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Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI |
It's been a hell of a ten year stretch, with wins and losses, moves and changes, professional success and personal tragedy. Sometimes I ask myself, where the hell have you been these last ten years? What have you been doing with yourself if you haven't been writing? It's a brilliant question, and while I'm still not sure about the answer, at the very least I've seen a bunch of stadiums that many probably won't. Have to love a good venue. All pictures taken by yours truly. Enjoy.
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Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
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The ten year chapter probably starts in Milwaukee. At the time I was living in Tosa, while working in Pewaukee. I think. Give me any reasons to go downtown and enjoy the night out. If you never made an Admirals game at the Bradley Center, you were missing out. While it may not have been the gold standard of basketball arenas, it was a hell of a place to watch hockey. |
Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI |
For the life of me, I can't remember why I would've been at a Badger game at the Dane County Coliseum at any point after the Kohl Center opened, let alone in 2013 (ok more than ten years). But camera phones weren't around when Wisconsin called the Coliseum home, and here it is sure as can be. The Coliseum wasn't what I would call a "good" place to watch a game. But it existed, and there were no bad seats. It calls up a number of memories too, of Jason Zent and Duane Derkson. Of brawls with NoDak and rivalries with the Gophers. Sometimes the intimacy of those older arenas is lost in today's stadiums. Does watching a game at the Kohl Center feel the same as watching a game at the Fieldhouse, or Coliseum did? Or is the nostalgia filter just that strong?
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Kapco Park, Mequon, WI |
Baseball is always the thing, so when Robin Yount invested in the Lakeshore Chinooks, you had to go. An excellent small stadium experience on the Concordia University-Wisconsin campus, anyone who finds themselves living on Milwaukee's northside, or in the northern suburbs would be remiss to not head up to Mequon to check this one out. |
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI |
Some of my best memories across my four decades on this planet have come at Camp Randall. Be it as kid in the 80s-90s, or an adult in the 2000s, no matter what the outcome of the game, it has always been a place that's near and dear. I've stood on the 50 yard line, watched hockey, and seen more pushups from Bucky than any Madison kid could've ever hoped for. |
Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City, MO |
And then the moves started again. This time to Kansas City, much love to KCMO. Having been to Kaufmann Stadium, I understand why the feeling is that the Royals need a new stadium - but please don't. This stadium has such a throwback feel and is such a great place to watch a game, it just needs modernization. Give Kaufmann the Lambeau treatment, and turn this wonderful monument to baseball into a modern monument to baseball. |
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI |
I wish I could've watched the Bucks play at the MECCA. But, I can't. And while the Bradley Center may not have been a great basketball venue, you can be sure the Fiserv Forum is. When I made it back to Milwaukee, it was just in time for the new arena to open. The Bucks were better than they'd been in 15 years, the Deer District was in it's early days, and my modern re-introduction to the NBA was just beginning. Still appreciate a trip to the forum when the occasion presents itself, and more importantly I'm willing to pay the exceptional price for tickets without knowing if any of the good players are going to play.
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Kohl Center, Madison, WI |
But certain places will always feel like home. I've been to more Badger hockey game than most, being the son of a long-time season ticket holder. I'm not sure when I'll feel up to going to a hockey game at the Kohl again, maybe when my mind is right or when there's someone I want to share this experience with. But Hockey games at the Kohl Center are for my Dad and I, and always will be. |
Breese Stevens Field, Madison, WI |
For any Millennial that grew up in Madison, your thought when you heard that Breese was getting fixed up and a low level soccer team was moving in you was about damn time. If you're like me, a Madison Memorial snob, you knew Breese as a dumpy stadium hidden behind a cool looking wall. Enter Forward Madison, and the pink and baby blue clad starting eleven has helped to revitalize one of my now favorite areas in the city that I call home. Breese is what it deserves to be, the gameday experience is stellar, and whether you call yourself a soccer fan or not, you're making a mistake if you haven't experienced a 'Mingos game yet.
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Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI |
It's hard to believe that it took me that long to finally make it to Lambeau Field. I'd seen the Packers play at Camp Randall, the year that Favre hurt his thumb. I'd even been to Lambeau, the year Wisconsin played a hockey game there. But it took until December of 2019 to finally make it to a Packer game at Lambeu. Hell of a game it was too, colder than you could imagine but the Packers beat the Bears, and that's what matters.
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Monongalia County Ballpark, Granville, WV |
Ah, the next chapter. The ballpark is technically in Granville, but for those who know better the location was Morgantown, it was home of the West Virginia Mountaineers. It was also, rather conveniently, about five minutes from where I lived and worked. This might be one of my favorite ballpark pictures I've taken. I've got greatly conflicted feelings about the three and a half years I spent in Morgantown. It's a strange place, filled with wonderful people. The sites and sounds that I was able to take in and the experience that I gained by moving out there are priceless. Pepperoni Rolls are still bullshit though.
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Franklin Field, Franklin, WI |
But every trip back, if it was the right time of year, needed some baseball. Without the headaches and parking and prices of going to a Brewer game, Franklin Field and the Milwaukee Milkmen became a new favorite. Easy in and out, affordable concessions, and players who will tell you who their favorite player is when they're on deck. It's still baseball after all.
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PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA |
Did you know that Morgantown, WV is only about an hour from Pittsburgh? Hence the backyard brawl every time Pitt plays WVU. So when I decided to make the move out east, I knew PNC Park was a stadium that I could not miss. And what a stadium. Beautiful views of downtown Pittsburgh, friendly fans, and a stadium approach that takes you right along the riverfront. Pittsburgh may have more than a few rough edges, but it's a terrific city that if you haven't been, you should go.
That view out from home plate though, might be the most beautiful in major league baseball.
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Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
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So maybe this one isn't quite a stadium, but I had to take advantage of proximity and finally make the trek. Well, the trek was actually a road trip to Maine for some sight seeing, but conveniently on the way back a good stopping point was Cooperstown. If you make the trip, don't plan your week around it. In all honesty, you're really planning your afternoon around it. But that afternoon dive into baseball history is priceless. Whether it's seeing the bat from Paul Molitor's hit streak, or diving into the history of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, if you're a baseball fan then you must make your pilgrimage.
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PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA |
Back to Pittsburgh, this time to watch the Penguins play. The stadium was packed and the crowd was electric, but if I'm being honest - this was
expensive. I learned later that Pens games tend to be some of the higher priced tickets in town. Glad I went, wish it was a little bit less expensive. Conveniently located downtown within walking distance of all the things. You ever notice that all the major professional teams in Pittsburgh have the same colors?
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Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA |
The next day I completed out the trifecta of Pittsburgh stadiums, with a visit to Acrisure Stadium (Heinz Field). Once again a packed stadium, with an excellent fanbase. Maybe because at the time the Packers had been playing bad, and the Steelers had been playing bad, but the crowd around us was incredibly respectful. Green Bay lost, but would go 6-2 in their next eight games after this. I walked away from the stadium realizing there was a scenario in which you could tailgate for a Steelers game in a houseboat.
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UWM Panther Arean, Milwaukee, WI |
Now I'm back, and my most recent stadium experience dropped me at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, to watch the Admirals play. Milwaukee isn't where I call home these days, I've made it all the way back home, back to Madison. That means there will be plenty of Forward Madison games, and trips to Warner Park in the future. In that last decade of sports consumption, through a pandemic and a number of moves, I've learned there's more than one way to take in a game. There's more than one type of stadium to value, and some of the best experiences you'll have don't depend on the result of the game, or even the teams playing.
What gives each game value is our ability to enjoy it, and we can enjoy it just about anywhere.
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Through the lives that I've touched, and the hell I've been through. I'm always coming back home to you. |
Great venues! Great article!
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