Wisconsin notes

[DaBigE]

Imagine seeing that kind of shield along the side of the Interstates, or on the overhead signs. That would be awesome!

For half a second. And then my steering wheel would be covered in vomit. I'm gagging just looking at it here.

If they're like Caltrans district shops, they have stick-on reflective integers in a few sizes; they probably assembled it with a size enabling them to get all the numbers on the shield.  But they certainly need to do a better job of both kerning and vertical placement -- as well as vertical spacing; no need to smash all the numbers into the top portion of the blue field.  Chances are someone was simply in a hurry and couldn't be bothered to lay it out properly.  (n.b.: they probably have relatives in Caltrans' D4!)

All the sign shops are in a hurry. The commercial one we indirectly worked with on a project (a sub to the contractor) sent us a W6-2 that would only be applicable in countries that drive on the left. It should never have even seen the light of day, but they shipped it anyway.

The installers weren't much better, as they not only installed it, but installed it upside down. At least they were consistent and installed the W6-1 (that was manufactured properly) upside-down as well.   

[dvferyance]

As I mentioned earlier about photos of the new Hwy 151 interchange near Ridgeway turns out you can find a couple of them at www.folklorevillage.org.

[JREwing78]

I heard a professional roadgeek (as in, he's getting paid to be a roadgeek) on WPR today: https://www.wpr.org/listen/1390651

Eric of statetrunktour.com was on the air discussing his website and the roadgeeking hobby. Is he on this site?

[GeekJedi]

I heard a professional roadgeek (as in, he's getting paid to be a roadgeek) on WPR today: https://www.wpr.org/listen/1390651

Eric of statetrunktour.com was on the air discussing his website and the roadgeeking hobby. Is he on this site?

Not sure. He's a friend of mine. I'll have to ask him.

[SEWIGuy]

This site has been linked here before.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=16952.msg2109432#msg2109432

I'm pretty jazzed that my memory is still pretty decent!

[GeekJedi]

Eric mentioned that he is a member of the FB group, but not the forum. He said that he should sign up.

[peterj920]

Wis 441 now has exit numbers after years of having mile markers.  However, the US 10 exit numbers are still used for the concurrency.  There's also a new sign for Harrison for the KK exit, which is now Exit 7. 

[gbgoose]

Wis 441 now has exit numbers after years of having mile markers.  However, the US 10 exit numbers are still used for the concurrency.  There's also a new sign for Harrison for the KK exit, which is now Exit 7. 

I saw that also - the signage goes from Exit 291 at Oneida St to Exit 7 with Calumet.  I wonder if Wis 172 will eventually do the same.   

[SEWIGuy]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

[dvferyance]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

They could just change it back to 43rd street.

[SEWIGuy]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

They could just change it back to 43rd street.

What about the freeway portion?

[dvferyance]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

They could just change it back to 43rd street.

What about the freeway portion?

That's WI-175 now.

[gr8daynegb]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

They could just change it back to 43rd street.

What about the freeway portion?

That's WI-175 now.

Could be Wis 175 Milwaukee/To Hwy 59
(not meant to be serious)

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe if the Miller Parkway name goes, they could change the roadway back to Stadium South. Also, I'd like WIS-175 to be signposted both north and south of Intestate 94, and maybe number the exits from the southern junction at WIS-59.

[tchafe1978]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

AmFam Boulevard

[MantyMadTown]

I'm seriously upset that the name of the Brewers stadium will not stay as Miller Park. The name means so much to the team and the city of Milwaukee, and to name it otherwise means we lose a part of Milwaukee's brewing history. It doesn't even feel like a corporate-named stadium, because the name Miller is synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers. There's just no point naming it anything else.

[SEWIGuy]

I'm seriously upset that the name of the Brewers stadium will not stay as Miller Park. The name means so much to the team and the city of Milwaukee, and to name it otherwise means we lose a part of Milwaukee's brewing history. It doesn't even feel like a corporate-named stadium, because the name Miller is synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers. There's just no point naming it anything else.

Eh. It's just a corporate named stadium.  Always has been. Just because it is familiar to you, that doesn't change that.

[mgk920]

I'm seriously upset that the name of the Brewers stadium will not stay as Miller Park. The name means so much to the team and the city of Milwaukee, and to name it otherwise means we lose a part of Milwaukee's brewing history. It doesn't even feel like a corporate-named stadium, because the name Miller is synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers. There's just no point naming it anything else.

Eh. It's just a corporate named stadium.  Always has been. Just because it is familiar to you, that doesn't change that.

Wrigley Field is a 'corporate named' stadium, too.

Mike

[gr8daynegb]

I'm seriously upset that the name of the Brewers stadium will not stay as Miller Park. The name means so much to the team and the city of Milwaukee, and to name it otherwise means we lose a part of Milwaukee's brewing history. It doesn't even feel like a corporate-named stadium, because the name Miller is synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers. There's just no point naming it anything else.

Eh. It's just a corporate named stadium.  Always has been. Just because it is familiar to you, that doesn't change that.

Wrigley Field is a 'corporate named' stadium, too.

Mike

Wrigley was named after it's then owner William Wrigley Jr., not a corporate name for the gum company. 

Miller Park is a corporate name, but it was simple, had local ties, and did have a baseball feel/name to it.  Just hoping for the rest of stadiums time with us that it doesn't become one of those stadiums that ends up having 4 or 5 names before it's time to be replaced.  There is that traditional old style feeling having a short, simple, and not overly corporate name that connects to fans.  I would hope Lambeau Field never goes this way(but I remember early 2000's it was looked into though).

[SEWIGuy]

I just think "Miller Park" doesn't sound corporate because it has been the only name the stadium has had for 18 years. Regardless, the Brewers did what they had to do in taking the best offer.

[DaBigE]

I think the change from Miller Park might be harder, since it was called that from the time the first brick was laid. Until 2020, one can say it was always known as Miller Park.

I found a comment elsewhere on the net a bit intriguing. If AmFam wants more of a Milwaukee presence, why didn't they go harder after naming rights to the new Bucks arena? I still wonder what else there is to the story. Will there be another big announcement from Miller (e.g., they're in a bigger financial hurt)? Is the Brewers organization trying to be more "PC" by reducing the influence of an adult beverage company?

I don't like the change myself, but I'm going to reserve a harder stance on the situation until AmFam announces what the name will be changed to. IMO, Miller Park, while commercialized, was easy, classy, and a seemingly perfect fit, given the history of the team and Milwaukee. The whole thing caught me by surprise; I never realized there was a sunset to the stadium's naming rights. Makes me wonder if AmFam will buy rights to the Kohl Center next? As others have mentioned, I highly doubt Lambeau will go anywhere. There's way too much history there, not to mention a very deep fanbase, in conjunction with the unique ownership status. Riots will ensue if a name change there ever sees the serious light of day.

[SEWIGuy]

1. We don't know if AmFam was involved with the naming of the Fiserv Forum. I think those rights went for more money than Miller Park's.  (Stories are that this went for just under $3M per year while the Bucks' owners were looking to get about double that for the Forum.  Also it has been rumored that Fiserv is moving its headquarters somewhere downtown where the Bucks' are developing property so that could have been part of this transaction as well.)

2. I had a friend tell me that the Miller Park naming was always interesting in that it was "charged" to the various branding budgets within Miller with a portion paid by the local Miller distributors. Apparently they couldn't come to an agreement on how to divide up the increased share.  Miller will still be the primary beer sponsor however and there is talk that Bernie's slide may change back to become more "beer oriented."  So this isn't a PC move by the Brewers by any means.

3. Miller is doing just fine financially.  But remember it is part of a much larger corporation now than it was 20 years ago and really no longer headquartered in Milwaukee.  MillerCoors is a joint venture in Chicago, and that is part of Molson Coors, which is located in Denver and Montreal.

4. Unless I am unaware of some detail, the Kohl Center won't be renamed. That is a recognition of a personal gift by Herb Kohl to construct the building and *usually* those naming agreements don't sunset.

5. Lambeau only goes somewhere if the deal is *extremely* lucrative. They have too much branding in the name for it to go anywhere cheaply.

[triplemultiplex]

I'm going to keep calling it Miller Park, you can bet on that.
I like it better because it sounds like somebody's name, even if it is a company.

Shame on MillerCoors for letting that get away.  I appreciate the fact that three major league stadiums are named after beer and to have the one in Brew City change just doesn't sit right with me.  I know it's stupid and it's not like I'm going to stop going, but I'm going to exercise my goddamn American right to  bitch and moan about something I have no control over.

Insurance companies are evil, too.  Even ones with "family" in the name.

[tchafe1978]

While the name of Miller Park changing is a bummer, to me, it's just a name. Not a huge deal. It won't affect the product on the field, which is most important anyway. Maybe the extra couple mil a year the Brewers will get from AmFam will help the afford the player that will bring a world series title home.

[Mrt90]

So MillerCoors lost the naming rights for Miller Park to American Family Insurance.  What do they do about "Miller Park Way?"

AmFam Boulevard

Not sure if you are serious, but that would be bad.  They need to go with something permanent so they don't have to rename it again when someone outbids AmFam next time.  Best suggestion I've heard is to name it after Bob Uecker or just call it Brewers Parkway.  Or maybe they can sell the naming rights to the road to Miller .