Home of the Obtrusive Roof

The entranceway architecture is reminiscent of Milwaukee city hall.

The retractable roof offers a pizza-wedge view of the sky.

As in Arizona, huge picture windows offer an exterior view beyond the outfield.

Chronological Tour: Stop 206

• Location: WI 175 (old Route 41) at I-94, Milwaukee Wis. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2001
• Additional names: American Family Field (2021)
• Home team: Milwaukee Brewers, Major League Baseball (2001-present)
• Capacity: 43,000

Rating: 3 baseballs

Someone I met at the game said the exterior architecture at Miller Park was reminiscent of Milwaukee’s city hall, which I’ve never visited. But the stadium itself is not exactly spectacular.

Behind the plate in the upper deck, they sell “Uecker seats” the day of the game for a dollar each and entitle the spectator to a view that is partially obstructed by the supports for the retractable roof. The roof segments pivot on an axis behind the plate, providing a pizza-slice opening to the outside world. On that upper level, going out near Bernie Brewer (who still slides down his chute but no longer lands in a mug of beer, even though the brewing company sponsored the park through 2020) induces vertigo thanks to your distance above the action.

They built a compact and fairly tall facility that actually reminded me a little bit of the new Boston Garden, home of hockey’s Bruins, and its steep slopes. Having to look down on the game from the upper deck caused me to look down on this yard. That said, the park has grown on me a little in my later visits. It does help that games here cannot be rained out (or snowed out); indeed the park has hosted other Major League Baseball teams when their fields have been unplayable due to winter weather.

The original naming agreement with Miller Brewing (now MillerCoors) expires at the end of 2020, and American Family Insurance, which already sponsors the Brewers’ spring training field in Phoenix, gets its name on the facility in 2021.