Originally written for the Green Valley News and published here.
Providing fresh air, a beautiful skyline view, and seats that actually face the field, the Minnesota Twins have given their fans a much-anticipated treat that was a long time coming. Target Field lives up to its incredible hype, and is certainly one of the better ballparks in Major League Baseball.
I had the opportunity to attend two games in Target Field this past
week, and came away speechless. I’ve never seen a Twins’ game outside of the cavernous Metrodome, which was originally built for a football team. With recycled air, obstructed views, and seats that faced left field, the Metrodome was a stadium, not a ballpark.
Target Field was built for baseball. Surrounded by native Minnesota limestone, Target Field occupies one million square feet in downtown Minneapolis. Compared to the Metrodome, Target Field is the Taj Mahal of ballparks.
One of the first things noticed when walking into the ballpark is the wide concourse. Nearly twice as wide as the Metrodome’s, the concourse in Target Field stretches all the way around the stadium. Although there are fewer seats in Target Field, there are more aisles than in the Metrodome, which makes getting to your seat much easier.
The $517 million stadium also includes the 4th-largest video scoreboard in the league, and nine times bigger than the scoreboard in the Metrodome. It’s amazing how crisp and clear the Target Field video scoreboard is. Possessing 1,080 lines of resolution and 4.4 trillion shades of color, you can almost measure Joe Mauer’s sideburns with yardsticks.
Once you find your seat and settle in for the game, though, the beautiful Minneapolis skyline will take your breath away. From my seat in Section 219, I saw the IDS and Capella Towers, the 33 South Sixth, and even caught a glimpse of the old Foshay Tower. It truly was a magnificent sight, and was a constant, albeit welcome, distraction from the game.
The first game I attended was last Wednesday night, when the Twins were hosting Cleveland. Francisco Liriano shut out the Indians over eight innings, and Minnesota came away with a 6-0 win, which was very fun to see. The game-time temperature was 59 degrees, though, and a slight breeze made for a very chilly evening for anyone visiting from Arizona. Luckily, the Twins had their fans from the southern states covered with heat lamps located all around the main concourse.
There will certainly be a few rain and snow cancellations in Target Field’s future, but no more than Detroit’s Comercia Park or Boston’s Fenway Park. April and September in Minnesota will certainly be cold, but the summer months in Target Field will be absolutely perfect for baseball.
MLB is doing their part to help ease the chilly evenings by scheduling a ton of afternoon games in the first few months of Target Field’s existence. The Minnesota sun, however, was in full force on the Thursday afternoon game I attended. I hardly needed a sweater, and almost wished I had worn shorts. Weather should not be a major concern for the Twins.
Good ‘ol fashioned Midwest hospitality was certainly on display throughout the two games I attended. When purchasing the obligatory “Twins Big Dog,” the attendant had me take a few chugs of my beverage before topping me off again. It may just be a few free ounces of Pepsi to some, but it was a warm welcome to Target Field for me.
One of my main memories of the Metrodome was getting blown out of the doors after the game due to the pressure difference. This was also symbolic of the Metrodome’s after-game policy: Get out as soon as you can. After the Thursday afternoon game I attended in Target Field, my dad and I wondered around for at least an hour. We explored, among other things, the Metropolitan Club, which housed a few remnants of the old Metropolitan Stadium. We were never asked to exit the ballpark following the game, and got as much value as we could out of our $32 tickets.
Although I’m sure I uttered, “Nick Punto would’ve made that play,” no fewer than three times, I came away from my Target Field experience very satisfied and thoroughly impressed.
Outdoor baseball is certainly a sweet thing, and Target Field makes the experience even sweeter.
