4 Love of the Game

Brett Favre is back in camp. The legendary quarterback practiced today with the Minnesota Vikings, returning for his 20th season in the NFL. The Vikings are once again loaded with talent, and there are plenty of weapons available of Favre. Sit back and enjoy another season of number 4.

Stadium Report Cards: Miller Park

I put together another Stadium Report Card for Stadia Arcadia, this time on Miller Park.

Here it is:

Stadium Report Cards: Miller Park

Bmac has offered to do five new stadium tours for us! Get excited people!


Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Location: Milwaukee, WI
League: Major League Baseball(NL Central)
Built: 2001
Capacity: 41,900
My event: Regular season game, vs New York Mets

1. Outdoor Design


It doesn’t exactly look like a baseball stadium, but it still looks pretty cool. They did a nice job of making the roof fit in with the design. It is a very unique looking building.
4/5

2. Indoor Design


It looks really cool inside. The overall look is sweet. The entire outfield is awesome, from the scoreboard area, to the giant windows, to Bernie Brewers Dugout and water slide. The stadium is cool when the roof is open, but kind of dull when it is closed.
4/5

3. Prices
The prices were nice for an MLB game. Just about perfect.
4/5

4. Food
Miller Park has some cool, unique foods. There are all sorts of variants of your typical ballpark food. You have so many choices, and you can always smother your food in cheese! The sausage selection is great as well.
5/5

5. Staff
Everyone was very nice and helpful. No problems with anything.
4/5

6. Cleanliness
About what you would expect, only a little cleaner.
4/5

7. Parking
The parking was excellent. There are nothing but parking lots around the stadium. You can find a spot fairly easily, and everyone out tailgating is very friendly.
5/5

8. Atmosphere
It was pretty cool inside the ballpark. Everyone was into the game, and there was always a good deal of noise. People were pretty excited toward the end of the game when the Brew Crew had a chance to win. And the sausage race gets people on their feet. However, compared to some of the other stadiums, it wasn’t quite as exciting.
3/5

9. Playing Surface.
The field looked well kept. They do a good job with it being under a roof.
4/5

10. Scoreboard


It was good, and it looked cool. Nice graphics, good quality, and a good size.
4/5

And if you total up his scores, that gives you a 41. I think MLB parks are the best stadiums around. These stadiums are all different, and neat in their own way. Oh, and Miller Park got a new scoreboard for this year. Just pointing that out.

Bmac has Wrigley Field, US Cellular Field, Kauffman Stadium, Busch Park, and then Miller Park from a road trip last summer.


Here are the updated rankings:


Look forward for more Stadium Report Cards, and be sure to check out Stadia Arcadia!

http://stadiaarcadia.blogspot.com/

Nighthawks Ready to Fly

The Omaha Nighthawks are preparing for their inaugural season in the UFL. Added as the 5th league's 5th team, the Nighthawks are hoping for a great season and strong fan support. Signing former University of Nebraska and NFL running back Ahman Green was a great first step, a move that earned quite a few followers. The team has also reportedly expressed interest in former NFL quarterbacks Jamarcus Russell and Jeff Garcia. Several other former Cornhuskers were rumored to be coming to Omaha.

Of course, the Nighthawks needed to put together an awesome logo set and some sweet uniforms. And, in my opinion, they did just that. Back in early June, I posted the team's new logo set. On July 28th, all UFL uniforms were unveiled. Omaha's set looks great, with a stealth theme to match the team's nickname.


The helmet is black, with a black facemask. The O/Nighthawk logo is on the sides, while the alternate logo is combined with a striping design on the top, down the middle of the helmet.


The home jersey is black with a simple piping design and the logo on the sleeves. The Omaha wordmark is on the chest. The road is a white version. Both are worn with black pants with the Nighthawk logo on the side.


And, for the record, I think the numbers are the coolest part. The outlines look sweet.


The Nighthawks kick off their first season September 24th (also the birthday of a certain Bmac fellow) at home against the Hartford Colonials. Hopefully Rosenblatt Stadium is ready for football!

Oh, and the proposed ticket design is amazing:

NHL 2012: Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

2011: The Red Wings make their Winter Classic jersey, with a few modifications, a full time alternate.

2012: The Red Wings make a minor change to their classic winged wheel logo, which is updated on the jerseys. A new alternate jersey is introduced, inspired by the old Detroit Cougars and Falcons jerseys.

NHL 2012: Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars

2011: The Stars introduce a new alternate jersey (replacing the 2nd white jersey), green with a look that goes back to the days of the North Stars.

2012: Green becomes very popular among the fans, and a new home and road jersey are unveiled. The home jersey is green, but it's not as traditional as the alternate. In fact, the design a a modernization of the late 90's/early 2000's look. The arched DALLAS wordmarks are kept from the previous look. A new black jersey is also introduced, with no white to be found.

NHL 2012: Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets

2011: As expected, the Jackets introduce a new alternate jersey. It isn't quite what everyone expected, with a cannon logo and the wordmark above it.

2012: The Blue Jackets get new home and road jerseys, adding more of a unique look to their RBK Edge jerseys.

NHL 2012: Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche

2011: The Avs unveil a new alternate jersey with a design based off of their pre-Edge jerseys, with a tie-in to the Nordiques days. It is blue with the alternate logo.

2012: After the success of last season's alternate jersey, the Avas unveil a new home and road jersey using the same design. All traces of black are removed from the Avs color set at this point. Another alternate jersey is also introduced. It brings back the diagonal Colorado script and classic striping design.

NHL 2012: Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

2011: Fresh off a Stanley Cup victory, the Blackhawks...change their uniforms! The change was planned long before the playoffs even began, and Reebok already has the uniforms developed. The new uniforms feature beige, replacing much of the white. The famous logo is even modified slightly. A beige alternate, featuring the alternate logo as the crest, is introduced to go along with the home and road. During the 2011 season, the Blackhawks wear a throwback uniform against the other Original Six teams. It is a red version of the jerseys worn in the 1950's.

2012: The Blackhawks bring back a black jersey, similar to the Winter Classic uniform. This one is modified to fit Chicago's new look. The red throwback from the previous season is worn again, slowly replacing the beige alternate.

Stadium Report Cards: Rogers Centre

I recently wrote for Stadia Arcadia, a blog run by Michael, who also runs Sports Logo Spot. Both blogs are listed in the "Other Cool Sites to Check Out" section on the sidebar. I highly recommend checking them out.

Here is is, straight from Stadia Arcadia:

Stadium Report Cards: Rogers Centre

Our good friend Bmac recently went up to Toronto for vacation. I saw he posted some pics at a Jays game. So I asked if he wanted to do a report card on the Rogers Centre.



Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
League: Major League Baseball(AL)
Built: 1989
Capacity: 49,539
My event: Regular season game, vs Boston Red Sox

1. Outdoor Design



It has a modern look to it, but does not fit in with the way most ballparks do. The roof looks cool when it is open, but kind of awkward when it is closed. It looks really cool next to the CN Tower.
3/5

2. Indoor Design



Other than the hotel and scoreboard in center field, nothing really stands out. It is all just circular patterned seating. Also, the roof design does not look too great from inside.
3/5

3. Prices
Everything is a little more expensive in Toronto to begin with. The Rogers Centre is no exception. Most of the souvenirs, for example, were about $3-4 more than most of the other MLB Stadiums I have been to.
3/5

4. Food
The food selection was very good. They had the regular ballpark classics, as well some more interesting stuff. The Muddy York Market and Roundhouse Carvery and Bar were pretty unique for a baseball stadium. They both had some interesting food.
4/5

5. Staff
There were no issues, and everyone was very nice. Nobody really went out of their way to help you though, compared to other stadiums.
3/5

6. Cleanliness
Everything was extremely well-kept and clean. The entire city was, and the Rogers Centre looked great.
5/5

7. Parking
We didn’t need to park, as we walked from our hotel. Most people around the stadium were also walking to the game. I didn’t see any parking garages nearby, though.
2/5

8. Atmosphere
On the one hand, there was not a whole lot of support for the Jays until towards the end of the game. It wasn’t exactly a dead atmosphere though. Everyone was in a good mood, too, even though the Blue Jays lost.
3/5

9. Playing Surface.
It looked great for being indoors.
4/5

10. Scoreboard



The Rogers Centre scoreboard is pretty good. It is a great size, and has very good quality. The graphics were nice.
5/5

35/50 as a total score, tying it with the Trop.

Here is a look at the Stadium Standings:



Be sure to check out Michael's blogs.

NHL 2012: Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes

2011: The Hurricanes roll out new home and road jerseys. They feature a new design, and more gray, a tribute to the late Hartford Whalers. A similar black alternate jersey is also introduced.

2012: A new alternate jersey, also black, is unveiled. It features a new logo and is modeled after the All Star Game jerseys from a few years back.