The wind and temperature aren't elements a team can change or wait for. They can to a certain degree with the shadows. I'm not saying that teams do this. I would just imagine that it has happened before.

 

I also agree with AJAY. These terrible shadows aren't 'part of the game'. I watch a lot of games since I have mlb.tv and Miller Park to me is still the worst with the shadows. I've thought that for a long time.

[jeffy]

So many new ballparks are now designed with retractable roofs to eliminate wind and temperature problems.

Actually there has not been a single one built since MIller Park. The last 8 new ball parks have been open air. The marlins will have a roof and the twins will not. So that will be 90% of 10 parks built after miller being roofless.

 

BTW, during a recent day game the announcers indicated the worst visibility for the batter (apparently as reported to them by the players) is when the pitcher and the hitter are in the roof shadow, but the background (meaning the outfield, not just the batter's eye) is in bright sunshine. There is nothing short of closing the roof on all sunny days that will correct that problem. Other alternatives would be to permanently remove the roof and convert MP to an open air stadium or retrofit a revised roof design that stacks up in the outfield.

[Teatoe993]

In my opinion, the MLB players should man up and deal with it. Sport some Ray-Bans out there in the outfield if they have to. I don't remember anyone complaining about shadows in County Stadium. Would they rather have County Stadium back? Talk about wussification.

[TooLiveBrew]

That reminds me of my little league coach yelling at us if we lost a ball in the sun. Obviously you don't want to lose a ball in the sun, but if it happens, it happens. Yelling at a kid for it changes absolutely nothing, and does no good. Saying "man up" on an issue that has nothing to do with 'manliness' is just dismissive.

 

I think if players see it as a problem, that's something that needs to be taken under consideration. If nothing can be done, so be it. These guys do wear shades, and shouldn't it tell you something that there still is a problem?

[zurch1818]

Now you can add Fielder to the list of Brewers that have complained about the shadows. According to that link, when asked what type of pitch his homer Thursday against the Twins, Fielder replied, "I don't know. I didn't see it." Later on in the article, he claims he got lucky to hit the ball.

 

Its interesting that we have never heard anyone complain the shadows before and now both Prince and Ryan are going public with this issue.

[Nottso]

Why isnt there A/C or (Im assuming) no heat in Miller Park? If anyone has a reason why I would like to hear it. Just seems odd not having those two.

It would be incredibly expensive to retrofit an A/C system to the park, not to mention the added electricity costs. And where would the A/C infrastructure go? Most large buildings have the A/C units on the roof. Even without that option, the building was not planned to have A/C from the start, so something would have to move to make room for the new equipment.

Miller Park is heated and air conditoned throughout, except for the seating bowl/playing field. I know this to be fact, as I was part of the installation crew. I left just a few days before the crane collapse.

[jeffy]

Asked what can be done about the shadows, Fielder said, "I don't know. I just work here. You've just got to deal with it."

 

 

There you go Fielder says the players who work here just have to deal with it.

 

I did not read that as Fielder "complaining" about it, he just noted the existence of the issue and indicated it was something that comes with "working" here. Never having rain delays and never having to play in cold miserable weather is something else that also comes with working here...so it is a trade-off.

[joepepsi]

Miler Park is heated and air conditoned throughout, except for the seating bowl/playing field. I know this to be fact, as I was part of the installation crew. I left just a few days before the crane collapse.

I always thought so. I think this is why you can feel a cooler breeze on your back when the close the roof mid game. The cool air rushes down the seating.

[John Brew]

I'm convinced that the issue is with the batters eye. Rock mentioned it again yesterday, that when the infield is in the shadows, the sun on the batters eye make it difficult/impossible to pick up the spin on the ball. When Prince hit his HR that was the situation.

 

Surely there must be some way to make the batters eye less reflective of the sun. That's the whole point of the batters eye, to have a background that makes it possible for batters to clearly see the ball. In this case it's failing, so why not try to improve it? The easy thing to say is, 'just deal with it'.

[TauPentaRei]

Why isnt there A/C or (Im assuming) no heat in Miller Park? If anyone has a reason why I would like to hear it. Just seems odd not having those two.

It would be incredibly expensive to retrofit an A/C system to the park, not to mention the added electricity costs. And where would the A/C infrastructure go? Most large buildings have the A/C units on the roof. Even without that option, the building was not planned to have A/C from the start, so something would have to move to make room for the new equipment.

Miler Park is heated and air conditoned throughout, except for the seating bowl/playing field. I know this to be fact, as I was part of the installation crew. I left just a few days before the crane collapse.

 

 

We will have to start a running tally here, but I was also on this project team for the GC. There is no air conditioning; only heat.

 

There are vents in the concrete underneath the seats in the lower seating bowl also.

[EinhornIsFinkle]

There isn't AC according to the tour guide I asked.

[Nottso]

There isn't AC according to the tour guide I asked.

There is. I installed it. It's a chilled-water system. Do you honestly believe the luxury boxes, locker rooms, clubhouses, offices, etc, are not air conditioned? Pretty much the entire service level is air conditioned, and iirc, almost all enclosed areas. Next time you're in the stadium, start looking at the piping overhead. Most of it is (or should be) labeled. If you see "CWS" or "CWR" those stand for Chilled Water Supply and Chilled Water Return.

 

Edit: If it isn't, I can now add dementia to my senility.

[Nottso]

Follow this link and scroll to the bottom: http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download53.pdf

 

Besides the seating bowl there is an additional 300 000ft2

(27 800m2) of enclosed, fully conditioned space including

offices, restaurants, locker rooms, and storage, all served by

conventional air systems with distributed AHUs adjacent.

These have a 1600 ton (1460 tonnes) central cooling plant

and 33 000Mbh hot water heating plant which also gives

frost protection to the turf via buried pipes. This system is

only used before game time so the same boiler plant can be

used without increasing overall capacity. Both systems

contain 30% ethylene glycol to protect against freezing.

The concourse food services have local split system heat

pumps above each unit; a total of some 53 000ft3

(1500m3)/min of grease exhaust ascends to the roof.

[sgtcluels]

How many tons of cooling would be needed to cool the entire space though? The luxury boxes, shops, player areas is a pretty small area compared to the open air of Miller Park.

[knowitall]

I've always said that they should put monster blinds or something up there. The sun just blares in on the field and its annoying as heck. Very poor design.

[NYChez]

To eliminate the glare from the batter's eye, couldn't they put up something like a fake tree to get between the sun and the batter's eye?