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

[jeffy]

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.

 

Sure, which means that all the fan areas, except sky boxes and the club level concourse are not air conditioned. My understanding has always been that none of the concourses (aside from club) or fan seating areas (aside from the enclosed sky boxes) have A/C and, of course, neither does the playing field.

[BCZF]

I always was of the opnion that they should put that polarized tinted film over the glass, like those "transitions" lenses.. Wont stop the sun, but reduce the glare a great deal.. And wouldn't be as expensive..

[phxMILWfan]

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.

 

With all due respect, I read your post and thought well if it is everything EXCEPT the seating bowl and the field what else is there? I guess it makes sense that the luxury boxes and clubhouse would be air conditioned. I just think that if your sitting in a regular seat in the middle of the summer, if the seating bowl isn't air conditioned... the stadium isn't air conditioned. I remember reading about the stadium and how they said it would be heated but not air conditioned. I think when it is discussed people generally mean the seating bowl and the playing field.

[Nottso]

"With all due respect, I read your post and thought well if it is everything EXCEPT the seating bowl and the field what else is there? I guess it makes sense that the luxury boxes and clubhouse would be air conditioned. I just think that if your sitting in a regular seat in the middle of the summer, if the seating bowl isn't air conditioned... the stadium isn't air conditioned. I remember reading about the stadium and how they said it would be heated but not air conditioned. I think when it is discussed people generally mean the seating bowl and the playing field."

 

I would have to say at this point, that it's all a matter of perspective. To me (and I would guess most other tradesmen), the seating bowl/playing field is the most meaningless part of the building, speaking only as a building. It's just a big hole in the middle of the building, much like a courtyard in a large office building. It doesn't "do" anything. It's just there. As a building, Miller Park is like a giant doughnut, where the seating bowl/playing field is the doughnut hole. All the "good stuff" is on the outside.

 

I would also guess that most people, especially those not in the building trades, see it in the exact opposite way. I don't think either view is "right or "wrong." Just different.

[pitchleague]

if the batter's eye is such a problem, do the Brewers need to change it from green-painted cinder blocks (or whatever it is) to black-painted cinder blocks? Or put up a black tarp (ala Yankee Stadium)? Would that work?

[JJHardy7]

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.

That's really how you take those comments? Usually a 'I just work here' comment means you can't control it and I'm sure he doesn't want to create a stir. I'd think it suggests he thinks it sucks since he was 'lucky' to hit the HR. Shouldn't that really say something? The reason they're also talking more about it is that the team is actually good. When the team sucked, would anyone really care if they complained about the shadows? Some still don't care that to me there's obvious issues coming straight from the players. Again, if it was the same way the whole game...no problem. It sucks, but that's just how it is. The fact that based on what time of the day it is controls the outcome of a came is a joke to me. It should be fixed. It's not a 'natural' problem either.

[TooLiveBrew]

While certainly an extreme example, the logic that something just 'is what it is' & can't be changed (even when clearly it could) would have said no to batting helmets. This issue is something the Brewers should address, and I'd have to think the fix could be relatively simple.

[bullox]

To me (and I would guess most other tradesmen), the seating bowl/playing field is the most meaningless part of the building, speaking only as a building. It's just a big hole in the middle of the building...

Well this discussion is about Miller Park the baseball stadium, and its comfort level for players/fans. This empty hole in the middle of the building is actually the only reason the building is there. While I understand that you had a hand in building something, (not related to this discussion as this is about the seating bowl/playing field) try to expand your viewpoints to the points in the thread.

[Teatoe993]

The stadium was opened in 2001. How come this is all of a sudden a problem in 2009? I honestly don't remember any complaints about this until now. Did the hole in the ozone layer grow that much bigger in eight years that the light from the sun is now blinding?

[Nottso]

Nevermind. I retract all previous statements. Miller Park is not now, nor has it ever been, air conditioned.

[PeaveyFury]

The stadium was opened in 2001. How come this is all of a sudden a problem in 2009?

 

My feelings exactly. It's a story now because the current players have made a couple of comments about it. If they were actually winning their home games, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

[The Truth]

I figure we need all the advantages we can get for this current pitching staff. Granted the other teams' pitchers has the same advantage, but we have a few great hitters and several good hitters, its our pitching staff that can use any help it can get...

[valpocrewsader]

The stadium was opened in 2001. How come this is all of a sudden a problem in 2009?

 

My feelings exactly. It's a story now because the current players have made a couple of comments about it. If they were actually winning their home games, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

Couldn't the delay be due to the "honeymoon" of having the great new facility needing to wear off a bit first? Like, you build a new house and you're ecstatic about it, but you soon realize you hate the carpeting and wish you'd done hardwood floors. At first, you shrug it off that not all things can be perfect and it seems like an overreaction to jump on it and make such a dramatic change. Six, seven, eight years later after it's been gnawing at you that whole time, you'd probably begin to think more seriously about finally making it "perfect".

[BCZF]

This is like the person who says "man, 6 month of winter sucks! I want summer heat!" then as soon as temps break 80 car windows up, a/c on..

 

40 something years at CS with an even more open footprint than MP facing the exact same direction = no complaints... I still think my tinted film on the windows would be a huge difference (anyone remember when MP first opened, the mens and womens bathrooms on the lodge level were clear glass, then they added that frosted film)? Only this would be tinted stuff like that..

[PeaveyFury]

Couldn't the delay be due to the "honeymoon" of having the great new facility needing to wear off a bit first? Like, you build a new house and you're ecstatic about it, but you soon realize you hate the carpeting and wish you'd done hardwood floors

 

That would be more likely if the players that were having issues with it had been here that entire time, IMO. But Braun and Fielder have been here and had success for a few years now, and it's just become an issue. I can't imagine they would have had a problem saying something a year or two ago, 6-7 years into the stadium's life.

[AJAY]

Just to clarify any confusion on this board, the issue regarding the sun and shadows is not just something that has come up this season. It has ALWAYS been talked about since the year the park opened. Maybe the only difference is that WE FANS are starting to talk about it more now. But the players have been talking about it for years and years.

 

Anyway, MLB.com has an article about this topic. It looks like Ryan Braun is being more outspoken now. It seems like management is at least thinking about options even if they are not ready to act immediately.

 

 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090627&content_id=5567474&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

[The Truth]

Thanks for posting that article AJAY. Reading that, I can see its a much bigger deal than I thought it was, because as Braun says, its a safety issue. And, the Brewers don't like playing day games in Miller Park. Thats not good. Management needs to listen to the players. This almost seems like a rift is growing between players and the front office. Not good at all.

[kramnoj]

Brewers in Day games this year. This is all day games, not only at MP, I don't how to easily get that data.

 

Player OPS

 

Hardy .310

Kendall .433

Fielder .836

Hall .783

Braun .785

Cameron .882

Hart .738

 

The samples are too small, and there is too much noise to take anything meaningful from this, but I was curious since the shadow thing has been written about by both AM and TH recently.

[TabbertBB]

Miller Park has AC in the club level.

[pebadger]

It's pretty clear where everyone who matters stands on the issue for now. Probably best for all parties if they just keep quiet and handle the thing internally.

 

Question: Who would have the authority to make any changes in this regard, and who would bear the cost? The club? The stadium district?

[NYChez]

If we were winning home day games this year, we would consider the shadows as just being part of the home field advantage (like the cold for the Packers, the wind for European golfers, etc.). It would be a non-issue. Since we're losing miserably in home day games this year, it's obviously gotten into the Brewers' heads much more than the opposing teams' - who should be equally affected.

[markedman5]

If your best players think its a problem then its a problem.

 

They have made a significant investment in Braun and Fielder.

 

I hope they deal with this in the off season.

[Vgmastr]

We're not really that bad in home day game this year. The Brewers were 6-2 in home day games in April and May then lost all five home day games in June. I chalk it up more to the Brewers just having a bad June then all of a sudden it's impossible for them to play in a day game at home.

[Diskono]

We're not really that bad in home day game this year. The Brewers were 6-2 in home day games in April and May then lost all five home day games in June. I chalk it up more to the Brewers just having a bad June then all of a sudden it's impossible for them to play in a day game at home.

Hmm...is it any coincidence that the complaints were non-existent until June? Sort of like how I whine about the Metrodome only when the Twins are beating up on the Brewers?

 

I'll have to see if I can find a way to determine home-only day/night splits.

[pebadger]

Well, for the sake of argument, for any given time of day the sun is in a different position in the sky on different dates. So it could be that the sun was a different/bigger problem in June than it was in April and May. As the summer goes on maybe things will get better (or worse).