REFUSED - NEW NOISE LIVE

As long as I hear this and see John Axford strolling in from the bullpen, all will be well in the world tonight! Let's make it four in a row gentlemen, and welcome back for round two Felipe Lopez.

Memorial Day Weekend

This turned out to be quite a weekend that for unfortunate reasons, I will never forget. First off on Thursday morning, I get an unpleasant call from my mom that my grandma is not doing well and that "all the family should be gathered." We all knew what that meant. In the past, she's had her troubles, but always seemed to have pulled out of them even stronger. We all hoped this would be the case once again. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be this time. It's been a good 5 years since someone I've cared about this much has passed away, so I forgot what that empty feeling inside of me was like. This one was even tougher since I was actually sitting next to my grandma holding her hand when she decided to stop fighting. Can't say I've had that experience before. Definitely can say I hope to never have that experience again.

I've been having a hard time trying to process everything that's happened for several personal reasons. Part of me was grieving while part of me was very angry. Those that know me really shouldn't be surprised w/either reaction. I wasn't sure what to do.

I decided to follow through on my plans to head up to the Twin Cities to visit a couple friends of mine. I think it was the best time to ever do so. It really helped to get away from everything back home and just spend some time with people who genuinely care about you.

I headed up Saturday morning, arriving 5 1/2 hours later in Bloomington, MN - home to the Mall of America. My friends ended up inviting a few others over and had a small cookout at their new home they moved into in February. The food was awesome - beer can chicken on the grill. No need to explain more! We had 2 TV's set up in the family room in order to watch both the Brewers game and the NBA playoff game. It reminded me of college. I will absolutely have to do this w/my living room soon, no doubt.

On Sunday, my old roommate and I played golf at Troy Burne in Hudson, WI. The course was a Tom Lehman design and was one of the top 5 course layouts that I've had the pleasure of playing. The only problem was the greens were just airated, so putting was very troublesome. My buddy is a very good golfer, consistently shooting in the 70's, while I'm happy to break triple digits each time out. He pointed out to me that the last three rounds we've played together, I've hit the best shot of the day each time. First time was at Erin Hills where I hit a blind approach shot on a par-5 to with 4 inches from 175 yards out to birdie the hole. Yeah, this Erin Hills. The next round was a scramble when we were paired together. I ended up chipping in from a hill w/a downhill lie, no green to work with, and water behind the green in case I caught it too thin. Very difficult, but got lucky. Then yesterday, I had the two best shots of the day on the same hole no less. A 600 yard par-5, I ended up hitting a drive 350 yards straight center of the fairway. Yeah, it hit the cart path, but so what! Miss-hit my second & third shots, leaving me with about 75 yard left. Approach shot was blind, with an intimidating bunker looming in front. Could not see the pin at all. Pulled out the lob wedge, hit it perfectly, asking for it to go in the hole before it even landed. Obviously couldn't see it, but it was 2 inches from the cup. Life was good on that hole!

After the round of golf, we headed to the Metrodome to catch the last game ever there between the Brewers and Twins. It was the first & last game I've seen in person there. Let me say, thank God the Twins are getting a new stadium next year! That place made it seem like we were at a Double-A game. That place is just so outdated... it really made me appreciate the amenities of Miller Park. Especially since the Brewers don't get swept in Miller Park too often!

Brewers Charities 5K Race

I had the pleasure of doing this the first couple of years before it became too popular. Here were the results of that debacle. I wasn't exactly racing in the event, so to speak.... more or less there to enjoy the day!!

My night working

After the regular 8 to 5 job on Friday, I immediately headed over to my second job delivering pizzas for Toppers in Waukesha. I've come to the conclusion I'm not a big fan of working from 8am to 4am the next morning. We'll see how long that continues. But anyway, it got interesting around 2am.

The shift manager answered the phone and was asked if he'd deliver to 'such-and-such address' which was way too far out of our delivery zone. The customer proceeded to beg and plead his case to have his food delivered, but Justin wasn't having it. He just assumed it was some drunken idiot trying to get some food, nothing more. He told the customer the only way they'd get food was if they were to come in and pick it up at the store. After the customers decide to pick up the food, Justin asks around if any of us in the store knew who some guy named 'Manny' or 'Harder' who apparently plays for the Brewers. To which I immediately replied, "HELL YA!!!" I can't blame the guy for not knowing who they are, Justin just isn't a baseball fan, that's all. So I go to my car and search around for something for these guys to sign. I knew I had a pair of cleats that I didn't wear anymore that were still in good shape, so I dug those out. The hard part was finding something to write with. In a pure stroke of luck, my work bag also happened to double as my autograph bag while I was in Arizona for spring training this year. And since I came straight from my office job, I somehow managed to have a silver sharpie in my car! I wiped a little dust and dirt off the shoes and told the other big Brewers fan working at the time, AJ, that Manny Parra and J.J. Hardy were picking up food. He gave me his Brewers hat for them to sign too. When they came in, I was talking to each of them - and Brad Nelson too - and tried to explain to them that had anyone other than the person who answered the phone would have taken food to them in a heart beat. He just didn't know anything about baseball or the Brewers for that matter. I asked them if they'd sign a few things since another driver took off w/their order for some inexplicible reason. I gave them my spikes and Hardy says, "wow, these are nicer than mine!" and then proceeded to ask me who I played for. He was serious about that too. I told him I use 'em for softball now, but I did use to play w/one of his old teammates, Vinny Rottino in high school. I always find it a little shocking when I have the chance to stand right up next to a player and realize just how much bigger I am than the majority of them. Even Brad Nelson wasn't anywhere as close to as big as he seems on tv. And it always angers me when I notice this and think back to the high school days where I didn't lift a single weight to try and get stronger or end up blowing my back out. Otherwise, what could have been... a 6'4" left-handed pitcher!

Daily memorabilia addition

I received in the mail today a signed Rawlings Official Major League baseball signed by Brewers prospect Jonathan Lucroy. I started a new tactic in obtaining autographs instead of just flat out buying them through auctions and online sites. I decided to take a stab and send a blank ball to the Huntsville Stars c/o Mr. Lucroy. After a couple of weeks, I was pleased to see that my ball was returned to me w/his signature on it!

Lucroy is probably the best all around catching prospect in the Brewers minor league system at this point and rec'd extensive playing time during Spring Training this year since Mike Rivera and the other notable catching prospect, Angel Salome, were both sidelined with injuries. Lucroy was rated as the 10th best prospect in the organization heading into the 2009 season.

No No for Brewers Prospect

Manatee RHP Evan Anundsen Tosses No-Hitter
Posted on: 04/28/09
by: Jim Goulart

The very first nine-inning no-hitter in all of minor league baseball for 2009 belongs to Brevard County RHP Evan Anundsen, who struck out ten and walked only one in a 1-0 Manatee victory over the Daytona Cubs Tuesday morning in Daytona Beach.

Anundsen, who will turn 21 years old in May, was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft out of Columbine High School in Colorado. He has progressed through the system very effectively, spending a full year in Maryvale, Helena, and West Virginia, a near-perfect progression path for a young highly regarded high school draft pick. Anundsen has always used the sink on his ball to induce groundouts at an organizational-leading level, although as noted above, also K'd ten today, mixing in a slow curveball.

Gabe Kapler piece

Welcome Back Gabe Kapler
Monday, April 14, 2008, 7:42:10 AM | by Dave Cameron

Hey all. My name is David Cameron, and I’m thrilled to have been invited by David Appelman to join in the great work he’s been doing here at FanGraphs. You may have read some things I’ve written elsewhere, either at USSMariner, The Hardball Times, or Baseball Prospectus. I’m excited to be here, not only because the data that David has made available has been a huge asset to fans and researchers alike, but also because I look forward to seeing how we can explore the information available here, create some unique commentary, and build a community that rivals the quality of the knowledge found on this site. I’ll be hanging out in the comment threads regularly, so feel free to ask any questions or make comments there, and we’ll get the discussion started.

For my first post here, I wanted to take a look at what has to be the most exceptional story 2008 has brought us so far - the unbelievable return of Gabe Kapler. A year ago, Kapler was the manager of the Greenville Drive, a Red Sox affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League. At 31-years-old, he had retired from his playing career and was beginning a coaching career in the lowest rung of full season minor league baseball. He’d spent the previous few years bouncing between reserve roles and playing in Japan, and after a torn Achilles in 2006, it looked like he would never get a chance to fulfill the promise he showed as a prospect with the Tigers in the 90s.

However, unwilling to let his on field career end prematurely, he declared himself a free agent this winter and landed a contract from the Milwaukee Brewers. With a hole in center field while Mike Cameron serves out his suspension, Kapler has… well, to say he’s made the most of his opportunity would be the understatement of the year. After going 3 for 4 with a couple of doubles and a home run last night, he is now 11 for 26 with two doubles, four home runs, two walks, and a stolen base just for good measure. He leads the majors in batting average and slugging percentage (at .423 and .962 respectively), and his 0.71 WPA/LI ties him with Casey Kotchman, and just behind Albert Pujols, as the fourth best hitter per plate appearance in baseball. Kapler has been the Brewers savior as Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder struggle to start the season, and one of the main reasons the Brewers are 8-4 in their first dozen games.

In all likelyhood, this will go down as the best two week stretch of Kapler’s playing career, but it’s two weeks he wouldn’t have experienced had he stayed retired.

Brian Shouse Analysis

Shouse the Strand-Master
by Eric Seidman - April 18, 2008

Brewers reliever Brian Shouse is a late bloomer. Graduating from Bradley University in 1990 he debuted in the big leagues with the Pirates in 1993 albeit for just six mostly ineffective games. For the better part of the 1993 season up until 2002, Shouse shuffled around farm systems, playing for minor league affiliates of the Pirates, Orioles, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets, Astros, and Royals. His only other major league experience came with the Red Sox in 1998 as he struggled in only seven appearances prior to a demotion to Pawtucket.

In 2002, nearly ten years after his major league debut, Shouse found himself appearing in 23 games for the Kansas City Royals. While the numbers were subpar–15 hits, 10 runs, and 9 walks in 14.1 innings—he has been on a major league roster ever since.

He was terrific out of the bullpen for the Rangers in 2003 and 2004, going for 105.1 IP in 115 games; he struck out 74 while walking 32 as well as posting a 3.08 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. After a shaky 2005 and just six games in 2006, Shouse was sent to the Brewers for Enrique Cruz and cash. Since arriving in Milwaukee he has been stellar and consistent out of the bullpen. In 2006 he stranded 42 of 56 inherited runners and allowed his own runs in just 10 of his 59 appearances. His ERA of 3.97 may not come off as flashy but specialist relievers can have their numbers vastly changed with one or two bad appearances; since they are usually only in for one out, giving up one run looks much worse in 0.1 IP as opposed to 1.0 IP. In fact, take away an August 29th outing against the Astros, wherein he surrendered four runs, and Shouse finishes 2006 with a 2.91 ERA for the Brewers, allowing just 25 percent of inherited runners to score.

In 2007, Shouse built on his success the previous season by posting this line: 73 G, 47.2 IP, 46 H, 16 ER, 14 BB, 32 K, 3.02 ERA, 1.26 WHIP. On top of that he he allowed just 18 of 78 inherited runners to score. Those numbers are a little skewed as well because eight of those 18 scored in Shouse’s final five appearances. Up until September 16th Shouse had stranded 58 of the 68 runners he inherited.

This year, Shouse has made eight appearances, allowing just one run and five baserunners in 6.1 innings. He has stranded all 11 inherited baserunners, with a .159 BABIP. Shouse truly makes the best of what he has to work with as he primarily throws a 79-80 mph fastball and a 72 mph slider.

His WPA of 0.34 comes down to a WPA/LI of 0.28 due to his appearances largely coinciding with baserunners allowed by other pitchers. Despite this, Shouse has allowed just 32 of 145 inherited runners to score throughout his Brewers tenure, just 22 percent. In fact, of non-closer relievers with at least 120 games in the span of 2006-2008, Shouse ranks tied for seventh in percentage of inherited runners scored. Not too shabby for a near 40-year old with just about 14 years of minor league experience.

Whether or not this will continue is left to be seen but this 39-yr old lefty who failed to find a secure major league home until the age of 35 is definitely doing all he can to show why he belongs.

Booze Problems in the fine city of San Diego

I remembered reading about an article about beer prices continuing to rise for San Diego Padres games. While I wasn't overly shocked by it - San Diego has quite the expensive lifestyle compared to Milwaukee - I was a little upset by the fact that they're distributing water-down beer!!

I'll post three articles in succession. The first regards the beer prices in San Diego. The second is only a few days old where tests were done showing the beer isn't as strong as it should be. The third is in response to it by the Journal Sentinel.

Ballpark suds'll soak you
Padres' beer prices up 4th straight year, as high as $9

By Michael Stetz
STAFF WRITER

March 29, 2008

The San Diego Padres have some kind of streak going. And it's got nothing to do with playing ball.

The team's organization has raised most beer prices every year since moving downtown to Petco Park in 2004. Opening Day is Monday and guess what: The streak lives on.

Pat Morris of Hillcrest carried a beer and a hot dog to her seat last night at the Padres game at Petco Park. The lowest-priced ballpark beer has risen to $6.50 for a 16-ounce domestic draft.

This season, prices will increase on all beer sold at the stadium, with the most expensive being $9 for premium brands. Last season, they were 50 cents less. The cheapest beer is now $6.50 for a 16-ounce domestic draft, up 75 cents.

All major league ball clubs charge a lot for beer, and all keep a close lid on how much they're making from it. The Padres are no exception, but we did some math of our own.

Information on beer pricing is available through the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Local beer distributors post the prices they charge area retailers. The Padres' vendor doesn't receive a discount for buying in bulk. That's against the law.

According to ABC records, a keg of Bud Light costs $76. That keg holds about 1,984 ounces, which produces about 99 20-ounce cups. The Padres charge $8.50 for a 20-ounce cup of Bud Light, meaning a single keg produces as much as $842 in sales.

The local distributor charges about 93 cents for a 12-ounce bottle of Heineken. That bottle, considered a premium brand, sells for $9 at Petco.

Even though Petco Park is partly owned by the city of San Diego, the city receives nothing from concession sales during games. Still, the Padres don't keep all the beer dollars.

The team must pay taxes and the vendor's cut, which the Padres wouldn't disclose. Sports retail experts say teams typically get between 40 cents and 50 cents per dollar on beer sales.

Why do the Padres – who have the final say on prices – charge so much for a simple beer?

The Padres say they're vastly different from a neighborhood bar, given their overhead and the limited dates they're open for business. The team also wants to discourage excessive drinking through higher prices, an executive said.

Not everyone buys that. Spectators in today's ballparks are treated like “captive prisoners,” said Bill Sutton, associate director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida.

“They're locked up and can't get out,” he said, which gives teams leverage when it comes to pricing their concessions. “It's a crazy mentality.”

Beer prices at Petco are even higher than at the trendy Gaslamp nightclub Stingaree two blocks away.

A pint of beer costs $6 there and beer prices haven't been raised since the club's opening in 2005, said Ali Pouladin, lead bartender. A bottle of domestic beer costs $5.

“That's a lot for a beer,” he said of Petco's prices.

Out of control

Up the road, in Anaheim, the most amazing thing happened five years ago. The Angels actually lowered beer prices. The new owner, Arturo Moreno, thought prices had spun out of control and cut some by up to 20 percent. The Angels still haven't increased the price of a 14-ounce beer at Angel Stadium. It remains $4.50 this season.

The move by the Angels hasn't exactly caught on league-wide, which might seem surprising. Fans loved it. And the Angels say the lower prices haven't resulted in more booze-fueled boorishness.

But the Padres say higher beer prices help maintain a family-friendly environment, which is one of the reasons they're more aggressive in raising those prices instead of others, said Richard Andersen, executive vice president in charge of ballpark management.

“We don't want to do anything to encourage excessive alcohol consumption,” Andersen said. “We want people to have a beer or two if they like. We're not interested in attracting people who want six or eight beers.”

Most concession prices at Petco aren't rising this year, he said. Of the 98 items offered, 57 remain unchanged. Peanuts are still $4.50 a bag. Popcorn is still $4.

The Friar hot dog will cost $4, up 50 cents from last year.

Andersen declined to say how much beer is sold during a Padres season, though the Boston Red Sox reported selling 3.1 million beers in 2004, with an attendance of about 2.8 million. Last year, the Padres attracted about 2.7 million.

Andersen did say the volume has remained pretty much consistent year-to-year, despite the annual cost increases.

The economics of beer works like the economics of everything else, experts say. A price can be set too high, discouraging consumption. Price beer at $30 a bottle and see what happens.

But sports concessions are free of one key element that exists in the open market: competition.

If a number of enterprises were allowed to set up shop and fight for the beer dollar, costs would drop. But the chance of that happening is about as likely as the Padres getting Alex Rodriguez.

Sutton questions the business approach many sports teams take with pricing, particularly in these tough economic times. If the customer believes he is being gouged, he'll begin to harbor negative feelings toward the franchise, he said. If the team performs badly, where's the incentive to hang with the club?

“That's not good long-term thinking,” he said.

Bitter taste

Beer has always been a big part of baseball. Breweries once owned teams. Today, a number of beer companies – Miller, Coors and Busch – pay to have their names on ballparks.

Years ago, fans could actually bring their own beer into some stadiums. That was the case until 1984 for the Padres, who played at Jack Murphy Stadium, now Qualcomm. Then the team complained that alcohol-related problems were increasing.

Other baseball teams banned carry-in beer, saying the change was needed to create a better ballpark environment. But there was another reason: money.

Paul Fordem, a San Diego County supervisor at the time, complained that the new ban granted the Padres “an absolute monopoly” on stadium concessionaires.

Talk about vision.

Another supervisor, Paul Eckert, wondered why, if the Padres organization really wanted to solve the alcohol problem, it wasn't banning all beer-drinking at games.

Today, fans keep forking over the money for beer, even though the prices can leave a bitter taste in their mouths. At an exhibition game last night at Petco Park against the Angels, the new beer prices were in place.

And even though fans said they've grown accustomed to higher prices, nobody was exactly applauding another increase.

“You come here expecting to pay a lot,” said Geoff Longenecker of La Jolla, who was sipping a Stone beer, which set him back $9.

He called the prices, “extraordinarily high,” yet was happy that at least the variety was broad.

Christina Curtin of Mission Valley said she should could buy a six-pack for what she paid for a single beer, a premium draft for $9. But she said she expected it, given that she was at a baseball game.

Marc and Jodi Stein of El Cajon said having a beer or two is part of the baseball experience, so they forked over $16.50 for two beers.

The guy behind the counter forewarned them that the price was going to be ugly, Marc Stein said. “He said, 'Believe it or not, it's $16.50, and you don't get a TV set with it.' ”

Staff writer James P. Sweeney and staff researcher Erin Hobbs contributed to this report.

_________________________________________________________________

For it's 1, 2, 3.2 at the old ballgame

Beer is high on price, low on alcohol content
By Michael Stetz
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

April 18, 2008

SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune

Kevin Kimball, of San Diego, enjoyed a Bud Light last night at Petco Park. More bucks, less bang.

Padres fans already know beer sold at Petco Park has a higher price tag than the same thing elsewhere. But they might be surprised to learn some of the beer also has lower alcohol content.

Three of the downtown ballpark's domestic draft brands – Budweiser Select, Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft – contain 3.2 percent alcohol by weight.

Go to a bar and most regular domestic draft beer will have about 4 percent alcohol by weight. Most light beers run about 3.4 percent.

In other words, it's not just the Padres' batting lineup – producers of only six home runs so far this season – that's weak.

“It's kind of upsetting,” said Randall Brooks of Ventura, who was unknowingly drinking a 3.2 percent beer, a 20-ounce cup that set him back $8.50 at Wednesday's Padres game. “I should get what I'd get anywhere else.”

Padres fans at Petco Park might be surprised to learn some of the beer sold there has a reduced alcohol content.

By the numbers

There are two ways to measure alcohol content in beer: by weight and by volume. For lower-alcohol beer, the 3.2 percentage refers to alcohol by weight. The strength of various beers, in comparison:

4.0% Budweiser
3.4% Budweiser Select
4.0% Coors
3.4% Coors Light
4.3% Stone Pale Ale
4.0% Heineken
3.7% Corona
3.7% Miller Genuine Draft
3.4% Miller Lite
Online: For a March 29 story about rising beer prices at Padres games, go to uniontrib.com/more/beer

The Padres aren't required to divulge the alcohol content of the beer they sell. There's no mention at the concessions, which are run by a vendor called Sportservice, that the three brands are any different.

Padres officials say lower-alcohol beer, like higher prices, is part of an “alcohol management plan,” meant to keep fans from overindulging. They also say it's common practice in the sports industry and hardly limited to Petco.

It's unknown how many professional teams' vendors sell 3.2 percent beer at stadiums. Sportservice, a subsidiary of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Delaware North, runs concessions in as many as a dozen professional sports venues. Company officials didn't return phone calls.

Centerplate, which runs the concessions for the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium, didn't return calls, either.

“The Padres aren't alone,” said Chris Bigelow, president of the Bigelow Companies, a consultant to sporting and entertainment venues on food service management.

He said the difference in the quality of the beer is difficult to tell, “especially after the first one.”

The decision on what kind of beer to buy rests with Sportservice, said Richard Andersen, executive vice president in charge of ballpark management for the Padres. The difference in alcohol isn't that dramatic, he said.

The difference in cost is 32 percent. A keg of Budweiser Select goes for $76, according to California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records. The 3.2 percent version of Bud Select runs $52.

“Wow, $8.50 for low-octane beer,” said Michael Shames, a consumer advocate who heads the Utility Consumers' Action Network in San Diego. He compared the move to that of oil companies, which have been accused of reducing octane in gas.

Bars don't peddle the lower-alcohol stuff, said Greg Anderson, owner of McGregor's Grill and Ale House near Qualcomm Stadium. “It's not a practice in the bar industry, as far as I know,” he said.

Stephen Zolezzi, executive vice president of the Food and Beverage Association of San Diego, said that to his knowledge, distributors don't offer such beer to local bars.

Zolezzi said he thought sports venues were required by law to sell lower-alcohol beer, but the ABC said no such law exists.

Petco's premium draft brands, such as Sam Adams, which contains 3.9 percent alcohol, are not lower-alcohol versions. The bottled beer is also the same you'd find anywhere.

Lower-alcohol beer has been sold at Padres games for years, according to the Padres organization. When the team moved from Qualcomm Stadium, the 3.2 beer – called “stadium beer” among some in the industry – made the ride to the downtown digs as well.

But today's higher beer prices could make the lower alcohol content harder to swallow. In 1988, a beer at a Padres game was $2. When adjusted for inflation, that $2 beer would be $3.61 today. The cheapest beer at Petco now is a 16-ounce domestic draft for $6.50.

“It's just another example of companies fleecing the public,” said Mark Reback, of Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog. Consumers are facing higher prices not only for necessities such as gasoline and food, but also while enjoying a simple baseball game, he said.

“Where does it end?” asked Reback, who recommended fans lodge complaints with any teams that sell weaker beer.

The 3.2 percent beer dates to Prohibition. Just before the booze ban was repealed in 1933, Congress allowed for 3.2 beer in an effort to jump-start the economy during the Depression and appease those clamoring for the right to imbibe.

After the repeal, beer makers started producing stronger beers, but several states kept the 3.2 standard. Today, six – Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah – continue to require that some retailers, such as grocery stores, sell the lower-content product.

Beer lovers in those states routinely complain about the quality of the beer.

Brewers basically add water to lower the alcohol content. Some critics maintain that brewers bring the content lower than 3.2, to make certain the beer passes muster in those states.

Anheuser-Busch – maker of Budweiser Select, among other brands – did not return calls.

Kathy and David Pence from Montrose, Colo., who were at the Wednesday Padres game, said they try to avoid 3.2 percent beer at home.

“We go to liquor stores to buy our beer,” said David Pence, because those outlets are allowed to sell the full-strength stuff.

The Pences weren't aware that Petco sold 3.2 percent beer, and they didn't understand the reasoning offered by the Padres. “If people want to get drunk, they're going to get drunk,” Kathy Pence said.

Not everyone minds the less powerful beer.

“To me, it's a minor thing,” said Rick Atwood, who was at the game drinking Miller Lite. “If they were doing so to a microbrew, that's a different story.”

__________________________________________________________________________

Your beer, your stadium
By Don Walker

Tuesday, Apr 22 2008, 09:41 AM

First the good news. Miller Park, home to the Milwaukee BREWERS, for crying out loud, does not serve beer with 3.2% alcohol by weight.

But they do at Petco Park in San Diego, according to this story. And the fans didn't know it.

Here's the key phrase in the story: "The San Diego Padres aren't required to divulge the alcohol content of the beer they sell. There's no mention at the concessions, which are run by a vendor called Sportservice, that the three brands are any different.

"Padres officials say lower-alcohol beer, like higher prices, is part of an 'alcohol management plan,' meant to keep fans from overindulging. They also say it's common practice in the sports industry and hardly limited to Petco."

Scary stuff if you're a beer drinker. Sportservice, by the way, has the concessions contract at Miller Park. And, as mentioned, officials there told me you get the real deal in the beer lines. No 3.2% beer for Brewers fans.

Sportservice is a huge company and has concessions deals with dozens of sports stadiums and arenas around the country. Naturally, we wondered if there were other stadiums that did the same thing.

A Sportservice spokesman said the practice at Petco was the exception, rather than the rule.

"The type of draft beer being served at Petco Park in San Diego is consistent with draft beer being served at many stadiums and large public gathering places in the state of California. This practice began at Qualcomm stadium under another concessionaire, and was carried through to the new ballpark," the spokesman said in a prepared statement.

In San Diego, opinion appears to be divided on the practice. Some cared, some didn't.

In the meantime, we'll keep you apprised whether this practice goes on at other stadiums around the country.