Miller Park's Roof

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Ok I live about an hour from Miller Park, And I think that Miler Park's Roof Is Ugly and all call it either the Keg or the Spaceship.
I Mean since Miller Park Opened In 2001 The Roof Has gave us so many problems, like leaking, breaking down, getting stuck.
And I don't think that the roof will last more than 15-20 More Years.
But My Question Is Do You Think That Once the Roof Needs Replacing do you think Instead of replacing the rood do you think that they could just take off the roof and the roof tracks in the outfield and just convert it to an outdoor stadium?
And when The Roof And The Oufield Pannels are closed it looks worse than the Metrodome.
Here Are Some Photos:
What It Looks Like When The Roof & Pannels Are Closed:
http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/national/millerpark.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/MIller_Park_May_25_2005.jpg
What It Looks Like When The Roof & Pannels Are Open:
http://www.mlbroadtrip.com/images/photos/may/week2/millerparkfront.jpg
What It Looks Like When The Pannels Are Open And The Roof Is Closed:
http://www.johnnyroadtrip.com/cities/milwaukee/images/millerpark5.jpg
What It Looks Like Out Side From The Oufield Parking Lot When The Roof & Pannels Are Closed:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/465641078_705984d305.jpg

[Seattle1]

I have never been there, but my initial reaction is to tend to agree with you. From what I've seen on tv, it does seem to have an enclosed "feel" to it even when the roof is open.

[Goober]

Miller is on my "to do" list, and I'll likely get to it in 2010 (sadly, besides the Metrodome, it's the closest MLB park to me, and I haven't seen it - this besides the fact I've seen 2/3's the current parks in MLB! :cap: ) when I'm hoping to do a trip to Miller, back to Wrigley (been there many times), and to new Busch (and, of course, see the new Twins park - but I can get free Twins tickets :shhh: , so I'll likely see that a couple times that year).

Anyway, when/if the roof fails, I'm not sure if they will remove it or just perminantly leave it in place (closed). I could see the argument that it's better to guarantee baseball every day with a closed roof facility (assuming that it's structually sound to leave it closed all the time) rather than to spend big bucks to remove it...

Moose

[LetsGoMets687]

If the roof eventually gets permenantly closed, say goodby to the grass field. And then it's barely a step up from Tropicana Field.

[placount]

Yea it'll eventually get closed. As will Arizona and Houston by my guess.

[Wall-E]

Yea it'll eventually get closed. As will Arizona and Houston by my guess.

That thing is a roof? I thought it was a spacecraft.

[LetsGoMets687]

Yea it'll eventually get closed. As will Arizona and Houston by my guess.

What's the big deal about keeping the roofs operational? Skydome is 20 years old and its roof is working just fine.

Or is this a case of, "They don't make things the way they used to in Canada in the good ol' days"?

[wvkeeper]

I think you got it right 687.

[jweidt]

Having been to both, Miller Park is like a car with a sunroof and Safeco is like a convertible. You do not get a complete outdoor stadium feel in Miller Park.

[Goober]

What's the big deal about keeping the roofs operational? Skydome is 20 years old and its roof is working just fine.

Or is this a case of, "They don't make things the way they used to in Canada in the good ol' days"?

How can you compare the SkyDome roof (with no history of problems) to the Miller Park roof, which has this entry on Wikipedia:

Problematic roof

The unconventional fan-shaped roof has proven to be more problematic than most contemporary retractable roofs. Because of its height and size, the fixed roof panel on the stadium's west (first-base) grandstand casts a shadow on the infield during most of the day. This has resulted in unexpected problems with the maintenance of the grass playing field on the first base side. As recently as April 2008, the Brewers have publicly broached the possibility of having to replace the natural grass surface with an artificial surface, such as FieldTurf. The roof has also been the butt of jokes in the local media for its tendency to leak during summer rain storms. The Brewers, in response to critics, have claimed that the roof was never intended to be water tight. Major elements of the pivot system behind home plate and the outfield roof track have had to be repaired or even replaced at the cost of millions of dollars since the stadium's opening in 2001.

On September 25, 2006, one day after the final Brewers home game of the season, the roof failed while opening and was stuck partially open. A shattered lower guide roller was the cause of the failure. At the end of the 2006 season, the roof's bogie system was replaced at a cost of over $13 million. The ten new, 24-feet-(7.3-meter)-long, 60-horsepower bogies were paid for with money from the settlement between the stadium district and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America. Six of the bogies weigh 66 tons apiece, while the four others weigh 49 tons. The work was completed by lifting sections of the roof approximately six inches with hydraulic lifts, while a 300-ton crane replaces the bogies individually. "We're saying the bogies will last for the life of the facility," said Mike Duckett, executive director of the Miller Park stadium district. While the majority of the project was completed by the start of the 2007 season, final calibrations were not complete until the 2007 midseason.

Moose

[placount]

Well Canada doesn't have a perfect record for retractable roofs. Eventually giving up and deciding to keep a roof closed also isn't setting precedent. The Big Owe remember was also a retractable roof venue and we all know what happened there. I just feel that Houston, Arizona, and Milwaukee will come to that same fate. Seattle seems to have nailed it, so no worries there.

[marlins739]

The Olympic Stadium roof was never really operational to begin with, and even when it was working it was susceptible to high winds. Minute Maid, Seattle, and Arizona all use much simpler concepts with solid roofs moving on tracks. They've been in operation for a decade almost now with few problems. Miller Park's roof issues seem to have been worked out. You have to give them credit for trying something different

[Astros]

The estimated life span on the retractable roof at Minute Maid Park, with regular maintenance, is 50 years. Realistically the roof should be fine for many years past that with renovation work on the motors, damper systems and computer system upgrades.

[Hank 755]

I would have put the tracks on the bottom and had large windows hold up the roof panels similar to what Houston has.

[Goober]

Miller Park's roof issues seem to have been worked out. You have to give them credit for trying something different

Really? You think so? After all the problems in 2001 when it was new, it stuck open again late in 2006, and cost $13 mil to fix. Glad to see that's the standard for "worked out"...

Moose

[Hank 755]

Really? You think so? After all the problems in 2001 when it was new, it stuck open again late in 2006, and cost $13 mil to fix. Glad to see that's the standard for "worked out"...

Moose

Considering it's the only of it's kind, it's bound to have bugs here and there. I don't recall ever having any major problems with the roof other than it stalling on one occasion and the leakage in the beginning. Other than that it has been pretty reliable.

I think in the grand scheme of things people tend to blow things way out of proportion judging the roof by one or two occurrences that were bound to happen instead of looking at its operation in the long run. In all my experience the roof has worked when it was suppose to and I never heard of it failing more than once a year if any.

[skobabe8]

Are the glass panels in the outfield frosted? Have they always been like that? I thought when MP was built, that glass was clear. :noidea

[LetsGoMets687]

How can you compare the SkyDome roof (with no history of problems) to the Miller Park roof, which has this entry on Wikipedia:



Moose

If you re-read my post, and what I quoted, you'll see I wasn't comparing it one-on-one with Miller.

[RoastedPeanut]

I understand that I am not an engineer or anything similar, but.. Why hasn't anybody come up with a magnetic levitation swing device for roof panels to elevate, move, and decline..? I mean.. It works for bullet trains and roller coasters..

[108stitches]

Are the glass panels in the outfield frosted? Have they always been like that? I thought when MP was built, that glass was clear. :noidea

they may like the BREWers in a frosted glass.

[Hank 755]

Are the glass panels in the outfield frosted? Have they always been like that? I thought when MP was built, that glass was clear. :noidea

There actually isn't any glass at all when the roof is open. When the roof is closed large panes of frosted glass or something covers them up. However the panes are separate from the roof and can actually be closed when the roof is open.

Which begs the question why they didn't just have the roof panels connected to the panes thus eliminating the enclosed feel.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Are the glass panels in the outfield frosted? Have they always been like that? I thought when MP was built, that glass was clear. :noidea
I Not 100% Sure But I think That The Pannels in the outfield are Actually Some Sort Of Metal That Allows the metal inside to bright up when it is sunny and the panels are closed, I Don't Think They Are Glass.
They Have Never been clear like the ones in houston at Minute Maid Park, But I wish they were. I think that sometime the Brewers will replace them with glass panels so when the roof and panels are closed you can see out of the pannels. Oh and also behind the 1st & 3rd Base Upperdeck at Miller Park there is a big clear glass pannel that does not open that is cool, at least you can see through them!
Oh and You See The Pannels In The Outfield Could be confusing if you've never been to Miller Park, but sometimes it looks like the Panels in The Outfield Are Clear, That's Because they Open And Close, When They Are Closed The Outfield Panels range to look like all differnt shades of colors because of how sunny it is ouside. The Outfield Pannels Can range from white to tan to green to grey

[Hank 755]

I understand that I am not an engineer or anything similar, but.. Why hasn't anybody come up with a magnetic levitation swing device for roof panels to elevate, move, and decline..? I mean.. It works for bullet trains and roller coasters..

You mean like an LIM? That actually would be a good idea but I don't know how well it would work for something as heavy as a retractable roof.

[RoastedPeanut]

You mean like an LIM? That actually would be a good idea but I don't know how well it would work for something as heavy as a retractable roof.

The greatest problem known to man at this date happens to be.. Da da da! Friction. The weight would be a toppling disaster, but.. What if it didn't have to be heavy..? We all know the famous structures of the SkyDome, Miller Park, SafeCo Field.. In the same respect, we happen to come across designs such as the Metrodome, BC Place, RCA Dome.. Weight can always be reduced.. If it could be minimized enough and compensated for, could a multiple track system with a required polar capacity manipulate a lightened, yet sturdy structure, with minimal capacity of friction?