OK it’s Monday. 'twas a good day. A hot day, but good nonetheless. This past weekend was action packed and pretty fun. My brother and 2 of his buddies came up and stayed at my house so that we could all go to the Twins games against the Brewers. Not only was it the big Brewer weekend, but more importantly, it was my first time at Target Field. Over the past 10 years I probably sent at least 50 E-mails and postcards to my legislators asking them to vote for a stadium. I don’t think any of them actually did, but for a second I felt like an activist… anyway being that I have a deep love affair with the Twins, to see them playing under the blue skies of downtown Minneapolis is surely a dream come true.
The approach down 6th street is ridiculous. So awesome. Past the bars of 1st Ave is the Kasota Stone façade of this Coliseum erected to the honor of Minnesota’s only sport that has won a championship. It is truly an asethetic spectacle to behold. Almost brought a tear to my eye. Overall, however, I’m a bit disappointed with Target Field. The truth of the matter is it could be the greatest stadium in the universe and I would still not quite love it to the max. I think every Minnesotan is a cynic deep down. I think it comes from the way that the seasons taunt us. We get 5 days above 60 degrees in April, get out the shorts and dust off the golf clubs, only to have it snow 2 feet in May. Its in our blood to be cautiously optimistic in al facets of life. So that’s how I’m playing my cards when it comes Target Field: glad, but not too glad. By the way, we need a good nickname for it. The House that Mauer Built? The Targ? TField? TarFi? I think "The Targ" will suffice for now.
I’ve been to 16 MLB stadiums in my life. My rakings are as follows:
1- Wrigley- can’t beat the classic
2- SafeCo in Seattle.
3- Coors in Denver
4- Everything else
Ha. Seriously, though. SafeCo. And Coors are head and shoulders above every other park I’ve visited. I can’t really say why, they are just wonderful places to watch baseball... ANYWAY
The Targ is SUCH a huge improvement from the Dome you can’t help but get giddy walking through its caste iron gates, but is it a great place for baseball? Well, the wind has reeked havoc on our HR numbers. We’re down something like 25 this year compared to last as a team. Left field is obstructed view. The “home run porch” is in the second deck at 420+ feet, not exactly hitter-friendly. From the 3rd deck corners you can’t see ¾th of the outfield. They dumped Hormel and picked up Schweigert hot dogs (ick). No more "We're Gonna Win Twins" song! You can’t see the scoreboard from any of the outfield seats, tickets are out of reach for any family on a budget, and you can’t make a complete lap around the park on any level but the first. Those are just some things off the top of my head… Also, why no fireworks after a win or after a home run? That seems odd to me...
Having said that, it is really cool from the 100 level. Great lines, great approach, great bars and restaurants peppered within the sections. The concourses are bigger than the Dome, which isn’t saying much, but are tiny compared to Miller Park or even Cellular One and Comerica. There is a buzz of excitement that is really cool. People are walking around all wide-eyed and its always cool to be at a sold out event. So that's awesome. I’m going to be sitting 5th row behind home plate on Thursday, so that will give me a much different view of the game and of the park, so perhaps my feelings toward The Targ will change, but after my inaugural visit, I give it a B-. If only we had more space and a retractable dome… then it could be the crown jewel of modern sporting venues (like the Excel Energy center is for the NHL- even at 10 years old it’s in the top 5 for hockey arenas). As it is, The Targ is a stadium that will be totally dated in 30 years and no doubt the clamor for a replacement will begin before that… people are fickle. Remember the Metrodome isn’t even 30 years old yet, and when it was built it was absolutely super-modern, applauded, and lauded- Now it’s a relic.
Again, watching a baseball game without a Teflon baggie over my head is absolutely amazing. The warmth of the sun, the smell of the gross hot dogs grilling, and the cool breeze keeping balls in the park is awesome, I’ll take it anyday. But will I be taking my grandkid to ye olde Target Field one day? Doubtful. Heck, the way I’m going, it’ll be torn down before I even get married… :)
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