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DougJones43 wrote:

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Even if this grass is better and more durable than the old stuff, I don't see why it would be a good idea to put extra wear and tear on it with a college baseball team. Unless letting UWM play there brings in lots of money, everything in the Brewers' power should be done to keep the field in the best possible condition for when the Brewers play on it.

I know that the Brewers should come first, but I don't think its unreasonable to play 15-20 games at Miller Park seeing as though the stadium was paid for by tax payers of the stadium district. And since about 29,000 of their children attend the university, I think they deserve a decent place to watch and game. I just don't see this as being interference or causing undue wear and tear, and don't think it should be about how big the place is or how empty it might look. Its a perfect place to play up here in the north.

temke wrote:

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i hate to nitpick, but i dont think all 29,000 students at UWM are from the 5-county tax area.

also, most athletic programs pride themselves on the fact that their operations run on zero taxpayer dollars.

they also only usually play about 15-20 home games total.

The point is that UW-M should be able to rent the field now, and pay for it from its athletic budget or booster club. Just don't see the objection because there is no "undue wear and tear" as the stadium district board calls it. Heck, the Brewers are trying to bring in extra revenue by renting the place out - why not baseball?

All points are valid, but UW-M does not play baseball to make money. For lack of a better description, collegiate athletic departments have a mission on non-revenue sports to provide them for the betterment of student athletes in the state, the student body, and the community. Every single sport other than mens basketball and football lose money from a budget perspective but thats part of the deal. I will give you that fall is off limits because of maintenance, but you could get 20 games there in spring and some practices without wearing out the field. The grass is still dormant yet until April, and by then the Brewers are on it already. I just don't buy that it is inconvenient or excessive wear and tear, but sounds like I'm the only one out there!!! The Brewers could give back a little - don't you think???

Buckhunts wrote:

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knowitall wrote:

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I just don't buy that it is inconvenient or excessive wear and tear, but sounds like I'm the only one out there!!! The Brewers could give back a little - don't you think???

What do the Brewers owe UWM? As for the grass, they typically don't take the tarps off the field until mid March. So you think they should play 15-20 games in a 25 day period?

Lets put it this way - the Stadium district, which is run by a board that is supposed to be looking out for the taxpayers of the five surrounding counties in it, leases the stadium to the Brewers. The Brewers have been open to allowing high school baseball teams and UW-M use the facility for a fee. There are two issues in the past that have prevented UW-M from using it more. 1. The Brewers gouge teams big time for rental of the field - $10,000 per game is just way too much when the Metrodome only costs less than $1000 (not 100% sure on these numbers). 2. The grass was crappy and wears down, thus the complete resodding with new and improved turf this fall.

Now that the grass is supposedly more durable, there is no reason anymore to keep a baseball team off of the field in spring. So the next point is having the Brewers charge a reasonable fee for usage, which to me would be about $1000 per game - cripes even $2000 a game. You only need lights, bathrooms, and some field prep and a few other things, it just can't cost that much. My point is that I think the Brewers owe a public D1 university in its same hometown the opportunity to lease the field at a reasonable price when most of the kids and families at the university helped pay for the field they are using. Its just being a good citizen I suppose and helping out one of the "baseball fraternity brothers" if you will. This happens frequently in minor league towns where the city and a college team share a publicly owned stadium, and a good example would be the Metrodome, even though the Gophers play some games on campus when the weather warms up.

As far as 20 games, UW-M plays all of its February and March games on the road, but returns home for the conference schedule in April and May. They play 55 games, and at least half of them are played during April and May. Thats when they would really need the ballpark, and its already being used by the Brewers then. So I just don't see this as being a big deal and everyone wins - even the Brewers from a PR standpoint. This isn't going to hurt the field.