Trip to Target Field

Last time I visited Minnesota in 2006 I was able to catch a Twins game in the Metrodome.  It was my first baseball dome experience and I came away excited by the novelty of a dome, but also somewhat bothered.  Baseball, after all, is to be enjoyed in the elements.




Fast forward six years.  I found myself waking up at 4:30 a.m. Saturday so I could hop in a car with Jeremy and Jeff to catch an afternoon game featuring my Cubs against the hometown Minnesota Twins.  No, let's not focus on or mention the outcome of the game.

Target Field is beautiful.  There is plenty of stone work within the stadium and the architects aesthetically "hid" the stadium lights.  Additionally, there is much less advertising cluttering up the scenery than what I saw at Citi Field in New York.  I'm not a big fan of advertising or clutter.

The concourses were wide and the concession choices were plenty.

Helmet Nachos

Cheese-stuffed Meatball

Walleye on a Stick

Variety of Options!

The ushers were friendly and helpful.  "Oh, your seats will be in the sun all game. You should find a shady spot in standing room only to watch.  Or once the seats have filled after the second or third inning find an unoccupied place to sit."  We decided to stand, in the shade, with the wind to our backs for seven innings.  We had a nice ledge to lean on, but our legs became tired after awhile.  Finally the sun vacated our section after the seventh inning stretch and we took a seat.

Minnesotans seem pretty laid back. We were left to explore the ballpark our way, and not once were we scolded or even frowned at.  Exhibit A: Jeff with a television camera.










 I probably talked a good five minutes with a lady in the Target Field Museum about baseball parks.  She was uber-helpful and knowledgeable.  Here's a couple of pictures from inside the museum.









I already have a Brad Radke bobblehead commemorating my first baseball trip to Minnesota, but that didn't stop me from obtaining another bobblehead.  The United States Forest Service had some space on the concourse and I was able to spin their prize wheel after taking a survey and look what I came away with!














The jumbo-tron was really nice and the electronic displays in the stadium were numerous and packed with information.

T.C., the bear, is the mascot for the Twins.  He plays homerun derby with local icons behind secondbase before Saturday games.  There's a word for him we use in slowpitch softball: a ringer.
                                                                                    There was even a mascot race!



















I like that the Twins are proud about their history.  Banners for their championships and division titles are present, as are retired uniform numbers.  There are five bronze statues outside the ballpark of Minnesota's best.  There's even a bar inside owned by one of the Twins' past favorites.

Kirby Puckett

Krbek's Pub

Animated old-style logo

Retired Numbers

I do wonder though why they decided against a retractable roof for the stadium.  The temperature for much of the game I attended was in the low 90's and the sun was routinely turning fans into lobsters.  Closing a roof on such a day would have made many of the 39,000 people in attendance much more comfortable.  Also, from what I've heard, April and September can be pretty cold/wet/snowy in Minneapolis.

The ballpark was great.  PNC Park, in Pittsburgh, is still my favorite, but I would easily rank Target Field in my top five ballparks that I have experienced.