MILWAUKEE — There’s a certain feeling that’s hard to explain when one smells freshly cut grass. After months of seasonal decay commonplace across Southeast Wisconsin in winter, the ambrosian scent of GrassMax clippings at American Family Field Monday serves as a reminder for every cold-weather shut-in:
Brewers baseball is right around the corner.
“This ​is ​the ​best ​looking ​lawn ​you’ll ​ever ​see ​in ​Wisconsin ​in ​March,” opines President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger during the team’s Preview Week media availability. “If ​you ​look ​at ​this ​field, ​it ​speaks ​baseball, ​it ​talks ​baseball, ​and ​it ​looks ​fantastic.”
With the home opener one week away against the Royals, fans returning to the ballpark will notice a few new additions, some more obvious than others. Gone are around 1,600 seats in the right field Terrace Level, replaced with office spaces that Schlesinger says will be completed around October. With the reduced stadium capacity, the current 40,100 seats at American Family Field place it in the middle of MLB ballparks, just above Oracle Park’s 41,265 in San Francisco and right below Nationals Park’s 41,339 in Washington D.C.
“As ​I ​keep ​reminding ​our ​ticket ​sales ​team, ​who ​are ​obviously ​sensitive ​to ​seats, we ​have ​plans ​for ​the ​next ​few ​years ​to ​add ​seats in ​different ​spaces. ​I ​don’t ​know ​that ​we’ll ​necessarily ​add ​1,600 ​new ​seats, ​but ​we’re ​going ​to ​add ​capacity ​to ​the ​ballpark ​with ​some ​different ​areas ​that ​we’re ​exploring ​over ​the ​next ​few ​years,” says Schlesinger, noting the trend of ballparks post-pandemic lowering their seating capacity in favor of more fan amenities.
Speaking of those amenities, the team is keeping with the theme of adding food options for attendees after last year’s introduction of the 3rd Street Market Hall Annex. This season in the left field loge level, fans will be able to peruse “The Alley”, featuring Milwaukee ​food ​vendors serving their dishes out of food truck-shaped stands, with Mexican, Italian, and gelato expected to be first offerings. Schlesinger notes the trucks themselves will not be actual trucks with generators humming throughout the game, and that other ballpark cuisine mainstays aren’t going anywhere. “The ​brats, ​the ​dogs, ​the ​beer ​still, ​still ​are ​staples. ​But ​the ​reality ​is ​the ​fans ​want ​experience ​and ​variety.”
While the team preps for the current iteration of the Brewers, they are also eyeing the potential future usages of American Family Field outside of baseball. Schlesinger told WTMJ Monday the Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District is navigating the logistics of winterization of the ballpark, but his anticipation ​is ​that the ​project ​will ​start ​after ​​the ​2025 ​season, and will take more than one year to complete.
“There’s ​a ​lot ​of ​work ​to ​be ​done. ​It’s ​not ​just ​as ​simple ​as ​writing ​a ​check. ​There’s ​a ​lot ​of ​infrastructure ​that ​has ​to ​be ​put ​in, ​a ​lot ​of ​air ​handling ​units, ​a ​lot ​of ​boilers, ​a ​lot ​of cabling ​and ​heat ​tracing ​to ​make ​sure ​that ​the ​water ​lines ​work ​in ​the ​winter.” Schlesinger tells WTMJ.
Winterizing American Family Field is expected to cost between $20 and $25 million; that cost is subject to change based on inflation, though stadium district chair Jenni Dye tells WTMJ the board has set themselves up to navigate around possible construction cost increases.
“At ​the ​state ​level, ​we’re ​looking ​at ​the ​Venue Solutions Group (VSG) ​report ​and ​the ​ICON [consulting] ​report ​that had ​done ​an ​analysis ​of ​the ​needs ​of ​the ​stadium. Those ​included ​some ​calculation ​for ​potential ​inflation, ​and ​then ​the ​state ​legislation ​included ​an ​amount ​on ​top ​of ​what ​was ​estimated ​to ​be ​the ​VSG ​report ​as ​a ​sort ​of ​contingency, ​knowing ​that ​costs ​were ​uncertain,” said Dye, adding while unanticipated inflation is ​always ​a ​concern ​with ​construction, ​the district board has done ​the ​best ​job ​it ​can ​to ​make ​sure ​group can ​weather ​the ​uncertainty ​by ​planning ​for ​it ​in ​advance.
That VSG report included analysis of American Family Field’s architectural finishes, structural elements, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, technology, food service and merchandising equipment, vertical transportation and roof systems.
In summation: plans have not changed for winterization, but things remain one project at a time for Brewers brass.
Additionally, Schlesinger acknowledged the most common question asked by Brewers fans and the team’s business partners is what is being planned to honor the life and legacy of Bob Uecker. The long-time Brewers broadcaster died January 16th after a battle with cancer.
READ: WTMJ & Wisconsin react to Milwaukee icon Bob Uecker passing away at age 90
“We’re ​still ​putting ​together ​plans ​for ​a ​Celebration ​of ​Life ​event ​at ​the ballpark ​later ​this ​summer ​for ​all ​the ​fans ​to ​come ​in ​and ​share ​greatmemories, ​treasured ​moments, ​​and ​just ​celebrate ​Bob ​Uecker, the ​person, ​the ​legend, ​the ​man, ​and ​the ​icon,” says Schlesinger. That celebration of life is believed to be planned for this August, with a to-be-determined lineup of celebrity guests.
Fans will notice three tributes to Uecker at American Family Field when they arrive on Monday: the Home Opener will acknowledge the life and legacy of Bob Uecker with a moment of silence, Uecker patches on jerseys, and his signature on the outfield grass in the same style as the script seen at American Family Fields of Phoenix during spring training.
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