OT: Northwoods League

Thunder Muscle · Post #1 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 2:52 pm

Kinda off-topic but curious if any of you guys/gals take in the NWL in the summer at all? If so, enjoy it? I know Mequon (area) added a team a few years back for a Milwaukee area team, not sure how it is doing. My wife & I really enjoy the league and was surprised that it was pretty decent caliber ball. Mainly would go to drink and cheap entertainment but would walk out kind of surprised by some of the pitching talent, etc. And they're starting to put some good players in the MLB (e.g. ZImmermann, SCherzer, Zobrist).

I wish the team in GB drew better, they are generally the lowest of the Wisconsin team --- still fun though and made improvements last year. But I remember in Wausau it used to be a big deal and think some of the other places like Madison, La Crosse, and Eau Claire get fairly large crowds in the 4-6K range. Just curious what other opinions are.

Post #2 » by **humanrefutation** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 6:25 pm

A Madison Mallards game is always a fun time if you're sitting in the duck blind (all you can eat ballpark food and all you can drink beer/soda/lemonade etc for like $40).

Kerb Hohl · Post #3 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 6:37 pm

Used to do the Duck Blind a lot. Haven't been to a game in years, though now that I'm out of Madison.

Thunder Muscle · Post #4 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 7:46 pm

Yeah, I know some old high school friends who live down in Madison who like that Duck Blind. GB has the Leines Deck, which is fun on the weekend when it draws a good crowd. Usually is $25 all you can eat/drink. Week nights its usually fairly empty though. The problem in GB is the location. Its in a somewhat shady neighborhood so I think families tend to stay away for night games. I mean I wouldn't necessarily wander around but I think the games are more than fine. I was hoping they would get the new stadium on the river but I think the chances of tat are dwindling.

Post #5 » by **ReasonablySober** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 7:58 pm

The Eau Claire Express games here are fun if you're sitting in the fan deck (all you can eat and drink), but I don't make it to many of them.

DH34Phan · Post #6 » by **DH34Phan** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 8:08 pm

Northwoods League is one of the better summer leagues for college prospects. Robin Yount is part owner of the Lakeshore Chinooks (the Mequon area team you mentioned). They play at Kapco Park which is a really nice ballpark. Good option for Friday nights.

tski1972 · Post #7 » by **tski1972** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 8:17 pm

I'm in Wausau and get to a couple of Woodchuck games each summer.

trwi7 · Post #8 » by **trwi7** » Thu Feb 5, 2015 8:42 pm

Love the NWL. My brother used to work for the Bullfrogs when he was in college at UWGB. Best slogan ever. Grip it and Ribbit.

jimmybones · Post #9 » by **jimmybones** » Fri Feb 6, 2015 6:56 am

I run a team in a competitive adult league in the Milwaukee area and this past summer we lost our ace to the LaCrosse Loggers right before our playoffs started. **** sucked, but really cool opportunity for him. Pretty cool getting a text from him "just K'd a dude from Miami and broke a bat of a dude from USC."

Aaron It Out · Post #10 » by **Aaron It Out** » Fri Feb 6, 2015 12:21 pm

I used to go to Wisconsin Woodchuck games all the time in Wausau. They are a great time, and they routinely do specials like dollar beer nights. It's not really bad baseball either. I think the last time I went that ambidextrous pitcher in the Yankees system was pitching for them. We used to go because Jim Gantner was the coach and he's an old family friend, and we especially went a lot when Matty was on the team too.

MVP2110 · Post #11 » by **MVP2110** » Mon Feb 9, 2015 1:50 am

From Kenosha and currently live in Green Bay, probably went to about 10-15 games between the two. Kenosha atmosphere was awesome granted it was the inaugural season so I'm hoping it sticks. Bullfrogs games seemed to lack that same atmosphere, but I'm hoping for improvements. The same person owns the Kingfish and Bullfrogs, he just purchased both teams, so I am thinking he was focusing on building up the new kenosha team first before rebuilding the Green bay one. agree on the location of the Green Bay stadium. But as for my attention, I was following all along last season as the battle for the last playoff spot came down to Kenosha and the Wausau team and my girlfriend happens to be from wausau and is a big woodchucks fan, so we were following really close as to who would move on.

Thunder Muscle · Post #12 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:08 am

MVP2110 wrote: Bullfrogs games seemed to lack that same atmosphere, but I'm hoping for improvements. The same person owns the Kingfish and Bullfrogs, he just purchased both teams, so I am thinking he was focusing on building up the new kenosha team first before rebuilding the Green bay one. agree on the location of the Green Bay stadium.

Yeah, it can be pretty quiet on those week night games that get like 800 people. Last year a new ownership did take over and I thought it was better, and attendance did jump a bit. Hopefully that continues. The bad part for them is come mid-late July, people go into Packers mode and training camp wins out.

Ill-yasova · Post #13 » by **Ill-yasova** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 3:06 am

I've only been to one Mallards game when my wife bought me Duck Blind tickets for my birthday. The food was way above usual ballpark standards and I got to drunk as much delicious Great Dane beer as I could handle. It was awesome and I plan on find another DD this coming summer and doing the whole thing all over again. I might even watch some baseball this time.

Thunder Muscle · Post #14 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 3:20 pm

Ill-yasova wrote:I've only been to one Mallards game when my wife bought me Duck Blind tickets for my birthday. The food was way above usual ballpark standards and I got to drunk as much delicious Great Dane beer as I could handle. It was awesome and I plan on find another DD this coming summer and doing the whole thing all over again. I might even watch some baseball this time.

The game is definitely secondary on those decks. Bullfrogs tried a more premier food option a few years back and raised the price, but it kind of flopped. They went back to the brats/burgers and beer/soda. In those locations, people just want quick ballpark food and tons of beer.

Can you drink at the Lakeshore games? I thought that was on Concordia's campus?