Arizona Approves Funding for Chase Field Renovations

(photo from my visit to Chase Field for the 2023 World Series)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in the process of selling off players to plan for their future, and they're planning for their future on the operations side as well.  Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed legislation last month that will unlock up to $500 million in funding for critical Chase Field infrastructure renovations.  These funds are being activated through an increasingly common mechanism in the sports world (including the new A's park), which is essentially a tax district that will capture all sales tax revenue generated by the stadium and a defined surrounding area, as well as "jock tax" revenue, and use that money to pay back the funds.  Not to get too much in the weeds here, but I think it's worth pointing out in today's political climate that the governor is a Democrat in a purple state and this bill received wide bipartisan support.  I mentioned in a post last year that the Diamondbacks are up against the end of their current lease approaching in 2027, and without these renovations, the team surely would have been forced to explore other stadium options.  So, regardless of what you might think of subsidizing sports venues, it was a wise move for Gov. Hobbs' reelection campaign to push for this bill to ensure the D-Backs did not leave Phoenix under her watch - this new source of funding will keep the Snakes in Phoenix through at least 2057.  Chase Field has been a boon to the urban core since the franchise's inception, particularly within the last few years following the team's World Series run in 2023.

I was at that World Series, and I vividly recall how much the stadium had barely seemed to change at all in the previous 16 years since I was first there in 2007.  The speaker system was a garbled mess, the jumbotron looked like it was well past its functional use, screens were pixelated and hard to read, and the air conditioning did not seem to be reaching to the upper deck where I sat.  By that point in 2023, the D-Backs had not even been able to safely open their roof for a couple of years while fans were inside.  All very similar problems that the Brewers faced recently, which also had to be rectified with state funding.  The Chase Field bill passed by the State of Arizona made it very clear that no money can be used for any aesthetic upgrades or fan suites, so if you factor in the $250M the team is also kicking in for that aspect, this stadium could look and feel very different in a few years.  Selfishly, I'm always sort of secretly hoping for new stadiums, but in the case of some teams like the D-Backs or the Blue Jays that have prime downtown real estate with an expensive obsolete roof, a renovation makes way more sense.  Despite the fact that I've been to Arizona for baseball more than just about any non-resident state, I may just have to return to see the renovations when they are complete.  It's a very exciting time in my world as a ballpark chaser, as all these chess pieces start to move with different teams, to think about how different the baseball stadium landscape might look in the next decade.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/31/25:

Brewers 64-44, +1.0, -- WC; 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves, 3 v. Mets

Twins 51-57, -12.0, -5.5 WC; 3 @ Guardians, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Royals

Athletics 48-63, -15.0, -10.0 WC; 3 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Orioles

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 24

Tampa Bay Rays Reportedly Being Sold

It was announced around the All-Star Break last week that Stu Sternberg, the current majority owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, had reached an agreement in principle to sell the team to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, a Florida developer.  Details are scarce at this point, other than the fact that the valuation is around $1.7 billion, and that the deal could be completed as soon as September.  It's worth noting that Sternberg originally purchased the Rays for "only" $200M in 2004.  One other important detail is that Zalupski is interested in keeping the team in the Tampa Bay region, despite being based out of Jacksonville, and surely that had some weight in Sternberg reportedly accepting his bid.  This all comes at a time when the Rays are in the middle of a playoff push in their temporary home at an A-ball park, and the team's immediate and long-term future homes are both severely in doubt.  The MLB schedule has been released around this time the last few years, and I suspect it hasn't been released for 2026 yet because nobody is certain whether or not Tropicana Field will be repaired in time for next season.

Let's for argument's sake say the sale does go through.  Even if that happens, this essentially resets the entire new ballpark process back pretty close to square one.  Which means that we're looking at probably minimum 5 years out for when the Rays could potentially be playing in a permanent new home.  The new ownership group could certainly build off the legwork of past site studies, government negotiations, and designs, but they are also reportedly only interested in covering 60% of the stadium cost, which will mean trying to resurrect old public financing deals or finding money elsewhere.  St. Petersburg says they're keeping the door open to the new ownership group, but I find it hard to believe that they'd open their ears and their wallets all over again, only this time in 2026 dollars.  The new ownership group reportedly does prefer Tampa to St. Pete, but the current ownership group has tried and failed so many times in Tampa that I can't see that happening unless there is a larger private financing chunk, or if new previously unvetted sites emerge.  Tampa is in a different county than St. Pete which further muddies the political aspect.  The biggest site contender for a ballpark in Tampa in the past is now slated to become a soccer stadium, so that would seem to be off the table.  I'm obviously not a real reporter and I'm not privy to the day-to-day conversations, so maybe things have changed on that front, and maybe Tampa is willing to loosen their purse strings since they were within a fingernail of the team building in St. Pete.  But purely as an outsider who's been following this story for 20 years, to say I'm skeptical is an understatement.  My money would be on Orlando swooping in.  They've demonstrated that they have substantial private backing and have an organized campaign to bring a team to the area.  I could see them partnering with Zalupski to make something happen there if he doesn't have the stomach for a multi-year process in Tampa Bay.  I'm honestly kind of surprised that Orlando didn't win a bid to land the Rays in the first place.  Orlando is only about 90 minutes from Tampa and roughly the same size and media market, so I think this would also satisfy Commissioner Manfred's desire to keep a team in this area.  I've been wrong many, many times before, but as of July 21st 2025, that is my guess.

As always, and as I say multiple times a year with the Rays - stay tuned.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/21/25:

Brewers 59-40, --, +5.0 WC; 3 @ Mariners, 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Cubs

Twins 48-51, -11.5, -5.0 WC; 3 @ Dodgers, 3 v. Nationals, 3 v. Red Sox

Athletics 42-59, -16.0, -12.0 WC; 3 @ Rangers, 4 @ Astros, 3 v. Mariners

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 23

Return to Milwaukee

All photos of American Family Field available on Flickr.

My family and I just got back from a whirlwind 9-day return visit to Milwaukee this past week.  We went to Summerfest, we hung out with friends and family, we visited many parks and beaches, we ate frozen custard, and we imbibed at restaurants and bars both new and old.  But one of the highlights was of course returning to American Family Field.  It's interesting every time we come back to my home ballpark now to see it through a fresh set of eyes.  I don't want to say I ever took it for granted when we lived in Milwaukee, but I definitely get much more excited for the limited opportunities I do get to go to Brewers games now, and I have a newfound appreciation for the comforts of home and all its quirks.  I tend to be much more observant and live in the moment when I go to new or seldom-visited ballparks, and I definitely felt that internal shift in my mindset during our two games at AmFam Field.  Tuesday night's affair pitting young phenom Jacob Misiorowski against the old battle-tested Clayton Kershaw was probably in my top 10 regular season MLB games I've ever witnessed in person, and something that was made even more special by the fact that I was a tourist instead of a resident.  It's weird to write a post entitled "Return to Milwaukee" when I lived there for 75% of my life, but this was really my first time at a Brewers home game that I truly felt like a visitor, so I think the title is fitting.  It was an odd feeling to be sure, but being around those two huge crowds was also very rejuvenating, and it was nice to be among my people and remember why I am a Brewers fan.

It certainly didn't hurt that the Brewers are playing so well right now.  They just finished a perfect 6-0 homestand to end the first half at 56-40, which is the most wins a Brewers team has ever had at the All-Star Break in its 57-year history.  I could digress for hours on the Brewers' long-term strategy for success - and in fact I did edit out multiple paragraphs from this post - but needless to say, it's impressive that this team is still breaking records in the midst of an 8 1/2-year run the likes of which this franchise has never known.  They've been doing it primarily with defense and pitching the last 5 years or so, and myself and 38,000+ fellow Brewers fans got a glimpse of the franchise's future pitching star on Tuesday night with a dominant 12-strikeout performance against a future Hall-of-Famer (I think that term is used way too loosely but I don't think anybody can deny Kershaw will have a plaque in Cooperstown).  It was only Miz's 5th career start, but it was so impressive that I think it was the cherry on top that earned him a controversial selection to the All-Star Game.  Megan and I also went to Friday night's beatdown of the Nationals.  Christian Yelich and electric newcomer Andrew Vaughn both homered in this win, with DL Hall and Quinn Priester combining to complete all 9 innings with only 3 runs allowed between them.  The walk back to the car in the pouring rain never seems to bother you after a big win, and feeling that energy in the parking lot is one of the things I missed most about American Family Field.

Speaking of energy in the parking lot, one thing I am certainly guilty of taking for granted when I lived in Milwaukee is tailgating, so we took full advantage of that Friday night.  There just aren't that many places where drinking in a parking lot is not only allowed but encouraged, and it was a sight for sore eyes.  It was really more of a "beergate" as Erik and I used to say, because we didn't want to grill anything and be too full so we could explore some of the seemingly perennial food upgrades at the ballpark.  Concessions and audio-visual enhancements would make AmFam Field nearly unrecognizable to anyone who has not been there in the last decade.  This year's newest addition comes in the form of a new bar and food truck park in the left field corner on the loge level, which was previously a dead zone that will not be missed.  I thought the food in the 3rd Street Market Hall in right field was still much better than this area, but I liked the intimate vibe here, and it's a really cool bar that has at least a partial view of the field, which you can't say about many other bars at this ballpark.  I appreciate that the Brewers make every effort to work with what they have and constantly improve the fan experience, which they know is so important as a revenue generator.  There's only so much they can fit within the bones of this 25-year old retractable-roof park and it will always pale in comparison to the Target Fields of the world in terms of modern design and amenities, but the food, drinks, intangibles, and atmosphere - not to mention the team - are near the top of just about any other MLB experience you'll have.  I made the comment to Megan on Friday night as we were leaving that I still like Target Field better as a stadium, but the palpable vibe and energy at AmFam is way better, and ultimately what good is a beautiful stadium if it doesn't have atmosphere?

With each passing visit, I feel a bit more disconnected from Milwaukee as "home," and it gets a little bit more surreal every time we go back.  We had a lot of great memories there, but we unfortunately had to move away rather suddenly due to circumstances I won't get into, and that in and of itself will never make Milwaukee feel the same.  But the common thread, besides family and friends, is and always will be the Brewers.  Sometimes it only takes a fleeting experience to make something feel familiar to you all over again.

See below for an update to my American Family Field rankings for the first time since 2017.

updated park rankings
(see also previous rankings from 4/11/17):
aesthetics - decreases to 6 (interior is starting to feel outdated)
views from park - decreases to 3 (becoming more and more obstructed)
view to field - 4
surrounding area - improves to 4 (discovered lots of great places when we lived nearby)
food variety - 9
nachos - 9
beer - decreases to 7 (better variety, higher price)
vendor price - 7
ticket price - decreases to 9
atmosphere - 8
walk to park - 6
parking price/proximity - improves to 7
concourses - decreases to 7
team shop - 10
kids area - 7 (added category since 2017 - you can race a sausage!)

best food – Story Hill BKC burgers or 3rd St Market Hall
most unique stadium feature – roof, Bernie's slide
best jumbotron feature – Roll Out the Barrel 7th inning stretch
best between-inning feature – Johnsonville Sausage Race

updated field dimensions - 342/400/345

starters - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) v. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL); Mitchell Parker (WSH) v. DL Hall (MIL)
opponent - Los Angeles Dodgers; Washington Nationals
time of game - 2:17; 2:15
attendance - 38175; 35057
score - 3-1 W; 8-3 W

Brewers score that day - 3-1 W; 8-3 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/14/25:

Brewers 56-40, -1.0, +4.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Dodgers

Twins 47-49, -11.5, -4.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Rockies
Athletics 41-57, -16.0, -11.0 WC; All-Star Break, 3 @ Guardians

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 22