Family Fun in Milwaukee

From a team in the NL Central that came in with high expectations and have disappointed to a team that has over-exceeded and is currently leading the decision. The Milwaukee Brewers are dominating the NL Central, but not in the way they usually do. The Brewers tend to be known as a pitching factory, but in the offseason they traded away their ace, Corbin Burnes. Coming into the season it looked like they would not have the pitching infrastructure to make up for their typically lack luster offense. But something weird happened this year, the Brewers began to hit. Breakout players like William Contreras and Joey Ortiz along with already known power threats like Rhys Hoskins has led to a much more formidable lineup in Milwaukee than years past.

Before getting into the game we need to talk about American Family Park, home of the Brewers. This is the first baseball stadium I came across that I would call a “parking lot city.” There is not life around the stadium, it is simply surrounded by parking. While this makes for chances to tailgate, little to few people were taking advantage of that ahead of the game I went to. By isolating the stadium and encircling it with parking lots the Brewers have thrown out any chance of creating a true community around the stadium. Unlike Wrigley, there is no integration between AFP and Milwaukee. It upsets me since the name “American Family Park” is very fitting, so I can not imagine how much time a family would spend around the stadium ahead of the game if there were options!

As I stated, American Family Park lives up to its name. Every corner has something for a member of the family, but rather than being distractions these are all activities that put the focus back onto baseball. While Comerica distracts with a carousel and a ferris wheel, AFP ensures that even if you aren’t watching the game you are experiencing some form of baseball. My favorite inclusion at the ball park was for the stat nerds. The score board provided in depth statistics and went above and beyond to provide information about the pitcher and hitter. Not only did they display advanced stats but also hitting spray charts and home run charts. My favorite stat they included was for the pitcher- they included the pitch sequences for each at-bat. Being able to see the pitch sequence makes a huge difference. Being able to see how a pitcher is attacking a hitter makes understanding the at-bat so much easier. And if you are not into playgrounds or advanced stats there is the food. I caved and got some cheese curds and my gosh it was delectable. Not to mention there are so many options to order from local breweries around the stadium. American Family Park makes sure to provided experiences everyone in the family can enjoy.

The game itself was fantastic. It had a lot of offense, including an Adolis Garcia home run. Adolis is the right fielder for the Texas Rangers. There are times when you see a baseball player in-person and then it finally hits you just how big they are. This was the case for Adolis, once I saw him I realized why is has some of the easiest power in the game. The Rangers went up early, but ran into an issue they faced last year as well: a non-existent bullpen. The Rangers have made do with their starting rotation and mainly rely on their offense. So when the Rangers went to their bullpen their game fell apart. Rhys Hoskins dealt the final blow with a go-ahead grand slam. This team is fun to watch and I hope they make a good playoff push. I’ll see the Brewers again in Denver, so it will be nice to get another glimpse of this offense to see if it is legit or not.

The next day I left for St. Louis, and that drive from Milwaukee is not necessarily short. To break it up I stopped in Springfield, Illinois to visit the tomb of Abraham Lincoln. The monument was beautiful and respectful. One part of the tomb rubbed me the wrong way. There was absolutely no mention of the Civil War. At most the tomb talked about how Lincoln served as president during a tumultuous time in the country’s history. It was concerning that it was not mentioned at all, but I imagine the Lincoln Presidential Library covers it extensively.

Milwaukee was a very enjoyable city and the Brewers are a fun team to watch right now. If you are in Chicago a day trip to Milwaukee is worth your time.