Brewers fans will notice some changes at Miller Park once the home season begins on April 6, as the team will have completed several projects in and around the stadium.
- On the Club Level, the current retail space near the Home Plate Lounge is being expanded to create an enclosed 800 square foot Brewers Team Store. The retail store will contain a larger selection of Brewers merchandise and accommodate more customers.
- On the Field Level, in the "Hot Corner," the Brewers are constructing a "Bernie’s Chalet" that has the look and feel of Bernie’s Chalet from County Stadium. The space will sell custom-made Brewers merchandise – including jersey T-shirts and bats – and fans will get a glimpse of the inside of Bernie Brewer’s Bedroom.
- The 2008 Brewers Party Suite on the Club Level is being transformed into the 2011 Brewers Party Suite, resulting in new graphics and artwork representative of the 2011 National League Central Champions.
- The newly named ATI Club on the field in right field will receive new signage and an updated layout.
- The Gehl Club, Harley-Davidson Deck and NYCE Stadium Club Patio will each undergo minor aesthetic updates.
- At Helfaer Field, changes will impact both the interior and exterior spaces. In the inside atrium, upgrades include new signage and buffet carts. Outside, the facility will receive a fresh coat of paint while misters are being added above the concourse for hot summer days.
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
