Athletic Park Renovation

All photos of Athletic Park and Three Lakes area available on Flickr.

I made it to my 5th Northwoods League ballpark of the year this past weekend, as my wife and I stopped in Wausau on my way up north to catch a Woodchucks game.  It was my first visit back to Athletic Park in 5 years and first trip since the big renovations that took place over the last few years.  We started our trip by finally completing a list - not a ballpark list, but a brewery list.  I finally made it to the Wausau Great Dane to complete the tour, along with the other 4 locations in the Madison area.  Not quite as gratifying as notching a ballpark off the list, but gratifying nonetheless.

We arrived at the ballpark plenty early to ensure we could take full advantage of our our all-you-can-eat seats in right field.  Approaching the intersection of 5th & Wausau, I can honestly say that there was very little I recognized of the old park.  It is still surrounded by houses in a residential area, but there is a street directly adjacent and some lots that have been closed off to make room for a huge plaza.  Literally all I could identify from the old park was the cobbled stone perimeter wall, which was left completely intact around the whole block.  The old green siding press box was town down to the stone wall and built back up with a 2-story area full of suites and offices, along with some balconies and decks built overhanging the wall.  Very little remains of that original WPA structure built over 80 years ago but somehow it still maintains the same "old ballpark" feel and charm.  The neighborhood feel of the ballpark definitely has a lot to do with it and something the team really plays up to with the new plaza.  Rather than having everyone gather in the middle of an intersection to buy tickets at the window and then line up for the one entrance, the plaza offers nice overflow space and a good place to mingle before the game, as if it were its own private street.  We were warmly greeted at the gate to the plaza by Woody Woodchuck and Ronald McDonald.  Ron was there for McDonalds Night and would also sing the National Anthem later, and just generally put a creepy vibe on the entire evening. 

We made our way past the picnic tables and VIP picnic tent to our seats in "The Bullpen," a new party section at Athletic Park that is pretty the norm now for any Northwoods League park.  This section existed as a loose idea during my last visit, with just a scattering of miscellaneous tables in some left over dead space.  The section is all its own now and rivals Madison's Duck Blind in terms of value and design.  For $25 you get all-you-can-eat burgers, dogs, and chips for the entire game, and 3 beers.  I'm not sure how they even make money on that deal so I am suspect of what kind of meat is really in those burgers.  There is a separate new bar with a unique LVL/weathered steel structure and clad in regular plank lumber to give it that feel of a Northwoods shack.  The concessions building has a similar aesthetic with a private party area on top. I didn't know this area was private when we walked up there and I may or may not have stolen a cookie.  The roof of the concessions building creates a porch over some tables down the right field line and that was where we parked ourselves for the game.  We stood the entire time, but with all the activity of the party area, the visiting bullpen nearby, and the game itself, we never really felt like sitting down.  The field is very small - only about 315 down the line and 360 to center - and we were literally leaning against the boundary fence, so it kept us on our toes the entire 9 innings.  I even was alert enough to snag my first foul ball in a long time!  Between my 3 beers, the 3 beers from my pregnant wife, and a couple of 2-for-1 beer batters, I more than drank my share and totally exploited the system.  It was a great area to watch the game and we had a fantastic time.

The rest of the park from the inside looked nearly as unfamiliar as the outside.  There is a new multi-story party deck in the left field corner as well that looks to have replaced another structure.  It's a very oddly shaped with large overhangs and tucked back behind the bleachers, so seems like it would be impossible to see anything except the left fielder from that area.  I can only imagine how drunk those people were.  The bleachers and seats have all been completely replaced as well.  Overall the renovations totaled over $8 million in 2 phases and it looks like every penny was well spent.  The Woodchucks and the city of Wausau should be proud that this historic gem can now serve this community for decades to come, and it is a vast improvement over what was already a neat little ballpark.  Athletic Park is a prototype of how to maintain historic charm while still offering modern comforts.

The game itself pitted the Woodchucks against my adopted hometown team, the Mallards, the second weekend in a row we were cheering them on.  Both teams had no chance of making the playoffs and it was the last weekend of the year, so it was a pretty fun atmosphere standing that close to the Mallards' bullpen.  A number of players hopped the fence by us to grab hamburgers and it funny every time.  Wisconsin defeated Madison 7-1 behind an outstanding 6 shutout innings by Korey Rasure.  Lenny Kwizadala gave up only 1 run in the final 3 innings to pick up the save.  You would think there would be a boatload of offense in a park this small, but in actuality the fences forces the outfielders to play so much closer to the infield that it takes away a lot of extra base hits.  If it's not going over the fence it is usually a single.  The 'Chucks did manage 4 XBH on the evening, 3 of which came off a 3-run triple by Hunter Coleman in the 6th that put the game out of reach.  Tommy Bullock pitched in 3 hits for the Mallards and knocked in their lone run in the 7th.

Following the game was a fireworks spectacle that Erik and I are used to seeing at minor league parks but Megan and I had never experienced.  A couple of dudes in a Toyota Tundra just wheeled onto the field, set up a bunch of fireworks in a row, and then lit them all individually by hand, running away to cheat death just in the nick of time after each light.  It was a perfect end to our evening in Wausau and a great start to our weekend.  We spent all day Saturday up in the Chain O' Lakes area of Wisconsin, near the UP border, and I included those photos in the Flickr album at the top.

By the way, if you didn't pick up earlier in the post, my wife Megan is pregnant and we just found out this week that we are having a baby girl!  While my days of 50+ ballgames a year are now likely over, I can't wait to share my love of baseball with my daughter and introduce to her the thrill of ballpark chasing.  Until she's old enough to take a trip with Dad, Erik will still have to do.

updated park rankings and statistics
see original post from 7/23/12):

aesthetics - improves to 9
views from park - 2
view to field - 3
surrounding area - 4
food variety - 3
nachos - 9
beer - 8
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 9
atmosphere - improves to 7
walk to park - improves to 7 (new plaza)
parking price/proximity - 6
concourses - improves to 3 (new plaza)
team shop - 3

best food - pulled pork nachos
most unique stadium feature - stone walls, The Bullpen
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - Ronald McDonald sings creepy "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

field dimensions - 304/360/316
starters - Tristen Bayless (MAD) v. Korey Rasure (WIS)
opponent - Madison Mallards
time of game - 2:45
attendance - 2868
score - 7-1 W
Brewers score that day - 11-10 L

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.16:

Brewers 62-59, -1.5, -5.0 WC (3 @ Rockies, 3 @ Giants, 3 @ Dodgers)
Reds 50-70, -13.0, -16.5 WC (3 @ Braves, 3 v. Cubs, 3 v. Pirates)
Twins 59-58, -6.0, -0.5 WC (3 v. Diamondbacks, 5 @ White Sox, 3 @ Blue Jays)

2017 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 11 (+27 worked)
Peter - 31