I watched it tonight. Living in Chicago for the past 10 years, the Twins are one of the things I fervently look forward to during the winter, anticipate during early spring, blissfully enjoy during mid-summer and obsess over in late summer, lament the temporary break from beginning in October, and relish the return of in April; and most importantly they are (and watching them is) one of the few things that keep me feeling connected with home. I have a Roku now, partly because a little over a year ago I decided to stop paying for cable altogether. Small consolation, since I'm now paying for it just the same, albeit in a slightly less dictated way in the form of Netflix, Hulu Plus, and my mlb.tv subscription. I'm not sure what I would be doing were I living at home, be it giving in to the tv extortionists, or defiantly and exclusively listening to John Gordon's last season on-air, but I'm willing to do it here in Chicago, if for no other reason than it makes me feel connected; to home, to family and friends, to my home "land."

But in the end, I have to say I'm with you Rick.

Hey Twins! Hows about you don't shit on your faithful, loyal fan-base, instead show some appreciation, and let the increasingly large segment of the less-rich population continue to enjoy that which they so strongly identify with and feel connected to, and through. Bur by all means, don't do it if it's not, you know, convenient or profitable.

D'oh! Spelling fail. *But...

Great post Rick! I actually was at Wrigley for their opener and from the moment I walked into the park from the usher telling me" Welcome to Wrigley!" and the loud cheer of the fans when their Funnies took the field for the first time in 2011 I had many reasons why I love this awesome game of baseball and I could finally say to mysef that the boys of summer are back! Can't wait for our Minnesota 9 to take Target Field for the first time next Friday!! Love the site and the insightful articles Rick! You describe what some can't put into words regarding America and Minnesota's favorite pastime! Keep up the awesome work!
Justin

Oops I did it too I meant Cubbies :)

I've been to 40 games at Wrigley and every time I go I get excited and feel like I'm 10 again (Memorial day weekend I'll be there this year). Last year, I felt the same way going to Target Field! My first game is a week from today and the forecast is looking better! Thoughts, Jared?

I love baseball and today is one of the many reasons why. Lose a game by 10 runs? Forget about it and play agin today! Go Twins! (Although after waiting all winter, last night was a bit of a buzzkill to say the least!)

Hi from sunny TF! Free wi-fi working! Go Gophers!

There is a nice story on CNN.com about new technology in baseball parks this year, including Target Field. Too bad they didn't check their facts, they think Carl Pohlad is still alive. I expected better from CNN, it's been over 2 years.

Good show by the hometown nine today. Big improvement with the fielding compared to Friday night. We're almost there.

Hmmmmmmm....I wouldn't mind 0-2 except:

a. Outscored 19-4
b. Vernon Wells left this team
c. It's Toronto
d. NY right around the corner
e. The White Sox appear to have some serious lumber

For some reason, I'm envisioning Butera and Repko starting tomorrow to give M&M some rest.

If this happened mid-season, like it did last July, we would be thinking nothing of this other than a mid-season slump...

If you need a reminder:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=300708114&page=plays We lost 2 of 3, granted we played better, but it just was a beat down.

I would much rather have the Twins start out this way that end this way...

The next four days will be very telling. My fear is that, unless Nishi has a mean streak nobody knows about, this team will continue to lack any vocal leadership from its roster.

Too bad Pirates' reliever Evan Meek isn't on this team. He'd be the poster boy.

I think 1-6, and 5 games behind the Sox, is a reasonable possibility for the home opener.

"That's all we got, one goddamn hit?" - Harry Doyle

When we start quoting Harry Doyle to describe the Twins, we know we're off to a bad start! I'll still settle for 160-2.

Like I said --- too many question marks. I'd feel a lot better had they at least made a decent account of themselves.

I've also noticed over the past couple of years that the Twins have real trouble against pitchers they haven't seen before, especially young pitchers. You'd think they'd have the upper hand on that, but that isn't the case.

Just. Don't. Get. It.

I’m as big of a Twins fan as anyone, however until they can have a winning record against the AL East, it’s hard for me to take them seriously. Winning the Central is nice but then crossing your fingers and hoping for a miracle has gotten to be really old.
Since the Twins don’t have a true number 1 or 2 pitcher, it’s going to be the same old Twins. Yes, I’ll still watch, listen and go to the games but the end result is already a given.

At least the Twins are consistent with the rest of Minnesota sports teams they stink. Twins will probably be in contention but like bphj said having no number 1 or 2 kills you when playing eastern teams and in the playoffs.

waaaaaaaaa...waaaaaaaaaa...listen to all the babies cry. It's 2 games in fellas.

Linked is a view of a flickr contact that went to the gopher game at TF the other day. Its a view from behind home plate and shows the view of the new tower and video board. They aren't on in the image but still a good look nonetheless.

It's only been two games but this year seems no different than any other year in that the Twins generally do not play very well against teams outside the AL Central.

It just seems like teams such as New York, Boston, Toronto, Anaheim, Oakland, and Seattle always give the Twins trouble.

Only two games. But, what are we going to be saying if the Twins finish those two games out? The larger issue is how well they play and so far we have only seen lousy. And, as far as " --- Yes, I’ll still watch, listen and go to the games --- ", that is EXACTLY what the Twins are hoping for. It's not about winning anything (that is only a bonus if it happens), it's about maintaining an approach (supported by spin as much as anything else) that is just good enough to keep your money flowing into their pockets.

Seriously folks relax

"The larger issue is how well they play and so far we have only seen lousy"

Ben I get that these 1st two games have been terrible but 2 games in baseball is meaningless. It's 1.2% (2/162) of the season. We have a new middle infield, our cleanup guy is playing his 1st real game in 9 months. Give them time to settle before we panic.

This football mentality where every game counts will ruin your baseball season. Think of it this way, would you be willing draw the same too many question marks conclusion if the Vikes were down 21-3 after the 1st quarter of the 1st game of the season? If not you aught to, that's 1.5% (4 quarters per game x 16 games=64 quarters, 1/64=1.5%) of your NFL season, more total football than 2 baseball games.

As Mike Tice said "ENJOY THE SEASON"

Ben - are you serious? If the Twins just wanted "keep your money flowing into their pockets" (fill Target field last year and this year), don't you think that they could easily cut 30 to 40 million from the payroll and still accomplish that?

Only the third game of the season and already Dish Network is screwing me out of the high definition I am paying for.

so....i wonder how many innings until the first twins hit today...and no mauer in the lineup already in game 3.

rick and others without cable/sat, consider yourselves lucky so far to not have to witness this bullshit.

oh my gosh...what's that i see? The Twins getting a hit in the 3rd..and it's a homerun no less...The first lead of the year folks!! Ain't no stoppin us now!

Wow - does it feel good to be sitting on a lead! How long has it been?

let's just hope it lasts more than a half inning.

Bill Smith squirming in his recliner as Nish makes a 2nd error in 3 games to compliment his .200 stick...

My first prediction to come true this year! Mauer rested after day game on Opening Weekend! We will probably see the $23 million dollar man in no more than 120 games this year...assuming he stays healthy. Even though it's Joe Mauer, that is a LOT of dough to throw to a catcher will dicey knees that appears to be sitting out at least 1 out of every 5-6 games going forward. I'd also like to see Casilla actually get, say, 20 games to win this job as opposed to a carousel already starting at SS.

Did 1500ESPN increase their signal? I got all the way to St. Cloud today listening to the call.

Also, Gladden joined the FSN telecast today. I did not need to know that Gladden is a spitter and not a swallower.

7th inning....I am starting to get that sick feeling......

In the 5th inning, if Valencia was sent in by Liddle, why? Keep the bases loaded and no outs...why make the first out at home. I do get that it took a strong throw, but why force the issue with the pitcher struggling.

OK...I'm sorry....2 men on, top of the 8th, 1 run lead...pull Butera for Mauer.

^^That is a no brain move for me. How is Mauer's knee. So he catches 2 innings and gives you a stronger potential insurance opportunity than Butera who strikes out with a pitch that would have hit a left hand batter.

So this is how it feels to be the opponent of Rauch, I like it!

Welcome back, Joe Nathan!

I bet his heart is going a mile a minute right now.

so is mine....where's the maalox????

Wow, didn't miss these nerves last year...

phew.....good thing they won, it's so important especially since they're going to lose their next 4.

I think this team just needed to get a win and will be fine.

I do not see Nishi's nerves to be shaken away any time soon. I think after his first home stand he will be better. I would be nervous going into NYS, and I cannot imagine what he will be going through.

What if the Twins finish two games out? Are you serious? If you're going to look back at the first two games of the year as make-or-break games, why would you give a pass to the other dozens of losses sure to come? How many games did San Francisco lose last year? Texas? Yanks?
And we're already writing off Nishioka after two errors and a .200 average on opening weekend?

Ridiculous.

I wasn't writing Nishi off by any means. All I was saying is that he is shaking the nerves and I see these continuing until we can welcome him into his new home.

tk,

i think dr.x was responding to Ben.

I think he was responding to my comment about Bill Smith squirming in his recliner. And, it was more of a Bill Smith comment than a Nish commment. That said, Nish basically had a career year in Japan last year...his prior year #s would've never gotten him to the Big Show. So, I hope Bill knows what he is doing. The good news: Nish is basically replacing 3 injury-riddled guys that were non-factors last year. I'm just happy Nathan threw 30 pitches and appears to be ok. That was really quick recovery from TJ surgery for an old-timer. And, yes, it was nice to face Rauch rather than depend on him. Span took him to task. Span and my boy Blackburn are the two bright spots in a pretty dismal series. I'm happy to be 1-2.

Oh my, it's good to be talking about actual baseball again. Winter is too long!

I am glad that the Twins are limping into New York :) I would hate them to go in strong and have a huge buzz kill.

Regardless, my homer is going to come out here and say the Twins are going to surprise (2-2) or even (3-1).

It's not losing the first two games --- it's losing the first two game games while looking absolutely lifeless. How about "inauspicious" - is that OK? When do the games start "counting"?

Let's hope the Twins don't continue the Minnesota Sucks Tour 2010-2011. Lord knows we've had enough of the Live Shit Binge and Purge losing ways of the T-wolves, Wild and Vikings. Let's hope for a Twins World Series this year.

They all count, of coursse, but the twins, like any other team, will lose 1/3 of their games. So why weight these two more than two losses in July or August? What if the Twins finish one game out? Which of their 54+ losses do we blame for that?

The Twins are who we thought they were, nothing more, nothing less. They are a mediocre team that competes within its division. Outside the division, it's ugly. Why is anyone surprised or concerned at this point? The Twins will be fine once they play their 654,345 games against divisional opponents and if they're lucky enough to make the playoffs, they'll roll over and die as planned. PLAY BALL!

Nailed it right on the head Kevin.

Look at those Royals leading the division...

I've been saying for several years, if that team finally realizes how good they can be, they'll be dangerous.

(I lived in KCMO for a few years way back when the Royals won the 'I-70 Series' against the Cards, and I've had a soft spot for that team since then.)

Just out of the box and we've already determined that the Twins are no better than they were before.

What's the point in playing the other 159?

Yeah, I guess it's settled: Baltimore and Texas in the ALCS, Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the NLCS. See you all next spring!

Why even bother watching? Oh yeah, so you can relentlessly complain all season long...

I like how Gardy says lets go to New York and survive! What kinda mentality is that, its like he is conceding to defeat before they even play the games.

I do have some sympathy that they have been away from home since February 15 or so, and this is in essence their 4th stop in a week (Ft. Meyers to Atlanta to Toronto to NY). I know its the start of the season and this is what they do, but I can also imagine they are feeling like it would be ok to be home for a little bit here.

yea and when they do come home, it's a short home stand! 5 games and back on the road

Low 50s and a chance for rain for the opener on Friday. Looks like the inconsistency in the forecast is in the path the system takes. This would affect length and timing of the rain but for the most part be prepared to get wet. I have been super busy the past 5 days and haven't been able to watch 1 pitch of a twins game, which appears to have been mostly a good thing so far. But in the spirit of baseball, here is a little comedy, Harry Caray and baseball.

The First Baseball Game

First Baseball Game Part 2

If Fox News Broadcast a ball game

Heaven vs Hell Baseball Game

And since we got the Yankees next...Dang, I have one for them, but can't find it at the moment. Will post tonight...

My personal policy is not to look at the standings until after the 4th of July. That is generally around the halfway point of the season and is when the standing really begin to matter. The Twins could start out 0-10 (or 10-0) and the do the complete opposite over the next 10 games. So at this point it is far to early to be concerned about how they are planning.

That being said, I, made it to the first Gopher game on Friday, fully intending to sit in my regular seats, but it was roped off because of ice. So my friend and I instead sat 3 rows up and heckled the ump for making bad calls.

The new videoboard was on Friday and it looked good, doesn't stand out as much as I thought it would. The Twins tower was not on. The new Limestone looks as though it has been there from the beginning and I doubt the casual observer would even notice it.

The worst thing I noticed in the ballpark, asides from them not having hot coffee on a 45 degree day, was that beer prices went up a quarter.

I also saw they had people out polishing the bronze statues and removing the winter buildup off of them. When I was there Calvin was getting a pretty good rub-down by four dudes in rubber gloves.

It is also far too early to be concerned about how they are playing, as opposed to planning.

The Calvin statue really took a beating this winter. I noticed that the other day when I was over there...moreso than the rest of the statues.

I noticed the people cleaning up the bronze statues on Saturday afternoon as well.

I generally don't pay attention to the standings until after the All-Star game, but its a known fact the Twins are not a good team outside of the AL Central. They usually have a very good record within the AL Central and they always play the NL well too in interleague. But for some reason, they just don't seem to play well when it comes to games outside of the AL Central. Whether its New York, Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle, Oakland or Anaheim.

The Twins are like a AAA HS football team beating up on small AA teams all season in conference play than falling flat in the playoffs when they have to play another AAA team of their own size.

Rick - in your blog above, you state the following:

"Where advertising was once banished in the name of "purity...."

I'm confused as to what you meant by that. I'm sure you've seen the old pictures of Ebbetts Field, Yankee Stadium (and the like).....advertising was EVERYWHERE. The walls in outfield were virtually covered in advertisements for tobacco products, colas, etc.

The Twins were 24W-12L against the West last year. So we might not beat up on the East but we don't just beat the Central.

Home Opener tickets, more have been released right now if you are still looking...

The Twins must have recently released more tickets for the home opener. There are quite a few good seats available right now for the home opener on the Twins website...it's pretty sad there are more choices now than there were during the "lottery" presale a few weeks ago.

There were some row 2 overlook seats available too.

Didn't see TK's post, sorry for repeating the information

Mike,

This happens every year, we just did not see this as much at the Dome, as there was always tickets available.

Last season, I was able to get great seats to a lot of games, by just checking the Twins site periodically and scored nice seats from time to time. Was able to find Dugout Box, Row 2 for a game against Seattle last year.

tk-

At the Dome for ADA seats I saw it all the time every year, especially with section 127. I'd call at the beginning of the season and be told those seats are all sold out. Then later in the year be able to buy some, sucked.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the StubHub prices over the next few days. Still about 3750 tickets still available.

I would say 1/3 of those are Season ticket holders who have their seats up for sale, if they sale, great, if not, they will likely attend the game.

@Rick,

I apologize to all about notifying about the release of tickets, I did not check TCTraders today, but I usually do to make sure that there are no tickets available before sharing.

Just bought tickets today for my first game of the year, April 26 against TB! Does anyone know if there's a free place to park somewhere near Target Field, preferably along 5th St, and where I could get a Holiday Station store hot dog?

FCA,

Well Played!

F_T_K, that was a great Series.
KC was down 3 games to 1 not only in the WS but also in the ALCS, if memory serves correctly.

And, who can forget that call by Don Denkinger in Game 6? Me wonders sometimes whether he still gets death threats from pissed off Cardinals fans.

Anyone read the Miller Park article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal talking about Miller Park turning 10 years old?

Funny reading some of those comments blasting Target Field...

"Miller Park has better sightlines than Target Field"

"Target Field has no tailgating"

"What about the rain and snow they get up there in Minnesota"

Those are a few examples...

While Milwaukee is unique with its baseball tailgating, last I checked, baseball is historically a game played in an urban setting.

These are the same Wisconsin fans that sit outdoors at Lambeau Field in -25 weather for Packer games in December and January. If any sport belongs outdoors, its baseball, and Minnesota got it right with Target Field. The Twins are MUCH more regionalized than the Brewers, with fans coming from Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and yes, Wisconsin, to attend games.

You can claim football is a game meant to be played outdoors in the elements, but times have changed and the NFL season now extends well into January. How many folks really want to sit outside in December and January for football games while paying over $70 for a ticket?

There is a reason a lot of Packer fans sell their tickets for games in December and January and that is because they don't like sitting out there either, whether they want to admit it or not.

Also, Lambeau Field sits empty for those other 355 days each year while a dome would at least bring in some nice NCAA tournament games, concerts, possible Super Bowl and many other events throughout the entire year.

And did some of those Brewers fans forget that they played many years OUTDOORS at County Stadium?

Miller Park has about as much ambiance as Sam's Club.

"What about the rain and snow they get up there in Minnesota"

Haha! That one was funny. They act like they're a southern state. Minneapolis isn't very much more north than Green Bay is. We're not the North Pole.

Anybody else catch one of Bremer's lines yesterday:

"Bautista leads off with the bases empty."

Luke, I still remember watching one of the local KC television 'talking heads', after the Royals lost the first two games of the World Series (at home!).

In all seriousness, he looked into the camera and said "I think it's vital that the Royals win 2 out of 3 in St. Louis."...

I yelled at the tv and swore at him and called him an idiot for stating something so obvious so seriously... ;-)

Who here keeps us up to date with the Twins' magic number? I forget and I really need to know.

K

Last season to track Gordon-isms. Best so far has been a "Here's the opening pitch to Bautista... low... two-and-one..."

Looks like Wally is not allowed to sell beer at the ballpark....will be working as a "celebrity bartender" gamedays at Sneaky Pete's instead.

why do i even watch when they play in new york.....arrrrrrgh!

masochist

It's funny. Growing up in Eau Claire as a Twins fan, all I heard from Brewers fans is that "baseball is meant to be played outside." They ripped on the Dome (and rightfully so). Now, the Brewers play in a retractable Dome that is closed much of the time (and seems closed when it's open) and they are wondering how we put up with the rain and snow. Funny how some things change....

Scott Baker the home run maker is in midseason form. Twins will be
1-6 into the home opener. So predictable!!!

Mauer's earning his keep early...

I think you're right AJ, I am.

And Jeff, I thought the same exact thing when reading that article. I remember the Brewers fans talking up how much tougher they were for surviving the elements of county stadium. My how the shoe swaps feet quickly.

Anybody know if the Twins have posted a schedule of events for TF opening day? (sorry if i missed it earlier here)

Yep the Brewer's airport hanger is the new humpty dump!!!!!Have been there a couple of times. NOT impressed at all. Your right Jeff even open it feels closed!

Mauer....186 million for a glorified singles hitter. Money well spent. Oh wait, not too many singles yet this year. He had to sit after the second game, because Gardy doesn't want to tire him out. He's gotta handle those pitchers really well. Oh that's right didn't our pitchers give up 13 runs the first game. Joe must really call a great game.

@ Stevie B. Yeah, there is a schedule of events for TF opening day! Here is the link: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20110331&content_id=17221188&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min&partnerId=J231K8XCR21-161

This is my first post by the way! Glad I found this site as I have never before been to a game at TF. But after reading all the posts and looking at all the pics, I feel like I sort of have! And I will actually have the real experience this Saturday at the game. I actually got tickets from here for the BPM night! First time at TF and first time at BPM night, needless to say I'm pretty excited!!

Welcome, Kyle. I think you'll find this is a pretty good place to hang out. :-)

Thanks Kyle - just what I was looking for. Enjoy your first (of many I hope) game at Target Field. And keep coming back to this site. Most enjoyable place I have found to keep up with the ballpark and Twins

I have goosebumps just thinking about the 148th Fighter Wing flyover. If anything, that is reason enough to be at the game. I just wish they would open it up the throttle when they flyover...

miller park is all well and fine. but that quote from that article that it's top 5 in mlb i don't agree with. It's all subjective but i echo other's who have been there. Yes, going to a game there is an event but the roof is hangar like. you're trading a basefall feel for all weather comfort. look at that recent blue jays series. domed baseball is so sterile and cavernous. enjoy your stadium milwaukee, but i'll take TF.

Watching the series at Rogers Centre, I was unsure of what I felt more uncomfortable with: the way the Twins were playing or the fact that it brought back bad memories of the Dump.

tk: I plan on being on the roof of our building here in Nordeast to see those jets. /fingers crossed/ that the weather is nice enough for them to fly.

Let's see if they can match the timing of the one last year, it was just about perfect. Last line of the anthem, jets cruise over, fireworks go off. What a way to get the home crowd into the game!

Bronx Bombed Again! Click my name to read more!

Until last night, I was giving Mauer (AVG: .091; I've seen higher breathalyzer readings) some what of a pass the first couple games.

However, last night, Mauer was just going through the motions on his timely ground balls and showed no giddy-up. I would like to see Mauer benched and Butera inserted, I mean, Butera has just as many hits in 7 less at-bats.

FTK ---

The F-16 is an all weather aircraft.

as opposed to say, the 737?

Kyle, this site got me through a L-O-N-G winter!

Yes, Ben - I'm a veteran so I'm somewhat familiar with what an F-16 can do.

I'm referring to things like too low a ceiling to safely fly around a downtown area.

I'll still be on our roof watching for them!

TwinkFan: couldn't agree more with your assessment of Miller Park (I wonder if any locals around there affectionately call it "The Can"? It'd be appropriate).

Miller Park (aka "The Can") is going to have some fierce competition when the Marlins open their airplane hangar next year. I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, I'm so glad they didn't put one of "those" on TF.

TF would be horrible with a roof!

This is a disturbing item on the Strib website today:

Update: Fox Sports North is televising 150 Twins game this season, at least 34 more than in any previous year, but subscribers to Charter Communications, Mediacom, Cable One and Dish Network are currently slated to see only 105 of those games.

An FSN spokeswoman said in a statement that “negotiations are ongoing,” adding, “customers may wish to contact their cable provider to request these additional games.”

Looks like tonight is one of those games I don't get on Dish Network. I already fired off an irate email. If there are any Dish Network customers on here, click on my name and fire off your own!

Game Over!!! Now I can get on with my evening. Instead of watching this collection of stiffs.

Another stellar start for our guys against the Yankees tonight. Oi...

Bad - Thanks for the heads up, I couldn't figure out why on earth it was blacked out. My hatred for Dish Network was already at an all-time high - I can't wait until my contract is up (or close enough that DirecTV will subsidize me). The only good thing I can ever say about Dish is that they showed up the same afternoon I called to have them install. It has literally been downhill ever since.

In my 44 1/2 years on God's Green Earth, I have never witnessed anything like this Twins/Yankees phenomenon. You couldn't write a movie script like this because the public wouldn't believe it. This is nearing Globetrotters/Washington Generals. I am going to worry if the Yankees start bringing ladders and buckets of water/confetti out on the field....

B - I couldn't find the game on FSN and went on Strib website to see if it was somehow on a different channel and got that nugget. I plan to send an email and give them a phone call every time they skip a game or don't broadcast in HD.

B,

Your first clue should have been that they could come right away...that means they aren't BUSY enough!!!

I've been with DirecTV for a few years now and it is outstanding. The vast programming and variety they carry are 2nd to none. You definitely pay to play, but if you are a sports fan there is no better television option. My only complaint is that it does tend to lose the satellite signal in the summer when we get a nasty boondoggle thunderstorm (usually from the heavy rain).

BTW, just an FYI I just returned from Toronto where I took in the 1st 2 games from Rogers Centre. Anyone that complains about beer prices at Target Field doesn't realize how lucky they are (everything is relative...). A 16 oz beer was $10.75 at RC. That same beer at Target Field will be $7.50 this season (up a quarter in 2011). We live in a ridiculously tax heavy state, however, nothing compares to our neighbors to the north. 12% HST tax on everything and cases of beer for between $40-$60. Ridiculous.

See you on Friday Luke!!

Looks like the offense is in post-season form already. 11 runs in almost 5 full games. Twins need to pull there head out of there a**

I dont mean to sound like an ass but why does anyone choose Dish Network over DirecTV? DirecTV is hands down the best provider out there. They have the most sports programming, the most HD Channels, the price is just as good if not better, and their equipment is head and shoulders better than Dish Networks.

Max - You're right on the money. I had DirecTV for years, thought it was great, but decided to switch when they weren't offering me any promotions to upgrade to HD. Turns out I should have talked to their loyalty dept and they would have taken care of me, but unfortunately I had already switched. Won't make that mistake again.

I smell a comeback. And by comeback, I mean a return flight to Minneapolis on Thursday.

So much for giving Morneau a day off? I cannot tell what is going on, but it appears he is in the game, as I have the screen game pulled up on MLB.com

Why am I more happy to see Nishi come up with the bases loaded than Mauer. I have more confidence in Nishi...

Let's go .0 double-7!

even a blind squirrel...

Looks like Charter only uses Twitter for customer feedback:

@CharterCom
@CharterGeorge

Nathan will blow it!!!

Max - question, is the $10.75 you quoted for a brew at the RC relative to the current USD to CD exchange rate? Is it $10.75 Canadian - or $10.75 in US dollars?

In my case, I tried DirecTV first and they could not get a signal at my house. The neighbor apparently has a strategically poorly placed tree. Sad that something as common as a tree can defeat their system. Had bad experience with Comcast so gave Dish Network an unfortunate chance. Another ten months on the contract until I am done with them.

Wow, did the Twins finally show up?

...finds an acorn on occasion.

Sorry firedog. Twins win!

WOW!!!!!!!! They looked dead in the water through 7! What a win!!!!! Even Nathan looked good for the save!

Per my previous Globetrotters comment, the Washington Generals pull one out!

So I have digital HD cable with Charter Communications and still am not able to witness a rare Twins win against the Yankees...

It never fails when it comes to sports and TV fighting over money. It's always the fan who loses out.

How can the Twins and FS North allow this to happen when they presumably have these agreements in place with cable and satellite providers BEFORE the season???

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is no offense to anyone on this site, but I am getting a little sick of all the negativity on this site. We are what, 5 games in and everyone rips "our" home town team? Between this site, and KFAN, the two places I used to enjoy getting Twins news from, and both are filled with negativity.

Rick, you do a great job with the site, however I will no longer be reading the comments, just your well written articles.

Josh - I don't think you'll see the same level of negativity when the Twins aren't playing the Yankees.

Sorry, but this was more of a Yankees loss than a Twins win. Let see what they do on Wednesday.

Josh-
I know what you mean about the negative comments being annoying. I recommend clicking the icon with the red X next to the commenter's name to not see their posts.  It gets confusing when others make comments about their comments though.  

It also helps to remember that there are different ways people enjoy baseball (and life).  Some enjoy being optimistic.  Some enjoying complaining. Some guard their emotions.  Some were raised by the downtrodden and it seems most realistic to expect sadness. The odds of any team winning the WS are less than 100 percent. So it is a safe bet that negative fans that point out shortcomings of a team will ultimately be right, their team is a loser. Just as negative people are ultimately correct about life, many things do not have the desired outcome and, don't forget, everyone dies.

Rick-
The MLB iPod app is worth the $15. You can listen to home or away radio feeds all year, free out-of-market TV feeds for April, free TV highlights during the game (archived for the year), ballpark guide maps, news, standings, stats, etc.

Anyone wanting DirecTV-
Get a referral from me or anyone you know with DirecTV.  Both get $10 month off for 10 months.

I am only negative because this team, even though early, has not shown any sense of team or fight until about the 7th inning tonight.

And some just drink the fuckin kool-aid and bitch about people bitching.

Lots of negativity here these days...

Just a reminder...that the Bo Sox are 0-4. They are to be considered the best team in baseball and picked by a majority of baseball insiders to win it all. Settle down, everyone. It's opening week...

Luke: That is $10.75 Canadian, so actually over $11 American dollars...

"And some just drink the fuckin kool-aid and bitch about people bitching."

...Says one of the chief bitchers.
Heaven forefend anyone demonstrate some faith in the Twins, because that might mean that they're sheep or suckers. The most important thing you cn do on this board is demonstrate yourself to be your own man and not be taken in by those slick Twins. You know better. In fact, you know more baseball than anyone else. You're not one of the chumps who will get their balloon burst come October because you're too savvy; too much a man of the world.

Personally, I actually appreciate their being more than one point of view on this board. That's kind of the point of even having a forum like this. It would be quite the snoozefest to just read comment after comment after comment singing the praises of the hometown nine. Variety is a good thing. So keep the positivity AND negativity coming!

I just chuckle at the negative folks. Heck, firedog ended up being wrong 3 times just during the game last night. That is good for a laugh.

The Yankees gave us that game. Three walks a bloop single and a bloop double score 4 runs. Maybe this will be the turning point against the Yankees, I just finished my big glass of kool aide!

Well, the negativity sure has got all the "Does anyone know what color the mustard is going to be?" type comments beat.

For me, as I've said countless times, it's a matter of how the team is playing. Those first two games were complete junk - no other way to look at it. Since then there have been a couple of bright spots but no great shakes. Getting lucky with walks and lame bloopers is not the same as playing quality ball. We deserve better and, until we start getting it, we have every right to call them out.

i wholeheartedly agree with the DirecTV props. for a sports fan it's the superior service. I like the extras like special channels with different camera angles for big sporting events. maybe other sevices do this sort of stuff but directv seems to emphasis sports. this week it'll be multiple channels of the major holes at the masters. they've also been offering a free preview of MLB extra innings this week. MLB network is part of the basic package also, which is awesome.

3 denials in under 3 hours, now sees clearly the errors of his past... firedog, our own Peter. :)

Funny story...I vividly remember sitting in my college library in April 1991 reading the newspaper and seeing Twins sitting at 2-9 after their first 11 games. A friend walked by and we had a nice chuckle about how it didn't take long for the Twins to get to last place. We shook our heads and prepared for a dreary season. Turns out 1991 ended up pretty well. Just sayin'...

For sure Faber! That's what's great about baseball, it can go either way at anytime! There's still 157 games left, plenty of time!

Two more days, folks.

My prediction for the road trip was 1-6, so they have exceeded my expectations. How's that for lowering the bar?

The Twins look like the same team we've seen the past few years, but we'll see. Maybe they will win out in New York and we'll all be pleasantly surprised.

Okay, I just went and had a glass of Kool-Aid. Predicting an easy victory for the Twins tonight.

I think frustration on this board is seen as negative, when it is more or less passion about the Twins being released in an aggressive tone.

I wish the Twins had players that would do this more publicly to show that they have the heart and balls to stick up and call one another out.

I have been "negative" over the past few days, however, I had the optimistic homer prediction that the Twins take 3 of 4. I still stand by that, but the Twins need to play a full 9+ in order for that to happen.

Does anyone know where to get the fruit punch, all I have is sour grape.

I think we tee off on Freddy Garcia tonight. He was 1-3 against us last year and in those 4 starts we averaged almost 8 hits off of him. Combine that with the fact that almost everything hit to the outfield at Yankee stadium is a dinger, and I am bullish.

Just to offer a break from the kvetching, I have a question. Before the ballpark opened I remember seeing an online animation that showed how the sunlight would fall on different parts of the park at different times of day and times of year. I can't find it, anybody know if it's still up somewhere?

ClarkAddison-Click my name.

The link oddly says "Seattle Mariners" but brings it to the Twins, so I don't know what that's about, but there it is.

Thanks! Was trying to remember where the sun will be for friday's 3 pm start (if by some chance the sun will be present).

I don't mind the negativity when the Twins are losing and playing like shit. But then when they win, the bitchers keep bitching because somehow it wasn't a good enough win. It get sickening, and it's obvious they bitch just to bitch. Those like firedog and Kevin never comment about anything else, just about how the Twins suck. Those are not fans, just people who enjoy bitching.

For anyone wanting to switch to DirecTV, contact me and I will give you my account number. If you sign up with that, you and I will both get $100 (in the form of a $10 bill credit for 10 months). In addition, if you sign up for ACH and also give an email address, you get an addition $10 credit for a year. Makes the price pretty low for a year. I have the middle programming package with and HD DVR and two receivers, and it costs me $101/month.

***$101 is my price now (full price).**** With discounts, would be more like $80 for a year or so.

A link to an article in todays Strib

quote from the article about cost of attending a game at TF.

The Twins' average for Season Two at Target Field represents a 5 percent increase from the average for the inaugural season.

The survey also looked at a host of other expenses associated with going to games, such as concessions, souvenirs and parking. Under the umbrella term Fan Cost Index (FCI), a group of four attending a Twins game can expect to spend $213.16 at a game (ranking 10th overall and up 3 percent vs. 2010), the survey determined. That total covers four tickets, two small draft beers, four small sodas, four regular hot dogs, parking for one vehicle and two inexpensive caps.

Boston's FCI is tops ($339.01), with the Yankees just 69 cents behind. The lowest FCI belongs to Arizona ($120.96).

Among the FCI items, the Twins had the third-highest beer price at $7, with Boston ($7.25) and Toronto ($7.05 U.S.) close behind.

Interesting information minn55441! It's definitely not cheap taking a family of four to a ballgame these days.

I don't think a lot of people realize you are allowed to bring in food and bottled water. I am sure you can sneak some candy and stuff in as well for the kids. You can also bring in bags of peanuts and sunflower seeds too. Another good deal is the $5 kettle corn sold on the plaza, which is a good snack for a decent price.

We usually stop at Subway or Jimmy Johns on the way and will either carry it in to the ballpark or find a place out on Target Plaza to sit down and eat. Sometimes I will even bring a couple of cold beers along and drink those out on the plaza before the game.

The Jimmy Johns in Block E is the way to go before going in. I've thought about getting Pancheros and bringing that in too but have never done it.

Another baseball season, another string of phone calls and emails to the great people at DISH network. I wish my father - in - law didn't work for them so we could switch to DirecTV! They did offer me free Cinemax to make up for the game not being on last night. I told them they could offer me 500 movie channels and I wouldn;t care - I want the Twins games on!

On a more positive note - huge comeback win last night. My 8th grade baseball team was down 3-0 and ended up winning 9-3. (oh yeah, the Twins had a nice comeback win too ;)

Jared - lastest official BPM forecast? I'm going to the game Saturday night, so I'm selfishly more interested in that day. Everytime I check, the high for Saturday goes up! Hoping for no rain though..

While at it, what about Sunday's forecast? Sounds as if rain will be gone by gametime, but who knows at this point. Right now it says 70% chance of rain. Thanks in advance Jared!

Adam Dunn had an emergency appendectomy last night. That might slow the Sox down for a week or two.

I'm a little curious to see how street parking will work this year. Last year, most of the meters north of 2nd Ave N/Washington were free after 6pm for the first portion of the season, free on Saturday and Sunday all day. Then, the city came in and changed all the signage to say that meters ran 8am-10pm, Sunday-Saturday part way through the season.

The city THEN installed electric meter machines in the middle of the block, and changed the meter times back to 8am-6pm, M-F, Sat and Sundays free. So...I sort of lost where I was going with all this...

The current trend for Friday's forecast is that rain looks to be ending before 1 and appears to be light for anything that hits the ground during the morning hours. The sun starts to poke out and highs keep going up (mid 50s now) but we could be in the upper 50's if the sun decides to come out and play a little longer. This sounds pretty similar to last years forecast...

For Saturday's night game we are looking at a shot at some thunderstorms. The chance appears to be there all day but it looks right now the best initiation of storms will be around gametime or later.

The rain is expected to linger into Sunday and since its a 1pm start this looks to make for a wet gametime.

The forecast models are still disagreeing on the location of the system on Friday. Farther south and the rain potential diminishes entirely but farther north and the rain lasts till around gametime. Again, this is sounding very much like last years OD forecast. For Saturday and Sunday its not a matter 'if' (because of location) its a matter of 'when'. A trough in the jet stream looks to get deeper and it sounds like the models have been trending with big shifts 2-4 days out which would really impact rain initiation. We are just on the cusp of that and the next model run that may show a shift comes in about 4-5 hours from now. So for now expect to get wet at the games over the weekend and I will let you know of any big shifts.

The meters are now $3 an hour are left running until a half-hour after game time ;)

Last year around this time I had scoped out parking, but did not this year, as I assumed things would not change.

There are other back-up locations if not in the parking that is nearest 3rd and 4th street.

Click my name for parking map

Looks like Killebrew will not be in attendance this weekend to throw out the first pitch. The trip appears to have too much implications on his treatment schedule and he had to reluctantly cancel.

This is sad news and I wish him and his family the very best. I was really looking forward to entering Gate 3, but I hope that the treatment continues to bring him a full recovery.

Click name for link.

Don't forget those 2 fer $2.00 dogs at the Holiday station a mere block away on the north side. They didn't put meters back there did they???

Oliva to throw first pitch on Fri, HK can't make the trip . . .

Oops! Sorry for the duplicate - forgot to hit 'refresh.'

You knew Twinkfan would put his plug in for the Holiday Gas station that he must have stock in.

The Killer's sons will be manning his gate. Which one was the bank robber?

TwinkFan and that Holiday station have jumped the shark.

PatMeares, I'm pushing the "like" button right now!

Today would be a lovely day for a home game!

I'm sitting here at work, got the radio on, got the window open behind me - and all I'm hearing is the possibility of no game tonight.

:-(

Aw c'mon, Badjuggler... we can't worry about what the White Sox do. The Twins shouldn't fear them, they should fear us! We've got the best one-two punch in the whole MLB with Mauer and Morneau, Delmon is a future all-star, Thome is the ageless wonder...and Nathan is back to mowing down batters! And don't even get me started about our grisly veterans Pavano, Baker and Blac ----

I'm sorry. I just can't do it.

Well, I'll have to be the first to say it....

I can't believe how much they spent on the stadium and didn't put a roof on it! What were they thinking? Do they know how unpredictable the weather is, particularly in April. To say nothing of cold October playoff nights!

I mean, there was certainly a family from Connecticut that drove in and was probably greatly disappointed. I'm sure the New York Times will have a feature story on them on the front page.

Fake yankee stadium now has as many rain outs this week as Target Field has had in it's lifespan!

very true jp.
so, i'm assuming it'll be a doubleheader tomorrow then, or will they make it up later in the year?
F_T_K, I concur, it would have been a terrific night at TF tonight.

No doubleheader tomorrow. Game to be rescheduled at a later date.

Liriano to get the start and Pavano to open TF 2011

So, since Butera has to catch Pavano, Mauer will sit out the home opener, eh?

schweady,

Since Mauer was going to sit today, it is my guess it will be the same. Maybe Mauer will DH, but I would like to see Butera get the start, as it appears Pavano/Butera are good battery.

First of all, it's great to see the countdown clock at just one day! It was tough back when it was in the 100+ day mark...can't wait to get to the ballpark tomorrow!

And think that of course Mauer will catch tomorrow. I don't think there's a chance that Gardy will sit the $184M MVP/all-star/hometown hero for the home opener.

Funny how Gardy seems to be the only one who thinks that the Pavano-Butera pairing is beneficial to the team, or set in stone. link to Souhan article...

Well ladies and gents, we have seen the first big model shift in the forecast provided yesterday. As expected within 2-4 days out the models made a big change in locations of storms which has affected timing. Rain has been all but eliminated from the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. There is a small wave of instability that will glide through before game time giving us cloudier skies and the best chance for rain, albeit a very weak chance if any at all. Am I repeating the forecast from last year? Sounds very familiar. But anyway that's the good news.

The not as good news is the Saturday/Sunday forecast is relatively the same. The models aren't agreeing well on timing but it appears the strength of the storms is increasing. Generally that means more severe type threats (lightning/hail) but less widespread over less time. In this case we will see rain a few shots of storms primarily between late Sat afternoon/evening and through the game Sunday. Pretty much the rest is the same. Highs forecasted a few degrees warmer as well.

I brought my binoculars today, so I can clearly see the white "T" and red "C" behind home plate from my office in City Center. "Opening Day" over red, white and blue bunting painted on the grass along first and third. TF is looking great in the morning sunlight!

Is the webcam for TF gone for good?

I think Buzz just volunteered to host a new Target Field webcam!!

Not looking good for those of us with tickets to Sunday's game. We can only hope the rain stays away for Sunday afternoon, but its not looking good right now.

yes it's gone and I don't know why the twins continue to have a link to a webcam on their site.

What time are you guys all getting downtown tomorrow at?

DSP just tweeted that the flags atop of the RF scoreboard will be used to display division standings, using flags. Pretty cool if you ask me.

^^Wrigley Field does the same....anyone know of any other ballparks that use flags for division standings?

Mauer out on umpire negligence. Why the H didn't he ask to see the ball? Scared of showing up the Skanks, I guess.

there we go... make-up K call on Pissada.

View of TF from CC update: AL pennant with eagle flying on new right field pole (closest to center). Two people are walking around in the stands methodically (one with red shirt, other with white). Wind veil is getting cleaned or maintained for second day in a row. One ticket window open. Infield dirt watered daily. Grass freshly cut today.

Anyone else annoyed that Home Opener comes during The Masters?

Duffman: Nope!

Annoyed? No...awesome? Yes.

Get to go drink and celebrate Home Opener tomorrow and then lay around all Saturday and watch golf before it is time to head back down to Target Field.

Masters party Sunday. Boom.

Too many pitches, too many walks, not enough innings from Liriano. This will be, I believe, the rule rather than the exception. I was hoping he would turn into an ace, but I just don't see it happening. I'm not sure he would even be a realiable number two on a lot of clubs.

They got the grass cut in the old checkeboard pattern I hope?

Yep, checkerboard pattern.

Liriano continues to struggle with high pitch counts and long innings...no rhythmn whatsoever when he is on the mound. It could be a long season ahead of us if the starting pitching does not improve.

Hopefully Pavano can get things going tomorrow with a nice 7 or 8 inning performance to open the home schedule.

I have been waiting for the countdown to eliminate the days and only show hours, minutes and seconds for months!!!!

So if Nishioka is out for the rest of the season, are we stuck with Tolbert and Casilla?

Let's just hope Nishioka's injury is not as bad as it looks...

broken fibula it is for Nishioka

Clean slide???

Welcome to the major leagues, Nishi. :-(

Hope he comes back strong.

In my opinion, No. Intentionally late slide far to infield side. You can see Swisher change direction right before the slide. Only legal because he was apparently able to reach for the bag.

Fibula isn't that bad, but still not good. Will Gardy move Mauer to 2 and bat Hughes 8th now?

Nishioka was batting .208 at the time of the injury. I know he would get that up, but how much?

Hughes is about a lock to bat .250 with a lot more pop and a low OBP. Over a 6 week period how many runs does he cost us?

so how is that so-so acquisition working out for you bill "i am too fat for my own good" smith and gardenhire? you turds got a whole one week out of him for $10 million. sheesh!

p.s. nick swisher is a meathead idiot.

It also is important to know if there was any displacement.

Displacement? I don't know anything about the injury other than what has been quoted, but I hope it heals fast.

Maybe some day you can post a full-body photo of yourself here, Beta, so we can see just what kind of physically perfect Adonis you are. We got the point along time ago. You think Bill Smith is fat. Can you please move on, now?

By displacement, I meant if it was a clean break or displaced.

Beta--

Isn't it crazy that stupid, fat DSP knew that Nishioka was going to break his fibula, and he still signed him? What was he thinking?!

FCOL!

Looks like the Twins are going to keep releasing tickets and keep releasing tickets and.....

I am wondering if they not only held back tickets from the pre/public sale to slowly release to see how that would impact the secondary market.

StubHub prices never were too high for the Home Opener and it is actually cheaper right now to buy a pair of HPB on StubHub than from the Twins.

In my humble opinion, Mauer is more of a #2 hitter anyway and should be hitting in that spot anyway!

PatMeares- i plan to get to the bars around noonish

I'm thinking Nishi will be out maybe a month, but I'm not doctor i don't know (even if i am Indian haha)

I hope that when Nishi returns he get get some time at AAA and I hope that Hughes makes the most of his opportunity!

1st "get" = can

I agree, hopefully Hughes makes the most of this opprotunity, then when Nishioka comes back, Casilla can finally disappear for good.

Looks like nice weather for today ...

Anyone have the actual schedule of pre-game events?

Nishi got a tremendous ovation today.

Really nice to see the bats come alive in the 8th. I was going to be very upset if we had lost 1-0 because of Sloppy little league play in the first inning.