Target Field

While Ryan got to go out and see Opening Day in Los Angeles, I was stuck at home watching the game. However, while Ryan was heading out to California last weekend, I spent the weekend attending sporting events.

Friday night, I found myself watching the first MLB game—although exhibition—at Target Field in Minneapolis. I have a 40-game package of season tickets, so I sat in “my” seat. When we got to the field, it was raining, although the rain stopped just before the gates open. This meant Minnesotans got to see a site they’ve not seen in almost 30 years: a tarp being taken off the field. (My friend and I watched the process in fascination. We’re nerdy like that.)



There are plenty of reviews out there for you all to read, so I’m going to give my personal view, for a small group of people who are often ignored.

One of the things I appreciated at the Metrodome, was usually by the time we walked through the gates (and keep in mind I sat in general admission, so I was there when the gates opened, and I attended over half of the home games), the line-ups were posted. Those of us who kept score could fill out our scorecards before eating our supper (or lunch, for day games). That way, when they announced the team, we could cheer along with the crowd, rather than hastily scrawling numbers on my scorecard. This is not so at Target Field, much to our sorrow. (I asked the Twins on Twitter, and their official reason is that “sometimes we don’t get the line-ups until just before the game. I considered arguing back that they always did at the Metrodome, but I just have to accept that people aren’t going to change and move on.) I’ve noticed some stadiums do not post the line-ups pre-game, while other cities do post them. To each their own.

However, something that makes most scorekeepers happy is a “Last play:” portion of the scoreboard. In years past, the Twins had a weekday/weeknight game called Twingo, which was Bingo, except with plays on the field. Scorekeepers loved these days, because until all the prizes were awarded (usually about the fifth inning), the Twingo board would record the last play. Those who keep score are usually some pretty insane, intense fans. Even the best of us, though, will get distracted and miss a play. (And each scorekeeper has his/her own way of designating plays they didn’t see—“WW” = “Wasn’t Watching” or “DNS”= “Did Not See” or simply “?”. The scoreboard at Target Field keeps the “Last Play” showing throughout the game. So as long as the scorekeeper doesn’t miss two plays in a row (it may have happened on Saturday), the scorecards can be at least marginally accurate.

Another thing to love for the more obsessive scorecards is the pitch count. Some ballparks take the pitch count down immediately when the last out is made. As a fan, I’m watching the game, and don’t like to have to quickly look to see the pitch count. And, of course, I never remembered to look when the next inning started. Target Field has the pitch counts up for both pitches most of the time (only time they don’t is when someone is warming in the bullpen).



(That picture was taken from Section 132. The seats in The Pavilion have wood backs, and are actually quite comfortable. The drink holders are on the armrests, rather than attached to the seat in front of you. This causes the seats harder to get into for those with larger hips, and for scorekeepers, your elbow is where your drink is, so your drink will end up on the ground anyway. Once you’re sitting in your seat, however, they are quite comfortable.)

And for the traditionalists out there—like me—the Twins have always had the “Strike Out ALS” sign that keeps track of strikeouts by the Twins pitchers. This is a manual sign with tiles that need to be turned over (and turned around for strike-out looking). From what I can tell, fans in the front row in Section 332 get to turn over the signs. I’m a huge fan of manual scoreboards (I loved it at Wrigley, watching the numbers get taken out by hand. Part of me really wants the job to run the scoreboard there, but I’d probably die of heat stroke on the first warm day).

The bullpens, rather than being on the field like they were at the Metrodome, are closed off in center field. The Twins will use the back bullpen. (It’s a little sad. No longer will we see outfielders running into the bullpen to make spectacular catches. Nor will we get to make fun of the ball boy who couldn’t catch.) Really, I’m happy the guys got a proper bullpen, but I won’t deny I’ll miss all the silly quirks of having a bullpen on the field, though. Fortunately, my seats give me a good view of the bullpen so I should still be able to see the antics of bored bullpen boys. Unfortunately, it will not give me a view of the Twins dugout so I won’t get good views of the weird antics of guys in the dugout.

In total, Target Field is pretty much what all the reviews have said: a beautiful ballpark on the edge of downtown. After playing for years in a warehouse (as someone described it), the ballpark has it’s own beauty outside of the game being played there.

And above all, Twins baseball has a home to call its own. No longer must it acquiesce to the whims of football—both college and professional.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 15-63, or a 19.2% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 11-67. Shockingly, neither team will make the playoffs. Personally, I think they should hold a Loser Playoff, as the only two teams that will finish with under 20 wins.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 37-36-7 record, for a 46.3% winning percentage. They are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They broke their record in the number of different players they had on the team this year. I’m pretty sure Todd Richards gets up every morning and prays for enough semi-healthy players to have a full roster for a game. And that’s because he depends on Greg Zanon to play, even if his ankle is broken.