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

[danzig6767]

As just a fan, it's my one beef with Miller Park. I've really been annoyed during the times i was at day games on a nice beautiful sunny day and the damn roof blocks out the sun for a large chunk of the game. Being sun drenched for 2-4 hours in the bleachers at County Stadium is the one thing i miss.

 

As for the players, it's hard for me as a fan to comment given i'm not in the box trying to hit, but the safety aspect strikes me as a possible real legit concern.

[trwi7]

They're talking about this on WSSP right now.

 

Gary says they should do what the players want.

 

Josh says he doesn't think it should be closed, but since the star players on the team are calling for it to be closed, it will be.

 

Sparky calls the players mentally weak and says he's not going to go to any games if they close the roof because Miller Park is a sauna in summer with the roof closed and that's not what he considers a good time.

 

I fall between Sparky and Josh. I completely agree with Sparky that Miller Park is awful with the roof closed in summer and I wouldn't consider going to a game with the roof closed unless they decided to put air conditioning through the whole park. I don't agree that they're mentally weak because even just watching the shadows on TV, it looks brutal. I also agree with Josh that I don't want it closed as a fan, but since the players want it, it will likely happen.

[ClubLevel]

I know a few years ago I was talking with one of the stadium workers and he mentioned that they were thinking about doing something with those glass windows to allow them to open some of them to allow for increased airflow during hot days. Maybe they could combine that work with some kind of tinting or something. But considering how long they've been putting off the new scoreboard, I'm guessing the money just isn't there.

[owbc]

New post on the JS blog about this now also:

Brewers looking into shadow problem at stadium

By Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel

June 30, 2009 3:03 p.m.

The Milwaukee Brewers have begun researching the issue of the shadows that creep across the Miller Park field during bright, sunny days.

Tyler Barnes, a team spokesman, said that the process of gathering information about the shadows was "very, very, early in the process," but said the team is looking into the problem.

The issue during day games occurs as the game reaches the 4th inning. The shadows cross home plate and make it difficult for players to see the ball. Outfielder Ryan Braun expressed some frustration with the shadows after Sunday's day game against the San Francisco Giants.

"You pray for rains and clouds when we have a day game," Braun told the Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt. Braun added that no one liked playing at Miller Park during the day.

While the main problem appears to be the sun casting shadows from the right-field side of the stadium, Barnes said the team would look into other areas of the ballpark where the bright sun and the shadows potentially can affect the game.

[jeffy]

Braun has some solutions in mind. He would cut down the ivy that grows under the center-field batter's eye, because it contributes to the glare. Tint the windows above the grandstands or cover them with advertisements. Or just close the roof, even when the temperature is 87 degrees like it was Thursday.

So there you have it...I've said this several times here that the only thing that will completely solve this to close the roof for all games, when there might be a chance of a shadow. Is this what some of you want? The players want to play in a dome, so that they have the same consistent conditions for all games, the fans who actually pay the bills wanted (and at least some of us still want) a ballpark that would be open on nice days and closed only for rain or cold...even if the players consider that to be suboptimal conditions.

 

I'm quite sure that just doing something about the windows is not going to be the end of this, if the players are now set on whining and complaining about it on a regular basis. The windows are not the only source of shadows. Do that, which I do not necessarily have a problem with, and next they will say that fixed some of the more minor problems but does not solve the biggest problem, which is the roof shadows.

 

BTW, can someone explain to me how it is that ivy is creating glare? Braun (or the reporter) also seem to be confused as it says tint the windows or close the roof as if one or the other will solve the problem. Only doing both would actually solve it under all circumstances.

 

Last night, with the roof closed it was a bit too warm in the park and that was on a cool night, we all know how it can get in there on a warm and/or humid day with the roof closed and the park full of fans. I'd much rather see any extra money spent on changing some of the fixed glass windows so that that could be opened to increase ventilation, putting in A/C, or vastly increasing the amount of fresh air that the ventilation system is capable of bringing in...IOW, things aimed at fan comfort.

 

Things I think I would have no problem with them doing about this issue are:

Reducing the number of day games. How about going to 6 pm starts for the weekday "get-away" games and move sunday starts to noon? That would improve things somewhat.

Figure out a way to get rid of the glare on the batters eye.

Possibly do somethng about light coming through the windows (depending on what it is that they would actually do).

 

The roof shadow is not something that cannot be completely solved in any reasonable way.

[TabbertBB]

6pm starts-- no problem, that would just eliminate a lot out of town fans and create monster traffic problems.

Noon starts on Sunday-- No problem, I guess people can forget about going to church.

[AJAY]

Kudos to the Brewers front office for agreeing to study the issue and for looking at possible solutions. This is what good organizations do. I am curious to see what they come up with.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Can they blame the sun for today's game?

[pitchleague]

This is easy. Somebody just needs to click on Miller Park on the main map, then click the tools button, and then the "Rotate 90 Degrees" button. Voila! Problem solved!

 

Seriously, I guess it's nice that the team is looking into it but day games are a part of baseball and was never a problem until this year, apparently.

 

So the team "prays for clouds and rain" for day games, huh? I saw nary a shadow nor glare today. Wonder what the excuse was? The old Lucy excuse of "The moons of Saturn were in my eyes?"