Another great post, Rick. I really enjoy reading your writing about our team and our ballpark.

And I still wish I could have been there!

It was a great day at the ballpark!

Wow Rick, well done. I need to MAKE time tonight to meet you and thank you for making me even more excited to be a baseball fan, and I didn't think that was possible!! (just ask my wife about how much I love the game: coaching baseball, playing baseball(now beer league softball since I'm in my late 30's!), watching baseball, talking baseball...)

Was anyone else struck by the juxtaposition of the flag being raised by a survivor of the Bataan Death March with the appeal for relief for the victims of the earthquake in Japan? Further proof that baseball appeals to our "better angels".

Friday was great, starting with the opening day excitement at work.  Many co-workers came to look out my window to see TF come alive again. Everyone that was not going wanted to know when the fly over would happen.  Took a break and went to Peavy Plaza and US Bank to hear old time bands play summer music and grab some free peanuts and Cracker Jacks (plus pretzels and nut rolls). 

You know TF improved Minneapolitans' quality of life by the looks on their faces.  Great to feel the energy of outdoor baseball in the streets again!  

I met a nice Twins fan from Waterloo that has been coming to OD for the last seven years.  I got to give her the tour I love to guide.  She had not been to any of TF's bars ("the Lakers played on this.....Sue plays the organ here....the Metropolitan had color panels.....that's Babe Ruth playing near where I live now....").  I took pictures for her posing by the celebration sign, the statues, curled up into ball in the gold glove, etc.  She figured she had not wandered around TF last year because she grew up going to the Metrodome where there was no where to wander.  Enjoying something other than baseball did not happen there.  I loved sharing everything I love about TF.  I hope you all get a chance to enjoy *my* summer house!

I was at the game yesterday and was so very disappointed that the WiFi didn't work for one second, but I the new screen and the Twin Tower are awesome additions.

I too was disappointed with the Wi-Fi, it didn't work at all for me. Also the cell reception was terrible, worse than I remember it being last year. Annyoing when trying to connect with people within the ball park.

Other than that the game was awesome, sadly was still on the plaza when the fly-over occurred, but it was cool.

Honest to God, one of the best performances of the Star-Spangled Banner I've ever heard. Not too flashy, not trying to do it up too much, she didn't forget any of the words...that was one of the top 3 I've heard.

The Tower looks pretty cool whilst in motion. That video board looks out of place, but the Tower is cool.

"Was anyone else struck by the juxtaposition of the flag being raised by a survivor of the Bataan Death March with the appeal for relief for the victims of the earthquake in Japan? Further proof that baseball appeals to our "better angels"."

YES--I thought this was a pretty awkward moment.

I think this is worthy of a repost since I posted so late last night.

On his Twitter feed, Dave St. Peter acknowledged the issues with WiFi at the opener and said they're working to correct the problem.

I'm on AT&T and my buddy is on Sprint. Yesterday, apart from the WiFi not working, neither of us could get the internet through our cell networks, couldn't send texts, and only he could successfully execute a phone call.

For those going tonight, please share your WiFi and cellular experiences. It'll be interesting to see if it's any better for game two.

True words about Tony O. I've run into him on occasion at Lifetime Fitness. Of course, at those places the senior citizens do more standing around and chatting than working out, and Tony fit right in. Just a salt of the earth guy, and if you didn't follow baseball you would never know he was who he was.

I am not going to say I had "no cell problems" but in all the wifi and signal generally worked for me. Obtaining an IP address took a longer than it should have and I didnt receive a couple of texts and a call. Just looking around during those few usage periods you could see a lot, and I truly mean A LOT, of people on their phones checking scores/stats, texting, making calls. So I attribute those problematic times to be mainly from the nature of the game (Opening Day and all) and the sheer number of people on their phones in and around the ballpark at any one point in time. So while I think that generally the network performance yesterday was unrepresentative because of the situation, I also think that traffic issues won't decrease that significantly for the remaining games and that if the Twins are serious about providing good connectivity that it should be addressed. Especially seeing as how so many people in and around my seating section were using their phones during the game.

On a sidenote, while walking to the puckett gate to meet my buddy who was giving me a ride home I watched a guy get his print at home ticket scanned and enter the ballpark with two outs left in the game. You can't help but think "wow, really?" but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Random observations/opinions.

--- The guy flying wing in the lead element had the formation tightened up a bit better than last year. As it should be. Werner Molders would approve.

--- The Kosher dog has all the others beat all to hell.

--- The Twins Tower is lame - seems like that sort of money could be better spent.

--- Is Wi-Fi at a ballpark that big a deal?

--- They should have had a moment of silence for the survivors of the Bataan Death March as well.

--- N.D. is depriving some nice sleepy little village of a perfectly good idiot.

Ben - how much will does the kosher dog set you back? Is it cheaper or more expensive than the other hot dog offerings at TF?

damn editing technique...that should have said "how much DOES the kosher dog set you back?"

I also thought the National Anthem was great. I remember when Ric and Maria also performed for Game 1 of the ALDS last year, so I was excited that they were performing again. For me, my favorite version is performed by Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby. I first heard it on Ken Burns Baseball. See link below:

Star Spangled Banner

the game was great yesterday , man it felt good to be at the ballgame agian, i sat way up in the left field view seats.. i liked these seats better than my season tickets and they are way cheaper... the sun was shining , the wifi did not work , big whoop.. i got over it pretty fast... never seen a fly over b4 it gave my the chills

Luke ---

The Kosher dog was 5.75 (I think). Grilled, lots of well cooked onions, and even a fresh bun. Excellent!

Very cool. I'll have to keep that in mind. They're just sold in the concourse, right? Vendors aren't hawking them in the stands, are they?

I think the Kosher Dog is sold at a single stand behind section 114 and no place else.

From my wife's camera from our seats...

I did like the central div standings on the flagpoles above the trap. Pennants fluttering at a ballpark are a perfect touch.

Not sure if this was discussed already or mentioned...so all video boards look to turn off when Cuddy is up.

Looks like a coincidence

What does $23 million a year get u?................

It was a great day at the ballyard yesterday. Luke, I ran into Maz in the left field stands and he was makin' out with Jonie.

Rick, thanks for that nice pic. From that angle, that g*#damn video board and "Tower" upgrades from a total fail to a stomach-turning anomaly. I figured it would probably look better at night than during the day.

Kev, I find it hard to believe you traipsed all the way up here from Mesa, AZ to be @ yesterday's game - and being that Maz is in his mid-40s...making out with a 28-year-old is almost borderline illegal.

In other news, duluth takes the NCAA title on an OT goal from Kyle Schmidt. Good hard fought game, well earned.

Wow, Luke...your hatred of the new video board is at the other end of the spectrum from TwinkFan's love of Holiday hot dogs! If you're in the lower stands down the 3rd base line, that video board was needed. (OK, the tower not so much.) There are many worse things they could've done! (Like hire a new music director...oh, wait, they did that.)

I don't know fiesta, unless I'm in row 24 or higher on the third base side (covered by the LC & SD overhangs), i'd just use my depth perception and move my eyes over to the big video board in left field. No big deal. Just me I guess.

Luke,

I live nowhere near mormon Mesa!! And I travel up here many times for many different games. And what's with the awful music this year. The long-time guy they had doing it was awesome. Less hippity hoppity junk and more cowbell please!

IMHO the introduction to the TC Sing-a-long is the most awkward part of the fan experience.

Also not sure if it was because there was overcast and it was later, but are they already getting rid of the checkerboard cut?

Anyone know the MLB record for most consecutive 1-run games?

I see comments like- 'What does $23 million a year get you?' and I have to laugh. Really?!? We're still in early April here guys, you're starting to sound like a bunch of rubes here. Yeah, the offense has been garbage early on. But guess what? Baseball is a streaky game. Do you all really need to be reminded of that? Fukin realax, we're 8 damn games into this thing. Act like you've watched a season of baseball before.

Late in a 1 - 0 ballgame and some [use your own term to fill in the blank] start doing the WAVE! They should be banned from every ballpark in the country; restrict them to soccer games - preferably in a dome.

I went to both Friday and Saturdays game. I also noticed the cell phone problems. My cell phone was not able to receive any texts or any data. I'm on Verizon which is usually great. This was not a problem last year so I'm not sure what changed. I tried to connect to the stadium Wi-Fi and that didn't work. I wasn't the only person with a Verizon phone who was having a problem either. I know some people don't see the big deal but believe it or not cell phones are very important devices of communication to some people. ;)

Well, while I'm amazed people can't go without their cell phones for 3 hours, it is clear that there is great demand from the populous. I hope they can work the wifi out. It seems like every time Steve Jobs or Bill Gates does big deal, they have wireless problems as well and that is for 1000 people in a hall that can be planned perfectly.

I hope they can figure it out.

If they call today's game a sellout I may have to call shenanigans! You can still get 4 together in the lower bowl if you want on the Twins ticket site.

Rick - I journeyed up to section T last night but didn't want to seem like a stalker and just start yelling, "Rick from Ballpark Magic,where are you?!?" Maybe some other time I will (after a few more beers.)

I consider myself a traditional baseball fan and am conservative in most my views in general and hopefully un-rubey, but I love the new videoboard and yes, even the tower. From my first row seats in the LF bleachers, I can now watch all the replays and everything that the main scoreboard shows.

Our favorite team couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat right now; but these things tend to run in cycles and hopefully the boys break out soon. As terrible as their hitting has been, I actually feel like they're lucky to be 3-5 right now.

I hope we don't hear from DSP that the scalpers are winning today. If anything they have helped bring in revenue and can barely give tickets away.

"If they call today's game a sellout --- "

They have their own definition of the word - and probably a pretty sloppy one at that. Friday 41,000 = sellout. Saturday 39,000 = sellout. Go figure. Bottom line is that there really is no such thing as a sellout - just marketing mumbo-jumbo and spin.

You're right Ben -- they could have 800 seats left to sell, but if they sold 1200 SRO they probably call it a sellout.

The boxscore is showing 39,500 as "capacity", so I guess anything over that is a sellout. I guess I'm ok with that.

Not even that, I don't think. I believe (we need Rick here) that a "sellout" is a given % of tickets (capacity) available. Actual attendance is something else altogether. When you don't deal in facts the opportunities for spin are greatly enhanced.

Ace,

I wouldn't let any comments by firedog about the Twins bother you. The appropriate response IS to laugh at whatever he says. I really think he's a soccer guy pretending to know something about baseball!

King Kong goes yard!!! When are we gonna get some runs? FCOL! Now 0-1 @ TF to begin the year after last nights game. Coldest game I've been to date. Howling wind up on the 3rd deck all night!

Carlos Silva signs a minor leaugue contract with the Bronx Bombers! Cmon lets gets some runs man!!!!

The new batters music for the Twins players is horrific! Much better last year. Can we bring back some 70's music?. How bout just alot more of the good old organ! FCOL!

Somebody wake me up when we score. Hopefully that won't be in 2012.

Watching the Twins is like watching soccer. I think a soccer team could score more then the Twins!

Question for the anti-negative/concerned perspective. At what point should we start worrying about the Twins play?

23 innings so far and 22 zeroes ... at home! Is it too late to put the spruce trees back up?

Did Dick just announce the attendance as: 38,384 as the 81st straight sellout?

I don't know what the rest of 2011 will hold for the Twins, but through 9 games they are a flawed, fundamentally unsound baseball team. Bad baserunning, untimely errors in the field. I'd like to say they are suffering from a lack of clutch or power hitting, but there is no hitting at all. Even though they are not hitting, they still cannot move runners through the "little" things like bunting, hitting to the right side, etc. They are very lucky to have 3 wins.

I'm not trying to be negative by bringing this up because I do not derive any pleasure whatsoever from watching this team lose. In fact, it kind of ruins my day when they lose. Right now, however, I don't even feel like I am watching the same franchise.

On the plus side, there are 153 games left to right the ship and they don't play in the Dome anymore, so how bad can it be?

firedog: At this point, I acutally think soccer teams DO score more than the Twins! And maybe is more exciting, although I wouldn't go that far.

tk: Yes, he did! I did a double take too. It is getting somewhat ridiculous. As for being concerned -- what's the old saying about championships being won in August and not in April? Let's just wait to see where we're at about the All-Star break. Until then, shouldn't worry too much. It's Game 9, FCOL (props to TwinsFan!)

many empty seats in the upper level of left field...sell out??? whatever!

and yes, please play more 70's music at the park. Watching this team feels like 1978. Que the Little River Band please.....perhaps "help is on its way" would be appropriate????

Thome has still got it. Wow, that was a shot.

Well, at least the Twins can't lose tomorrow :)

This is going to be a much needed off day. Hopefully the Twins can regroup.

We will be fine, but this has been tough to watch.

On Verizon and I couldn't text either. I emailed them and got the silly response that I had to go back to the stadium and call them while there to duplicate the problem.

It was my first Opening Day. It's a much different crowd than the regular season ticket crowd. More partiers and big drinkers than the regulars. Being there both Friday and Saturday it was two very different types of people.

Tell me these games don't matter if we get to season's end and fall one or two games short. Every game matters.

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

My Iphone 4 ATT experience was spotty at best on Friday..Texts across the stadium to my daughter were taking 10-15 minutes :):)

Nice one, Dr. X. :-)

My buddy is on Sprint and his internet access was non existant on opening day as was mine on AT&T. Another friend on AT&T attended today's game and seemed to have it okay.

Verizon here, Signal sucked, trying to upload pics to facebook. Could not connect to wifi, did not text anyone really, at one point i just put my phone away anyway since it was dieing and just to watch the game

Great Twins FAIL at the game today. Somebody proposed on the big screen. Unfortunately, the camera was on the wrong couple as the words "will you marry me?" floated across the screen. They eventually found the right couple a few innings later.

I've heard the same about the iPhone. Not working for the home opener; spotty today.

Dr. X is hilarious.

How corny of an idea that is...you don't propose in front of 40,000 people who couldn't possibly care less. Of course, that FAIL moment probably generated more excitement than the 5-3 loss, wouldn't you say?

So far in my two games here is my cell experience via Verizon/Twifi:

Throughout batting practice and even through the first few innings of both games the cell signal worked fine for me. Through the middle innings my phone would show weak/okay signal but no data would get through. Then in the late innings I got through a few times just fine but it was about a 30-40% success rate.

As for wifi, I connected successfully and used it Friday while sitting in 233 at roughly a 50% success rate. Today in 323 row 9, I was able to connect but had no success in using it.

Sorry to hear that the marriage proposals are back. At Home Opener there was no proposal and no "Don't Stop Believin" so I figured it would be a great start to the season. And yes the music was jacked... most players had a different song for each at bat. How about sticking with one like Mauer does? The sing-along is brutal... No one over 20 wants to sing with Lady Ga Ga. And the organ was rather non-existent. I need to get my clapping in to keep my hands warm during these April games!

In other areas... I think the in between innings Twins player questions are entertaining enough. And yes Jose Mijares would be good on "Dancing With The Stars" I believe the Right Field Screen is unnecessary but does provide some new information not on the Main Board. Similarly I do not see the need for the Tower but is nice to see the time and bubbles float around on it. Maybe the wooden Louvre can be extended all the way across the Trap?

The Countdown to Cooperstown and Thome Countdown are forced (IMHO). How about acknowledging the accomplishments on the big boards? I think the grass and infield look fantastic! Great to see that bright green and the unique cut-outs around 1st and 3rd. Nice idea to switch up the TC with Red and White this year too. And I believe that the Twins retro home uniforms are tops! Still an awesome festive atmosphere in and around the ballpark too.

Make some suggestions for songs and I will pass them along, the guy really wants input.

I can't believe with the red hot Royals in town there are still 100's of good seats available...

Not sure, found out the new guys is Dan Edwards and also works at 96.3 NOW, which to me explains all the c"rap" they have been playing.

Don't get me wrong a nice beat here and there is good, and you have to appeal to all genres if possible. The kids love the hip music, but there are some songs that we could all do without.

They need to mix in more country, rock, and stadium music, plus more organ.

For song suggestions... since we are in April how about a song or two from April Wine?

"Roller"
"I Like To Rock"
"Just Between You and Me"
"Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love"
"This Could be the Right One"

23 million got the Twins a hometown singles hitter that doesn't play full-time. Everyone is afraid to criticize Joe. He seems like a great guy, but does that fog sound baseball decisions? The fact is the Twins could have gotten 2 very good everyday players for what they paid 1 part timer. What a shame

Sorry to say Josh, but country belongs at the World's Toughest Rodeo and Birmingham Barons home games - not MLB's best ballpark (part in parcel why GB Leighton's crap anthem was dropped last year - THANK GOD).

Since the Twins have only dreamt of a return to the WS since 1991, how about as the team takes the field, Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams [are made of this]" cover of the Eurythmics tune (and corresponding music video). About halfway through that song, everyone will be on their feet cheering. Trust me.

Click my name for the video. It truly is a great song.

Todd-OMG you criticized the golden one. The Twins have alot of wasted money this year besides Slappy Joe and his $23 mil you have Cuddly making $10.5 million, Moonshot Scott making $5 million. Thats almost $40 million just thrown away. You could have had a middle infield, a bullpen, and an average catcher for that much money.

A big reason for the Mauer signing was selling tickets. Yeah, most mature baseball minds would agree with you Todd. But we have the Twins who feel that more important than winning games, is selling tickets to teenage girls who think they have a chance at marrying Joe Mauer. Dare I say he is baseball's Justin Bieber????

Todd, you DO know that this is Kool-Aid Korner, don't you? You shouldn't mess with Joe like Joe shouldn't mess with Polamalu.

No matter the price, the Twins had to sign Mauer to that big contract. To not sign and then potentially lose Mauer, possibly to the Yankees or Red Sox. would have been one of the biggest PR disasters in the history of Minnesota sports, especially on the heels of getting a new ballpark.

A player of Mauer's caliber who handles himself well in public, is local, and (I may get heat for saying this, but believe it to be absolutely true) is white is something the Twins could wait 50 years or more for and not see again.

For all the division wins, ticket sales, merchandise sales, marketing deals, and overall public good will, the Twins had absolutely no choice but to sign Mauer to a mega deal and overpay to do so, if required.

To expand upon my earlier comment, I do believe that a lot of the Mauer love is racially based to some extent among certain fans. That doesn't mean Twins fans are racist or don't love black players. Kirby Puckett's popularity attests to that. However, I really do think that the way Mauer has been embraced has to be tied to his not only his talent, local origin, and personality, but also to his skin color and it would be naive to dismiss that aspect of his popularity and appeal.

Kev, in turn that creates more revenue to bring in more players?

Can anyone tell me if Mazaratirick has stopped making out with Joni in the LF bleachers?

Anyone try the Walk a Taco or the Minneapple at the State Fair stand in CF? I destroyed a turkey sandwich that was very very tasty.

I thought it was interesting that the Twins changed the buffet in the Legends Club to an ala carte setup with a nacho bar, pizzas, pastas, brats, etc. Probably a sign the 1 trip buffet for $19.95 last year wasn't a success.

Also the Twins have replaced the seat cushions in the 1st row LC seats with more padding to eliminate the rail obstructions. I thought it was much better.

Twins Wi-Fi & AT&T service were non existent on Friday afternoon. Worst than last season.

Jorge: you are right on the money and don't let anyone tell you differently. They don't call him the Baby Jesus for nothing.

How was Ballpark Magic night? Reviews? I was parked on the couch watching the Masters or I would have loved to buy you a beer Luke!!

I guess baseball isnt what it used to be marrige proposals weddings wi-fi and all the other tech stuff and hey with all the food options there are times when I wonder if I am at A baseball game at all anymore hmmm.

Leroy - don't forget the "Kiss Cam". That's one of the anamolys of present-day baseball too.

You two know it is really easy to ignore all of that and just watch the game right?

Also I do not understand all of this Michael Cuddyer hate on this board. He is the Twins most versatile player and plays any position they need.

Sorry but one last thing, then I return to my nap. Yesterday at the game Matsui hit a home run off the ribbon board about 10 feet to my left, it bounced down and Kubel picked it up. At that point since it was somewhat quiet I yelled for him to throw it up to the stands, which he did, but didn't quite make it to me. Whomever got the ball, immediately threw the ball back at Kubel after he had turned around, almost hitting him.

Can we please stop this idiotic practice? Give the ball to a kid if you don't want it.

But of course, Duffman. I was just making a point.
I'm usually getting a beer when the Kiss Cam comes up anyway...lol

The Twins are playing very poorly right now, but here is some interesting, exciting, news that Mr. Walters reported in the Pioneer Press.

Target Field, as beautiful as it is, will continue to be enhanced, Twins owner Jim Pohlad said.

"Last year was (generation) G1, this year is G2 and next year will be G3," Pohlad said.

Pohlad said he's excited about an idea he has to further enhance the ballpark in 2012 but wants to keep it a secret and hasn't even revealed it to team management yet. He said he first wants to make sure it would be approved.

Pohlad, who can see Target Field from his Minneapolis office and regularly walks to the ballpark from there, loves the current ballpark.

"To me, it's just unbelievable," he said. "It's like being at Disneyland for me as an adult."

Hit Tracker puts Thome's blast at 454 feet. (click the linky)

My first game of the year tomorrow night. Yippeee!

No Matt, it brings in more revenue to build unnecessary add-ons to their ballpark in order to block the view certain advertisers.

Yes Duffman, I agree with you. Throwing a ball back should result in ejection from the premises just as it would be for throwing ANYTHING onto the playing field. Isn't that what they announce before EVERY game? Throwing ANYTHING onto the playing surface is grounds for immediate ejection and possible arrest?

It was nice to meet you Saturday, Rick, if only for a quick hello at the top of the Sec T steps. I meant it when I told you how much BPM has enhanced my experiences at TF.

We were up in Sec 330; first time with OF seats. We were up pretty high, near the championship flags, and while the overall view of the game was pretty neat, there was an awful lot more of the OF action than I expected that remained a total mystery until replayed on the big screen (or not): the GR double, Span's error... We did have the absolutely sweetest position to watch Delmon's throw to the plate, however.

Sorry about the wave, the strongest one that I've witnessed at TF to date. Maybe it was due to the brutal 3+ hour 1-0 game, or maybe our distance from the action, but it was seemed to be pretty much ignited and fueled by the self-absorbed drunks in front of us and the elementary school group filling the section next to us. The A's have the bases loaded, the Twins were experimenting with pitchers, it's a 1-run game, and... Hey! We've got nothing better to do! Let's see if we can get it go all the way around!...

Music? Pretty pathetic hip-hop crap for a ball game. Perhaps because we were so close to some pretty aggressive speakers. Those elementary kids and drunks loved it, tho. And knew all of the moves, too...

The one time I noticed the organ? The Twins 5th: Two sharp singles to start the inning, two pathetic ABs for unproductive outs, and during an A's trip to the mound we hear "Suicide is Painless." ?? Now, I know they were thinking, "Hey, it's like a M*A*SH unit out there," but those melancholy strains didn't quite set the tone for any 2-out Twins rally.

STAND UP! flashes on the screen during Morneau's AB in the 8th, and we all obey. A comebacker, and we all sit down. Everybody, clap your hands! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! ... Scary.

Was originally looking forward to sampling some State Fair booth fare. Wound up not needing to buy any TF food since our group had a pre-game dinner at Masa which was excellent. Did bring in my usual hometown Kenny's Licorice (99 cents a pound at the store just down the street from the candy factory...) Who needs $1 hot dogs??

Was going to walk the main concourse before the game, but the crush of people coming at us around the RF/1B side was unreal. Also, after the game we walked around the OF side from our seats to the plaza, and it was obvious that moving people in an efficient, obviously-marked manner was last on the list of thoughts when putting TF together.

The RF scoreboard showed the scoring for that inning, which was a nice addition. It might have been better if it kept a bit longer-running display of more than a half-inning, and not disappear totally right after the third out was recorded. Other space on it was wasted with stuff like telling us that if Kubel could be a superhero, he would be Superman. Duh... The tower was okay, not great. We wondered why the top of the tower couldn't show the temperature along with its continuous time display. I had hoped that wi-fi would allow me the option of replacing my paper scorecard. m.mlb.com/min was good content, but the connection was way too spotty on my iPod Touch.

For early April, it was a pleasantly warm night at the park, didn't notice any sprinkles of rain until Kubel was up and one on, nobody out in the 9th... Had hoped that was a sign for an impending walk-off, but no.

The night was salvaged by the UMD hockey win. My twins are Bulldogs, so since a lot of my money went there I felt like I had some skin in the game, too.

At $10.5M Cuddyer is absurdly overpaid relative to production. But he will be gone next year so it will take care of itself.

Hey Max,

Where did you get the turkey sandwich? I didn't see it at any of the stands.

I tried the Walk-a-taco on Friday. It was good, but not great. Kind of had the tast of a taco salad. Lots of lettuce and taco flavoring (sauce). The lettuce was still fresh and cripsy as I purchased it prior to the game. At $7.50, like most things at the park I felt it was a little overpriced and probably won't have it again. I tried the new apple pie on Saturday night. Interesting that both items are not on the main menu, but only listed at signed taped to the wall next to the menu. Didn't they know about these menu additions prior to the start of the season? The apple pie was very good. the pie crust tasted homemade, just like my grandmother used to make. Very flakely and the filling was also very good. I asked about the a-la-mode option, but the guy at the counter said that Ice cream would not be available with the pie for another couple of weeks. Again at $7.50, a little on the high end for what you get.

On Sunday, I went back to my usual brat from Kramarczuk's. I didn't see the two new options that were annouced for their stand.

I saw the turkey sandwhich concession in the main concourse near homeplate, perhaps in the section 113-115 area?

Not sure if there are any other stands with the turkey sandwhich.

55441: The Turkey sandwich is on the main concourse behind section 113 at the TurkeyToGo stand. They are $7 inside the park. I actually had mine from their food cart out on the Nicollet Mall before walking to the park.

Some nice ticket deals the next few weeks. Anyone that says they can't get tickets or can't afford tickets isn't trying hard enough. Lots of tickets for much less than cost. Just remember this during the summer when tickets are double/triple face value...

Did alot of walking around after sitting in my seats through 3 innings. Wife said she was freezing with the stiff east winds howling most of the night Saturday. Had some great viewing spots along the left field line under some of the new heaters. Looks like alot of the concessions along with beer prices had gone up from last year. Still saw they had the $4.00 dog next to Hrbeks. Went into Hrbeks and did catch some of the UMD bulldog game as they had it on there also. Went to Sneaky Petes for a couple before the game. I dunno Wally just looks out of place there! LOL!

I don't see a problem with lobbing an opponent's HR ball back onto the field as a "not in OUR house" statement. Nobody gets hurt. It doesn't really delay the game. (If you think it does, then you need to realize that the entire game of baseball is FILLED with delays.)

If your argument is that you don't see it at other ballparks, realize that you're watching the Twins on the road, so there is nothing to throw back.

Throwing an opponent's HR ball back is just plain stupid. What do they say, 'jumped the shark'? It's like the 98 lb weakling tired of being picked on getting up enough nerve to stand up and say "Oh, YEAH?" and then everybody realizes it doesn't really change the situation any.

Above the trapezoid, we have the new video board to far right and then across the top are the four ad boards with logos on black backgrounds. Below those ads and to the left of the board is the exposed framing of the supports for the video board and ads. It gives the whole thing a very unfinished look and is not at all appealing to the eye. Are there any plans to put some sort of tarp or even another ad in that blank spot to cover the steel framing?

Someone please explain to me why this Wi-Fi issue is such a big deal.

Sanford, for what it is worth, is now a sponsor of the TV broadcast - they have the "Sanford Injury Report" of all things.

Jorge-

I agree. Like someone said a few posts back, I'd hope they would cover it with the wood louvers that are under the scoreboard.

Jorge, I was just thinking looking at the trap that the wood louvres that they put below the new video board that are also outside the circulation ramps would look good below those ads. I do like the Twins Tower and video board, I think it squares off the trap nicely.

Ben - speaking of Sanford Health, its also funny that Mayo Clinic is a big sponsor of the Twins too. Maybe the FS North/Twins work out different agreements for TV compared to in-ballpark experience.

Just goes to show the Twins will take whoever throws money at them whether they are competitors or not.

Another example: DQ/Blue Bunny/Kemps

What brand of soft-serve do you suppose they have at the stands, given the different sponsors? My wife went for a cone yesterday and got one that was dripping all over the place before it even reached her hands. Too much water in the mix?

Max, I sold a pair of tickets for $7 today, plenty of deals out there.

I was at the game yesterday and was wondering if Dick and Bert said anything when Steve Liddle held up Jason Kubel at third base and later in the game, he held Denard Span at third too rather than sending him home. Were those good moves by Liddle? Sure didn't seem like good moves for those at the ballpark. Especially holding up Span with one out when Mauer doubled to right-center.

It was rather hilarious when the crowd booed Steve Liddle and the Twins' coaches for those blunders. Than Valencia gets caught between first and second when Kubel was held at third. Even Joe Mauer got booed when he grounded out early in the game.

Another mishap came on a fly ball to Span in CF, when he attempted to throw out the runner at home, someone in the infield got in the way of Span's throw it appeared.

It just seems like the Twins' players and coaches have been experiencing quite a few mishaps and communication issues early on this season. They seemed so lost out there yesterday and it was an embarrassing day for the Twins, except for Thome's HR (one of the few players who did not complain about the spruce trees in CF last year)

Even the ballpark video gurus got the marriage proposal wrong showing the wrong couple.

I do not recall the Mauer double and Span being held up, but when Kubel was held on the single by Valencia, Kubel does not run all that well and it was a sharper single.

On the Morneau cut-off, I saw the fan reaction too, but the throw would have been off and Morneau was preventing the runners from moving up (similarly to what the A's did to nail Valencia).

Wifi isn't way up on the list, it's just that the Twins had hyped it as "improved" for this year, so I thought I'd give it a try. It certainly has a potential to enhance the baseball experience. I could see being at a game with an iPad or whatever and either follow an automatically updated and searchable scorecard, maybe with replays, etc or use an app that allows me to keep score myself, maybe with some automated help like filling in rosters, lineup changes, etc. Some of that stuff already exists, but not quite what I'm looking for. Each generation had its technological upgrades: even Dad listened to a transistor radio broadcast once in a while while at the game. It always seems that I wish one step ahead of the available technology, but it's fun.

I suppose I just have to live with the fact that my online experience is slowed by 20,000 folks using it to update their facebook pages and to send pictures to the person next to them, but I give the online toys a try occasionally during the game. 9 tries out of 10, it's back in my pocket and back to the action at hand. Besides, it's too hard to crack peanut shells while juggling all of that stuff...

From the Strib:

I am writing out of frustration. My husband is a soldier in the Minnesota National Guard and was given the opportunity to be on the field for the flag-bearing ceremony at the Twins home opener, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

However, he was offered no seat for the game, no standing-room option, no offer to even purchase seats in the farthest reaches of the stadium -- and, therefore, no opportunity for at least one family member to share in the experience.

When we found out about the opportunity, we tried to log on and buy tickets as any regular fan would have expected to do. But with all the website problems, it took us more than four hours to find out that none were available.

We were left to choose an enormous up-charge with additional service fees if we wished to attend. I cannot imagine why this was arranged this way.

For some of these soldiers who are deploying (within 60 days), this may be their only opportunity to get to see a game, let alone take part in the honor of holding the flag they defend.

I hope that the Twins recognize what a terrible message this sends to those who sacrifice so much, yet ask nothing in return.

KRISTI PETERS, ST. MICHAEL

Finally, some star power at Target Center!

That should pack them in! LOL!

Has anyone sat in section 141 (the furthest section of bleachers to the right of the foul pole?) I'm thinking of picking up some cheap seats to tomorrow's game.

A "not in OUR house" menatlity? Really? Are you kidding me? How does throwing a ball back even reflect that? The run or runs already count.

Kubel knows this and figured it would be nice to give someone a souvenir. The person that ended up getting it turned around and almost hit him in the back of the head with it, real nice. I thought it showed a lack of respect for Kubel, one of our players.

Grow up. Like I said if you don't want it, give it to a kid, which I would even if it was a Twins Home Run (Unless it was from Thome). Help create a good memory of a game for that kid.

Rick, to answer your question about Kevin Dutcher, the PiPress had this blurb back in March:

"Finally, some sad news for fans of local music and local baseball. After spending the past 11 seasons spinning tunes during Minnesota Twins games, DJ Kevin Dutcher has stepped down from his post, with the team taking a "different direction" for the upcoming season. It will be sad to see Dutcher go. He has gone out of his way to play homegrown Minnesota tunes before, during and after Twins games and even got the Hold Steady to record a version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." As Dutcher told me: "Maybe the new guy will be as strong and vocal a proponent of Minnesota music as I was. That would make me very happy.""

Not sure the new guy is taking the same approach. He tweeted over the past two days that "pregame music mixes prepared by DJ so-and-so" from his own radio station.

I have sat there, not too bad.

I hate the bleacher seating...if you are near a couple larger people, you will soon see that your area has been taken :)

I'm not surprised it's a guy from 96.3. The Pohlad's own all or part of that radio station. I'd definitely like to tone that guy down. It's starting to remind me of the annoying crap the Royals have to do to get their fans to pay attention...except I think this does the opposite.

PatMeares, I sat in 141 for a game last year. The seats weren't great, visibility to the outfield is blocked by the overhang, and section 139 (I think) which is a couple feet taller than 141. They are the basic aluminum bleacher seats, so don't expect luxury. ;-)

Nice view towards the infield, though.

(Click my name for the 3d seating viewer on the Twins' website.)

Yeah I am aware of the limited visibility. There are some cheap seats out there for tomorrow night. Might as well go right?

Thanks for the comments by the way...I might just buy them.

Sorry Duffman...I guess I just don't know a "disgusting act" anymore when I see one. A ball on the field. Oh the humanity!!

Why did you put "disgusting act" in quotes, I never used those words.

As far as WiFi is concerned, it would be nice if the Twins would specify a Nerd Section (modeled after the Family Section) so we could keep all of the annoying cellphone-obsessed people segregated.

I am one who uses my phone quiet regularly at games. I use it to keep updated on other things happening while I am at the game (when I am bored between innings, awaiting another Twins pitching change, or simply knowing when a certain player will ground out into second).

It was nice being able to be caught up to speed on what was happening at the X in the NCAA Championship game while the Twins run producing went silent.

Also, it was nice when my phone rang in the middle of the 8th inning to "We're Gonna Win Twins" when I forgot my phone was not on silent. I had a few people turn around and look at me to laugh.

I always think it is funny when the HR ball gets tossed back on the field, the ball boy eventually gets it. What does he do with it? He usually tosses it up into the stands along the foul line. Don't usually see it getting tossed again so somebody must think it worth keeping...

What time do gates open at TF? We are going to first game tommorrow and wanted to get down there early since its going to be 68 and sunny!

According to the Target Field A-Z Guide (Click Name)

Gate Times/Locations

Target Field gates open for admittance 1 ½ hours prior to the first pitch for Monday through Thursday games, and 2 hours prior to the first pitch for Friday through Sunday games. There are five gate entrances at Target Field, each on the Main Level.

It's hard to believe that TTF or Kevo are Twins fans. They call everyone that shows a little bit of interest in Target Field or the Twins Kool-Aid drinkers or rubes. Trolls maybe? Whitesox fans? Not Twins fans.

^^^D-Bags

Duffy - the quotes are from the link. You gotta click the link, sport.

Jim - nice generalization. No, we don't call everyone that shows a little bit of interest in TF or the Twins Kool-Aid drinkers or rubes. Believe it or not, there are REAL TWINS FANS who don't (gasp!) keep toeing the line of Twins hyperbole around here that smacks of unicorns and glitter. Without these "D-bags", this message board would lack a lot of lively discussion, enlightenment and some pretty sweet ass entertainment. You should actually get down on your knees tonight and thank the Sultan of Swat in the Sky for people like Kev and Ben and others who provide an alternative viewpoint. ... now excuse me while I go unbunch my panties....

Duffy - the quotes are from the link. You gotta click the link, sport.

Jim - nice generalization. No, we don't call everyone that shows a little bit of interest in TF or the Twins Kool-Aid drinkers or rubes. Believe it or not, there are REAL TWINS FANS who don't (gasp!) keep toeing the line of Twins hyperbole around here that smacks of unicorns and glitter. Without these "D-bags", this message board would lack a lot of lively discussion, enlightenment and some pretty sweet ass entertainment. You should actually get down on your knees tonight and thank the Sultan of Swat in the Sky for people like Kev and Ben and others who provide an alternative viewpoint. ... now excuse me while I go unbunch my panties....

Gee TTF --- do you really mean that there is more than one way to look at things? Are there really folks still around capable of independent thought? Why can't we all just go down to the palace, watch AA ball, drink Bud Light horse piss, eat outrageously overpriced food, wear the name of some other man on our backs, text on our little gadgets, and happily hope to be seen?

Thanks TK

Trolls.

I'm not saying you can't have an independent thought Ben. Even be critical. Just surprise people every once in awhile and try not being so predictable with your anti-Twins sentiment. Whitesox fans are trashy and I don't respect their opinions whether they are original or otherwise.

Regarding Ben's post of the Star Tribune article about military members doing the flag detail and not getting a seat to the game. It wasn't a great move on the Twins' part to not offer any SRO or even a ticket at a reasonable price for the game. However, the military members did get a 'gift bag' which included: A Minnie and Paul Bobblehead, a calendar, a magnet, and a Twins 2011 Program. Though a game ticket - or better yet - two, so a spouse or friend go share the experience would have been better, it's not like they left the ballpark empty handed. Even though the day was long, some being there at 10:15 a.m. It was a great experience and a great honor to be able to not only hold the colors or our country, but to be holding it out on the grass of our hometown field getting a different view of the park when thousands of exciting fans are their cheering on their team (both the Twins and the USofA!)

Am I disappointed that those doing holding the flag didn't get a ticket or at least SRO? Maybe a just a little bit - but it's not that they didn't get anything in return. What I am disappointed about is that people had a VOLUNTEER opportunity to participate in the 'flag detail' (as we call it) which is an honor in itself - and some complained about it.

Why do I have anything to say about the issue - because I was one of them holding the flag that day, and it was Awesome in and of itself to be holding those colors while people stood up to sing the Anthem, and have a front row seat for our boys doing the flyover! - - - And did I mention the walking on the field moments before opening day first pitch!

there*

Some people see a certain nobility or independence of thought in cynicism. They'd like you to think that they never buy the company line on anything, but at some point in this life, each of us has to about something. We have to take a leap of faith with regard to those things we cannot ourselves prove. Some do it with religion. Some do it with scientific thought. Some do it with their favorite sports team.
For example, I can't provide empirical proof that God exists, yet I believe. I can't prove that the universe is continuously expanding, yet I believe that as well. But the cynic in me KNOWS that the Vikings will never reach another Super Bowl. Don't try and convince me otherwise.

LOL Dr.X...I am a cynic because of those damn purple pansies and what they've done to us over the years.

Jim, you have no idea about my Twins "fandom". Why would I travel thousands of miles every year to watch "MY TEAM" play, even when they play like shit? I spend tens of thousands of dollars every year on that team, so I think I get the right to tell them they suck, when they suck. If that bothers you and the other mamby pamby rubes on here, that's your problem.

Kevo, TTH, Ben - waaaaa, waaaaaaaa... we get your gig here. Be pretentious... bash everything Twins... if anyone says differently call them a "rube" or "kool-aid" drinker. The bottom line is, you are not fans. Don't be mad about it. Nothing wrong with questioning moves, player signings, even getting pissed about poor play...but come on... why would you cheer for a team that you are constantly bitching and whining about. Hard to believe you're Twins fans.

Jim: your last name doesn't happen to be Pohlad does it?

Ha! I like it Max!

I'm not so sure that providing some counterpoint to the pervading air of mindless adoration for all things relating to the business of being the Minnesota Twins is quite the same as what some seem to see as continuous bashing. And, for the record, I have been a Twins fan longer than (I believe) most of you have been alive.

Lindywig ---

Did they say thanks before they showed you the door - or, did they expect a left over bobblehead (and let's not forget the nice magnet) to suffice?

I think the fact that the Strib published that letter is evidence that more and more people are detecting the element of arrogance being displayed by the Twins (as a business), which has been alluded to here.

Jim, your only comments on here is to bitch about me, TTH or Ben. You have yet to contribute anything of worth to this forum. Instead of worrying about the level of love that I, TTH or Ben have for our teams, worry about yourself. Nobody owes anyone any explanation of how much of a fan they are. Anyone who dares to question the level of passion someone has for their team is a total douchebag....Everyone, meet Jim the douchebag!

Ben,

I'm there with ya. What you and I have forgotten about Twins baseball through the years, Jim will never know! But then again, I'm not a real fan. No real fan sits with 4500 others every home game at the Met when Jeff Holly pitches...BUT I DID!!!

oh great, we've become Sec 140.

RE WiFi -- I'm not obsessively on the smartphone during games, but I had two hopes for the enhanced service

1)that it might allow for additional cell spectrum to be available. Having NO service does become annoying.

2) the promise of "enhanced" video replays. I appreciate why they don't put the closest plays on the big board. That doesn't mean they can't stream them. We all see them on sportscenter later that night, so it is no big deal. Just fun to have the video right there for you.

no schweady, we haven't...i've said all i'm going to say to jim. he is what he's accusing me and others of being...a troll.

Plenty of tickets for sale at below cost. The weather looks to be fantastic tonight.

What a great time to have an out door stadium. I'm heading to the park straight from work. Twin's cap and a sweatshirt and hopefully we start the turn around of our season with win tonight.

Without Wifi, how am I suppose to use BPM and GameCentral when available!

I agree, plenty of tickets available for very cheap prices for tonight and tomorrow.

As someone else previously posted, just remember that when it comes to games in June, July and August when tickets are 2x and 3x face value.

The Twins themselves are using all avenues to try and get people to tonight's game. I scored 2 decent seats tonight for $13 a piece on Stubhub. Look forward to spending some time in the good weather before the snow returns on Friday.

Will these next games be "Sellouts"?

Target Field to host 2011 and 2012 RBI World Series. Click Name for info.

I would be very surprised if tomorrow's day game is a "sellout."

Ben, in my eyes they should not be, but it only matters to the Twins. I cannot see anyone going up to the Twins BO today, especially looking at ticket prices elsewhere today, one would be a fool.

Again, the scalpers are "winning" and allowing us true fans be able to go to the game at minimum 1/2 price in certain areas!!

The Twins sure have come a long way in their commercials. Click my name for a sampling of TV commercials from 78/79. There are many other interesting videos as well, including a live report from the stadium by Robb Lear in 1979.

^^^"Life is a bummer"

Beautiful night coming and best line-up ready. Maybe we will face a merely mortal pitcher?

Wow 24 runs in 9 games! Duensing may have to pitch a shutout they way the boys are hitting! Cmon boys lets get some freaking runs! FCOL!

I'm heading over to the ballpark in a bit. I've been unable to concentrate all afternoon!

Time to wake up the bats, and get the home (sellout?) crowd into supporting our guys.

^^^Best available pairs are only showing up as Terrace level, perhaps?

I guess it will depend how many tix are released at the 2 hour til first pitch mark.

Just got two seats in section 103, row 8 for only $25 each....can't complain!

For those folks complaining about lack of tickets for the "premium" games, get out to the ballpark tonight!

Ben ~
I understand there is an apparent arrogance from the Twins Org by not offering the close to 200 flagholders a ticket to the game or even standing room. The question was asked from some of our brethren at the unit, "Did the Twins ask us to do this flag detail, or did we ask the Twins?" in response to hearing how much time we spent at the ballpark before the game became without anything in return but the small bag a promotional leftovers. I get why people feel this was a 'cheap' move by the Organization as well. But on the other hand, it was something we knew going into the event, and those of us who went still volunteered to do it because it was a cool experience regardless of the lack of ticket to the game.
The Twins staffers who were around were very nice and did say thanks as they showed us the door. (It would have been nice to be able to at least take a walk around the park during the game.)

The Twins got this from MN's Armed Forces that day: A flyover event from the Duluth F-16s, much of the Army Guard, and some of us Air Guard folks on the field to hold the flag. Granted - I believe the Air Guard F-16's were able to get training from the deal (logging a T.O.T. - time over target) is a currency item flight crews need to stay proficient on anyways. Might as well do it over the ball park vs. Ripley or a MOA somewhere in northern MN.

In the big picture, the Twins did get a good deal out of the armed forces that day, and probably could have provided a better way of saying thanks to us who helped with their 'big opening day event.' On the other side of the coin, most military members involved that day enjoy being able to be a part of the event. I suppose it's 'give and take.' Now if the Twins did what the Cardinal's organization does for military - that would be a great way of saying thanks. I'm told from friends that Military gets in free to Cardinals games as the game starts.

Who ever has a connect with the new TF DJ, please tell him not to play, DJ Casper "Cha Cha Slide" any more, or at least not more than once a game. It is getting old. Maybe in a late rally, but not in every single situation.

Mike - I find it hard to believe that a game against the Kansas City Royals (aka Persistent Cellar Dwellers) would be considered a "premium game".

Nice game from the Twins who battled hard against an early good club.

Hopefully that's the monkey off Cuddy's back

Nice to see some sparkle.

Attendance = 38,XXX so, I guess, another sellout.

Great game from the guys last night.
We just need to find a way to get an early lead and keep it, instead of coming from behind or going into extra innings.

According to the Pioneer Press they didn't count it as a sellout. Which is good, because there were a ton of empty seats.

At first pitch there were two sections on the club level that had a total of maybe 10 people in them. Definitely not a sellout.

Agree that the new dj is terrible. I could have provided more variety from just the music on my iPhone.

Trying to guess the number of LED lights in the park, I'm estimating around five million. They're everywhere, and they're bright!

Cuddy looked good at the plate last night, his swing was very short and he was hitting line drives.

Nathan looked great! 93 on the gun, with movement. From section 209, I thought it was his slider the way it was dropping.

Beautiful night for a ballgame! Next game for me, Friday the 2nd against Cleveland. :-)

Yes, the DJ sucks, both in playing music and that awkward moment of "let's all sing along with x". Someone with authority has to see how bad that is. And the music during the at bats is stupid.

D'oh - Next game for me is Friday the 22nd. E-F_T_K (proofreading)

Great game I'm 2-0! Cuddy look great at the plate. Hughes had that awesome leap catch from the mound! For now next game (i have tickets for) is BPM night 2 Aug 23, but I'm sure I'll hit up more before then!

Just an fyi for people with last minute ideas. I stopped by TF an hour ago on my way to work to see what kind of ticket availability they had for today's game. In a word: plenty. You could get 2 seats together in the box seats behind home plate, and even in the WC seats in the Legends Club. And using the e-windows at the ballpark only sets you back a $1 convenience fee, from what I could tell (I didn't actually buy any tickets - too dang much work to do today). Much better than the fees charged online.

There are tickets on Stubhub for like $3 too, except you end up paying another $10 in fees. If I didn't have to get some work done today I'd probably go down there....maybe even for a few innings?

That was going to be my question. How much did you actually pay for those so-called $13 tickets, PatMeares? Did that include all fees?

luke - there was a little sarcasm in my comment.

I was simply stating that those folks complaining about the lack of tickets when it comes to the premium games in June, July and August that they could easily have gotten very good tickets for last night's game at or below face value.

My whole point was don't complain when tickets are 2x and 3x face value in June-July-August when tickets are at or below face value for these April games.

If last night's game was played at the old Metrodome, it would have been one of those crowds of 12,000.

Yes, the final price was like $27 or so. Two tickets for $10 each, plus $9.95 in fees, less a 10% off Stubhub fancode that I had.

i've been to a number of mlb parks and TF looks incredible for night games. You're right about the sheer number of LEDs in that place. They need to adjust the PA system. the sound in the outfield areas of the maincourse is washed out and hard to hear. my only quibble on an otherwise stellar night of baseball yet again at this gem of a park.

i don't have a problem with the music really. practically every player in the lineup walks up to hip-hop as it is. if it were up to me i'd replicate the organ of dodger stadium here. just go out and buy the same model. it's a beautiful baseball sound. i've never liked the metrodome organ. i understand the organist wanted the dome organ installed at TF. that's all well and good but she's playing for the masses. there's less organ played at the park which considering it's tinny sound is a good thing.

Surprised that nobody has mentioned the excellent dancing in the stands by that older guy in the blue check shirt last night.

Too often the camera crew cuts away just when somebody really starts shaking their booty but this time they really stuck with him and were well rewarded. Came back to him 2-3 times in later innings as well.

Oh and Valencia's walk off was pretty neat too.

The "Everybody clap your hands" deal is also as lame as it gets. Next thing you know there will be an "Applause" light like on the TV game shows.

Quick question how in the world does Repko not score on the Smash by Kubel? There was 1 out right?. He should have been 3/4 the way to 3rd. He should have scored the winning run standing up...Why worry about tagging up with 1 out already? I mean there would be 2 out with him on 3rd.

That guy in the stands dancing was magical. I wish the Twins would give him a job as the full-time wacky dancing guy. Some of those moves were out of this world amazing.

TwinkFan, from what I read, Repko was between 2nd and 3rd and thought the ball was caught by Francouer and was headed back to 2nd. Only when it then popped out of Fancouer's glove was Repko able to turn back around and head to 3rd. No chance to make it home. I didn't see the end of the game, so I'm just going off the game accounts I read.

The wifi at last night's game was a 100% improvement over opening day. I'm not sure what changes were made, if any, but it was a night and day difference. AT&T's network was also much better if a bit spotty at times.

I'm pretty certain the music used for at bats is specifically selected by the player or at least the player gives the DJ some guidance.

As for the DJ playing more contemporary music, it makes sense given the number of kids and young adults attending games. Like it or not, Springsteen, Petty, and The Replacements mean far less to people 25 and under than the latest tunes. There should be some balance and the new DJ hasn't found it yet, but newer, popular music has probably been under represented in recent years.

The "everybody clap your hands" bit was ridiculously overplayed last night and should be reigned in. Playing clips like that is par for the course, but the DJ could mix it up a bit.

Why can't 1500 power up their signal? Having to listen to the game at work, throuh all the static, is really painful. Surely there must be some way to get more power. Good planning on this contract Twins.

Ev-ry-bo-dy punch the D-J! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
What an idiot hire this is.

i use att&t and the reception for me sucked last night. that guy dancing was humorous. he looks like the tampa bay rays manager. hire him DSP.

Add my name to the list of posters who are underwhelmed by the "Clap-Your-Hands" shtick.

Att Iphone worked great last night for me..NO problems..I swear that was Joe Maddon dancing and bustin a move..Funny stuff..

Lirano for Cy Young! Mauer for Single Slugger Award! He handles the pitchers Excellent. Just wanted you all to know that he does handle the pitchers great. What exactly that means....I'm not sure.

On second thought, actually listening to the game is painful. Yet another Liriano meltdown in process.

Weirdest thing about that Royals hit-fest inning? A complete lack of...

EV-RY-BO-DY CLAP YOUR HANDS!

pathetic display. the guy's an overhyped stiff. but the twins have bupkus in the high minors besides kyle gibson.

JJ @ TC

Rick I think it's a Jimmy Johns sandwich. It was so freakishly fast it must have turned the world upside down.

I HATE listening to Gladden do play-by-play..."ball popped up right side..." and that's it. Is it foul? Is it caught? We just don't know until we get to the next pitch.

How the hell could Liriano walk the first batter after the Twins had crawled back to within one run? Unexcusable!

Good eye Stevie B, #5 Vito!

As with me, one of the things I noticed at Sunday's game was the excessive use of Cha-Cha Slide..."everybody clap your hands..." I probably would have ignored it or not even noticed it if it was played one or two times, but it was obviously played too many times if so many people are complaining about it.

Hopefully sound guy realizes this...

Someone mentioned a Twitter account for the DJ, can someone dig that up? I

I want to apologize to Kool-Aid Korner. I was mistaken when I said the Twins Tower has no purpose. It definitely DOES have a purpose: to distract the millions -- AND MILLIONS -- of the Twins' fans from what is happening on the field.

Of course, why should we be surprised? We have starting pitchers who wouldn't make it past the No. 4 spot on 95 percent of MLB teams' rotations. We have a bullpen that should be wearing flame-retardant stirrups. We have too many "decent" players whose great seasons were more anomaly than talent: Cuddyer, Kubel, Span. Too many others that just don't have it: Tolbert, Casilla, Butera (probably can throw in Repko and Nishi). At least K.C. and Cleveland are rebuilding. The Twins aren't even there yet. And Joe needs a day off after getting one on Monday?

I'm sorry if the Korner, once again, feels like I'm dumping on Twins Nation. I want them to do well. I really do. But open your eyes! Don't give me this, "It's early in the season" crap. The writing is on the wall. So go grab a taco cone. Bask in the glow of the Tower. Just don't expect anything substantially above .500 baseball.

Only the Twins could start the game and get bases loaded to only get one run...

Liriano's batting practice fastball showed up again today.

Ugly with a capital "ugh".

Yea! Our home nine is last in the division, four games back after eleven games! But the good news, there are three teams in the league with worse records right now!!

I might need some of that kool-aid pretty soon.

Well, the next 8 games are critical for the Twins to "right the ship" and make a salvageable attempt for the month of April.

4 @ Tampa Bay
4 @ Baltimore

Tampa is starting to tune up against Boston, who has also been struggling, while Baltimore has dropped 2 straight and is going into a weekend series against NY.

It will be an interesting road trip...I just finished some Kool-Aid and think the Twins will come back above .500 going 6-2 on this road trip.

TTH lives up to his name once again. Well summarized!

I, too, agree with TTH and see the Twins doing that, but like I said, this Kool-Aid is just too damn good.

Anyone know where I can get a Walking Taco in the next 12 days?

Just got back from the game and the Twins did not look too good. I agree with one of the other posters who said Target Field looks good during night games. The lighting system really illuminates the field well. Even though the Twins sucked today; its always a good day when you are at the old ballgame.

I just hope they don't come back 2-6! Right now I would take 4-4! Ouch!

I see the Sox blew a 4-1 lead in the 9th losing to Oakland 7-4! Jessie Crain I'm sure in on that implosion. Hawk has to be in tears!

They had one more extra base hit today than they had errors. That's a good sign isn't it? I mean really, isn't it?

In the short history of Target Field, today's attendance of 36,286 was the smallest ever.

I actually thought the Twins Tower was pretty cool. I liked the cool stuff i can do.

F_T_K, I was wondering about the number of LED's myself...lol. I commented to a friend of mine that TF looks like an E3 Convention on steroids (E3 is a huge, electronics convention held annually in Japan) with all the video boards and LED's and such.

I knew it would, but the "tower" shows much better and looks much cooler during the night games, a la post 182 (and a couple Rick posted earlier). I know they can adjust the brightness of those LED displays, but I think the "tower" will lose a bit of its luster during the 12:10 and 3:10 starts when the mid-June sun is beating down on it for three hours. JMO, but I think it'll be hard to see during those summer day games.

the cool stuff it can do. It looked good on opening day, can't wait to see it at night!

Link to the TF DJ Twitter account is attached. I sent along a lot of the comments, he also asked for the site, so maybe he will join and get some feedback. He seems like a great guy, been answering all my questions, and really wants to mix it up well for all fans.

Tough job if you ask me, I would probably want "my" kind of music played more than others, which I can only assume he is doing.

I like the recent popular stuff, but the classic are good for us older people too.

I watched the end of that Sox meltdown today. Pale Hose's bullpen is brutal. There were an out away from winning, I think, and just couldn't get it done. It was great hearing Hawk's mood completely change during the course of the implosion. You know what really grinds my gears? THAT guy.

I think we all agree on that, TTH. Hawk is incredibly annoying.

ClarkAddison- That dancing dude was awesome! I wanna be his friend!

and yea they played that everyone clap your hands waaaaay too much! Wifi/phone signal worked perfect up in 302

the only thing worse would be if they put those old mickey mouse hands clapping on the scoreboard when they play ev-ry bo-dy clap your hands. I understand he's a hip hop dj, but the demographics at the ballpark are not the same as the b96 demographic. time for the dj to broaden his horizon.

I have no problem with the playing of "Everybody Clap Your Hands" as a concept. It's as much a staple of sports arenas and stadiums as "Rock & Roll Part 2" and "Don't Stop Believing". It's just the sheer number of times it was played. Once or twice is okay, especially if it's spread out, but on Tuesday that song was seemingly played a half dozen times.

The hip hop music treads a fine line. For a lot of fans, it's not a fit. However, it's by far the most popular musical genre among younger listeners. One only has to look at sales and KDWB's playlist. Those younger people are coming to games in larger numbers than ever and represent a growing market segment for the Twins. There needs to be balance, but hip hop, R&B, and electro ought to have a place on Target Field's playlist.

I missed when local stuff was played, solid gold, atmosphere etc. But i did enjoy when they played MGMT once (not local but music i like)

Jorge, I think they delivered the wrong music discs to the wrong building. The hip-hop shit belongs at the building called "Target Center" not "Target Field." Hip-hop music entertains the 800 people who watch the Wolves lose night after night.

Baseball deserves good organ music and classic rock. period.

if hawk harrelson were doing play-by-play for the twins we'd think he was awesome. for an entertaining read check out any history of the red sox. great hitter, loved teammate and now he gets under the skin of us twinky fans. i'd take him over any of the milqtoast announcers the twins use.

the two times target field actually rocks are when thome steps up to the plate or nathan runs in from the bullpen. feels like the movie "major league".

Best Hawk call I ever heard was Thome's walk-off last year. One whispered sentence: "This game is over", followed by about 60 seconds of SILENCE. It was lovely.

If he was the Twins' announcer, I'd have to mute the sound.

I dunno FTK.... Hawk and Stone Pony might be an upgrade over Dick and Bert. and I think the long silence after the Thome walk off last year was "we'll be right back" spoken very softly! I still have that call and high light on my DVR! LOL!

Luke I agree the hip hop has to go! Or at least tame it down a notch. We all aren't tennie bobbers or in our 20's or 30's! How bout some goat ropping or mix in some 60's and 70s? Course I prefer the good ole organ between innings also.

More organ music!

Nothing like sitting outdoors on a beautiful day/night at the ballpark listening to some good organ music while eating a hot dog and drinking a beer...very good memories of Dodger Stadium and the great organ music

ESPN article about the Twins struggles so far. Some interesting stats.

I'd prefer more organ music myself - I'm a traditionalist though. The problem is the organ at TF sucks. Wrigley's organ is great and the only time they play music over the speakers is when the Cubs take the field.

Back in the day at the old met that was all they played most of the time! I think they played some John Fogerty "put me in coach i'm ready to play" around the 7th inning strech! LOL!

i remember john denver's "thank god i'm a country boy" was used a lot to rouse the fans for a twins rally. and i won't foget hearing billy joel songs played and my dad complaining it was too loud. 70's memories....so i guess it wasn't always that casio sounding organ.

The reason I like organ music as opposed to recorded music at the ballpark is it always lets you converse with your seat mates (think Metrodome when you think about this issue). Part of the enjoyment of a game for me is the conversation with those around you.

Does Buetra have the same batter up music as last year? I'm a B i'm a B i'm a B? LOL!

Anybody have a link to some bunting success/failure stats? There's a number for everything else. I'm thinking it will uphold my perception of the Twins' utter failure in this category.

What I hate the most is when Gardenhire says "Lirano pitched ok until a bloop here and a bloop there. Like he is making an excuse for Lirano getting bad breaks. C'mon that's how the Twins score all their runs. They have 3 home runs. 3...what a joke. I'm sorry, but in Major League baseball you have to hit homeruns. You can't count on singles to win games. This team is screwed. The minor league players we have don't have any power. 4th place finish this season you watch.

TwinkFan- Not sure...but for the two games I went to this year this was Delmon Youngs music. Linked.

Our $23 million catcher is NOT in the lineup tonight...

Monday -- OFF day
Wednesday -- not in lineup (getaway day)
Thursday -- not in lineup

1500espn is reporting that Joe Mauer is "sore" and will sit out todays game against the Rays. The Twins won't elaborate on the issue.

Mauer must have learned that the Rays are starting their second baseman...

I think there ought to be room at Target Field for a bit of KQ92, some KS95 or Cities97, a bit of KDWB/B96, some K102, and a dose of The Current too. Throw some organ music in there too. The important thing is to keep the mix varied enough that there's something for everyone. The days of mainly organ music with maybe a smattering of KQ style rock songs are over and won't be coming back, nor should they.

Whether we like it or not, the younger fans don't want that. They want their music. To many younger fans, KQ is their parents' or even grandparents' music. The team needs to keep up with the times and try to appeal to the younger fans who will be more and more important as the baby boomers and even generation X fans continue to age. There still should be room for some Cars or Stones, but that style can't dominate the playlist any more than Lady Ga Ga, Usher, Maroon 5, MGMT, Kenny Chesney or Drake should. The Twins need to try and appeal a bit to everyone.

Jorge who cares about the youth? They are going to the games on mommy and daddys dime anyways! LOL! Geez I would even settle for some prince over some of the crap they play now! FCOL!!!!

I got a bad feeling about the baby jesus man!

Is it just me or has the Champions Club turned in to the kid zone? I have seen so many groups of kids sitting in those seats, and I do not recall seeing so many younger youth in those seats last year.

Not that it matters, but it was just an observation.

It's time to come to grips with the fact that most of us are no longer in the target demographic for sports teams, aadvertisers, etc. Youth, they say, must be served, and if we must step aside, can we do it gracefully, and without a lot of complaining?
Baseball, like everything else, most roll with the times. It can't stand still to cater to the demands of a generation of cranky geezers who have grown accustomed to always having their way.

And if you object to the term "geezer," let me remind you that we're steamed because they aren't playing enough 35-40 year old music at the ballpark. When you were a kid out at the Met, would you have appreciated listening to big-band or swing music? Sure, that stuff sounds great today to our ears, but remember what your perspective on it was as a kid.

Mauer on 2 Day DL with sore VAGINA!

Twins suck! Last place is where they belong. What a collection of stiffs!!!

I'm sick...

Another nice Pavano effort....wasted.

Props to Gardy, I was nervous for his defensive switch in the Bottom of the 9th with the potential of going into extras and having Tolbert hitting 3rd. Tolbert comes through again.

Hopefully we can Capps this mess off!

I guess I'm old school when it comes to pitching. If a starter is sailing along after 8 innings, bring him out to start the 9th and have the closer ready. Bring the closer in once (if) the first baserunner reaches so the starter has a chance for what was once called "a complete game."

I realize this is very 1970's of me.

Wow...

Nice job bullpen.

Hmmmm...which kool-aid flavor should I drink tonight...grape? punch? cherry? this is just a bump in the road you guys..you just wait and see, we're going on a huge winning streak and going to take over the central...just you wait and see!

I don't think Pavano will have the same feeling next go round. He will be coming out for the 9th, even if he has 120 pitches...

This is a 75-win team.

Jeff, What Kool-Aid flavor are you drinking...

Right now, it's called India Pale Ale.

Only the Twins can blow 2 saves in as many innings against the worst offense in the league..... no wait we have the worst offense in the league, and the worst bullpen. They will be lucky to finish 4th.

Mauer to DL...

Glass Joe goes to the DL, what a fleecing of America that guy is!

The Minnesota sports drought of 2010-2011 continues.
*sigh

Minus tonight's starting pitching, when do pitchers and catchers report?

Lousy timing on the Mauer news, it comes right after we give away another game and the bad taste of losing this one is still fresh in our mouthes. For some of the other American League teams ie the Kansas City Royals 23 million dollars buys them their entire infield and then some, what kind of return are we going to see on this contract? I honestly hope Joe's able to bounce back from this and put up 25 and 100 cuz anything less than that I really can't justify 23 mil a year if he can't stay reasonably healthy and hit a few out of the park every now and then and get close to that 100 RBI mark. Sorry if this sounds negative, I just had to get a little bit out. Here's hopin the Hometown 9 can somehow right the ship before April becomes May.

As far as must wins go, tomorrow appears to be one of those for April...

I know baseball is a long season, and I usually don't get too wrapped up in losses and records this early, but there's some really bad vibes and karma right now. Not saying they can't turn it around, and Gardy always finds a way, but I'm REALLY thankful that the Twins play outside in an awesome ballpark because by the time my August tickets roll around, I might be going to hang out in the stadium more than watching the baseball being played.

It's getting mighty crowded out on the ledge...

I guess we can call this season over and put it in the books.

lol Dr. X

I never thought it possible, but Liddle is turning out to be a bigger pussy than Ullger at third. I would love to hear his excuse in not sending Kubel during the one inning the Twins decided to hit the ball. Not the first time he's been gun-shy either!

The Mauer contract could turn him into the Herschel Walker of the Twins. I said it last year, and I'll say it again...DO NOT SIGN FRANCHISE CONTRACTS WITH 1-YEAR LEFT! AND DO NOT SIGN CATCHERS TO FRANCHISE CONTRACTS! And, while we're at it...don't back yourself into a contractual corner by having to sign huge extensions to average players 1 year before their contract is up (Cuddy). I would've let Mauer play out last year, and then would've signed him for no more than $16 million over 5 years. He hits like a good, really slow second baseman, one with shitty knees, so pay him like one. Bill Smith pissed away all Target Field equity on one player that appears to be less than durable going forward.

Dr. X asked me to post this...

I am racking my brains trying to come up with a reason the Twins have joined the rest of the Minnesota teams as "officially snakebit." I think I may have come up with something. Much like the Cubs "curse of the Billy Goat," I believe we may have a "Curse of Wally the Beer man" going on here. Sure, Wally was acquitted and all, but I believe there is some bad karma associated with this season so far. No hitting, injuries, etc. Something's up.

It's the Curse of Wally the Beer Man.

I think the team is just planning ahead and taking care of its June swoon two months early.

Joe Mauer's career has peaked at the catcher position. I highly doubt he will ever have a season like he had in 2009 again. He has had too many health problems already.

Mercy!!!!

Well paid, Mauer.

I think I've heard of bilateral leg weakness before, but I don't know why. For some reason I want to say someone in MLB or NHL has had it before but I can't say for sure.

Not surprised Mauer is one of the most durable catchers. I've had that conversation before with people and he's almost always near the top of the catchers list. He's been in the top five in GP (includes DHing, I'm sure) since 2008. Top five in 2006 and top 10 in 2005. I think that only leaves 2004 and 2007 as the only times he wasn't at least in the top 10 in games played for a catcher.

I think people freak out that "he doesn't play much" because of the $$$ and because he's a very important piece of the team. Butera being the backup makes him that much more important as well.

Wow...two weeks into the season and most of the people on this board have given up on the Twins. And if you haven't, they say you're drinking the Kool-aid. What the hell is wrong with you people? There is almost 6 months of baseball left. For people that seem to pride themselves on being knowledgeable about the game, each of you are lacking it at the moment. Either that or are the biggest fair weather fans ever. I mean honestly it's two weeks into the season, there is a reason the season is 162, stretches like this can be over come.

Yes, Mauer is on the DL nothing new with that, it's time to force him to play third, he doesn't like it he can waive his no trade clause. Nathan seems to recovered fine and is back to his 2009 form, which is mediocre. The starting pitching will come around, Pavano has.

By the way I'm 27, right in the heart of their demographic and I too thinks the music sucks.

his position on the field should be up for debate based on his yearly injuries. the stats show his durability but over the long term how should the twins best maximize their incredible investment? look at the great catchers down through the years. the man is what, 6-6". that's a tall man getting into and out of a croutch position countless times a season. they will be dealing with leg/knee issues every season as long as he continues to catch. he's not getting younger. i just want his bat in the lineup.

hindsight is easy for fans but bill smith unloading morales and wilson ramos was shortsighted given mauer's injury history, however overstated.

You can't predict what might happen to players, but I think the fans, bloggers, and media were right in that we should not of let Wilson Ramos go. He hit .280ish last year and is hitting .450ish this year.

Someone has deleted the Wiki on Bilateral Leg Weakness as of this morning, where else am I to get my info :)

Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats at 3:05 today (4/15) at TF. 46 degrees and cloudy. $10 GA, free for students.

Do the Pohlads own Wikipedia too?

I dunno AJ seems pretty durable! How many games has he missed the last 10 years?

TwinkFan-
That's what I was saying (if I'm reading you right), he has been very durable, especially considering his height/size which Tim mentioned. Being top five in games played most years is very good.

I don't know if it's easy or possible to check how many games he's been lost to injury and how many games he's just been given the day off.

If history continues to repeat itself, its usually a trend...

Other than Nishioka, what improvements did the Twins make this past offseason?

They continue to prove they are totally different team outside of the AL Central as we saw in Toronto and New York. In fact, they even struggled in both games against the Royals at Target Field.

Their starting pitchers are a bunch of 3/4/5 guys, not one legitimate #1 starter. Pavano would be the best bet for that designation at this point. Pavano pitches 8 shutout innings and in typical Gardenhire fashion, is pulled in the 9th for the closer. It's not like Pavano was even struggling, he was sailing through 8 innings with 104 pitches. But Gardenhire thinks you need to pull pitchers after 100 pitches.

The bullpen is horrible, the offense is non-existant.

Casilla and Tolbert do not belong on a major league roster.

I am not writing off the Twins for 2011, but it could be a long season if Baker and Liriano do not improve. The offense and bullpen also need to pick it up. They are stuck with Casilla too which is unfortunate.

I should note, I am not sure if Pavano wanted to come out of the game or the coaches wanted to go to the bullpen but Gardenhire still seems to think that pitchers should come out once they hit the 100 pitch count.

IMHO I think Pavano didn't go out for the 9th for fear if he blows it, and not the two closers who did, Gardy would be taking the heat for not going to the Bullpen to where Nathan had previously shown strength.

You are damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Pavano told Gardy/Anderson that he was done. It was caught on camera. Gardy also said it in the postgame show, so it was not Gardy. They were going to send him out there for the 9th.

And we should also remember that the 100 pitch count is not a "Gardy only" thing. Almost every team does it. I see fans of other teams complain about it all the time as well. It's now the Major League baseball way. I can see at times that it makes sense, but I'd love if they were kept out there if they were doing fine. I'm with Blyleven in thinking that 115-120 should be the limit...if there has to be a limit.

In the post game interview with Gardy he stated that he and Anderson talked it over and if Pavano wanted the 9th they would let him go. Pavano said he didn't have anything left when asked.

Wow, I'm sure glad I spent that extra $$$ to get a new high-definition 1080p monitor, and upgraded cable service.

Now, I can see our guys playing bad baseball in beautiful high def.

(Think that will be the next Twins' commercial tagline?)

Here's another article about JoMa. Someone put a comment in the comment section saying: "That's it...Joe Mauer needs to go be seen by Dr. House. He will be cured in 1 hour or less." Good stuff right there! In all seriousness though I hope he turns out okay.

Aj I was talking about AJ our former catcher and now sox catcher Pierzynski. I know he has caught over 800 plus games the last 6 years and wanted to catch all 162 this year. Which ain't gonna happen. Would be interesting to see some stats on catchers and durablity rankings though.

I know that it was seen that Pavano said he could not go, but how much is that the coaching to which has influenced his last two years.

Wow, a TwinkFan post with no exclamation points or LOL's. He must have flu-like symptoms like Mauer.

As can be seen by more than one previous post, many of us caught the Sox/As game on the tube. Did you catch the music played when Brett Anderson was removed from the game? "Na Na, Goodbye" song played on the organ. A stupid song made classy by the Cell's fantastic organ. Nice touch.

The playing of that song at White Sox games goes back to Comiskey Park in the 1970s.

As for Mauer and his contract, what were the Twins supposed to have done? The guy was in a position to command top dollar and other teams were willing to pay. It's fine to say the club should have offered no more than a 5 year $80,000,000 deal, but it's moot because Mauer would never have accepted it and Twins fans would have seen the team low balling him and turned on the club. That would have created a PR fiasco and emotional break between the team and fans that would have taken ages to mend. Opening a brand new park and then letting the team's signature player, a local guy, walk as a free agent would not have been tolerated by the fans or media.

I'm not happy Joe is hurt or that the team is in last place. Down the line, we may find that the big contract was a mistake, but giving Mauer that deal was something the Twins literally had no other option but to do.

TwinkFan-
Ah, I see. I would have never thought of him. Sorry about that. Yeah, I think AJ is very durable, but he's also nowhere near the talent level...so I guess you take the good with the bad?

tk-
I really don't think it has to do with Gardy/Anderson and their coaching influence on him. That is how most managers and pitching coaches run the staff. If it wasn't Gardy/Anderson here doing it, it would be someone else. Unless Blyleven or Nolan Ryan took over (obviously not happening), they seem to be the most vocal about hating it. I haven't heard much from other people about it.

I'm pretty sure Pavano along with most other pitchers in the league have all been subjected to the magic 100 pitch count number. And I feel, just from memory, that they do give Pavano a longer leash than they do the rest of the staff. Pavano gets blown up for 4-5 runs they try to keep him out there because he has that veteran presence and is able to put out the fire and still go 6-7 innings..maybe more. The other pitchers usually continue to implode. They give him the option to stay in, which they don't do for the other guys probably 99% of the time.

I think Pavano has it much easier than the other guys. He's earned it. The other pichers have to earn it too. I think that's the big difference in they eyes of Gardy/Anderson. The other pitchers haven't done anything to prove that they can handle what Pavano can.

Weaver threw 125 pitches for the Angels on Sunday
Same game Jo-Jo Reyes threw 119 for Toronto
Verlander threw 119 on Monday
Halliday threw 123 on Wednesday
Gallardo threw 111 a week and a half ago.

I believe all were complete games. I'm sure there are others. The 100-pitch cap is a figment of Gardy's imagination. Possibly Pavano's, too. Bottom line. By definition an ace should be able to go wire-to-wire to secure a win when his team needs it most. Clearly the Twins don't have an ace.

Does anyone know what the conclusion of the no pitch count experiment by the Rangers was last year? I'm not making a sarcastic comment because they went to the WS, I'm really asking if there was a conclusion that pitchers can actually go deeper than 100, or if their staff numbers ever suffered because of it.

"The problem with the move toward pitch counts was that there was never any logic or research that said that limiting a pitcher to 100 pitches would prevent injuries, as opposed to 130 pitches, or 130 for young pitchers and 160 for mature pitchers, or as opposed to getting the pitcher out of the game at the first sign of a problem, or as opposed to improving his training regimen."

- Bill James, Red Sox Senior Advisor, in a 2009 SI article (linked)

Paul-
You just named 5 starting pitchers out of 150. I'm not saying that the 100 pitch count applies to every single starter, in fact, I said it didn't. It really depends on who the pitcher is. Halladay is well known for going over 100. Livan Hernandez, at least in his past, has gone over 100 many, many times. Verlander is a pretty common one too.

I'd consider Jim Leyland more lenient with the pitch count. He had three starters pitch a good amount of innings over 105 pitches. Verlander had 24 innings, Scherzer had 12 and Porcello had 20 (this one surprised me actually). I expected Verlander and Scherzer, did not expect Porcello.

I expect it out of the team aces or #1 guys (who may not necessarily be aces): Verlander, Weaver, Halladay, Lee, Gallardo (ace until Grienke comes back?). Managers have shown a longer leash with these guys (the aces, the veterans, the guys who have earned it/can handle it).

It is not just Gardy/Anderson who go by that general rule. It is most of them. It's the way baseball is. If you don't like it, then you should be more mad at Major League Baseball rather than mad at those two. As I said, if it wasn't Gardy/Anderson doing it, it would be some other manager, some other pitching coach.

I'm not disagreeing with you that at times it is very stupid but you're blaming Gardy like Gardy is the only manager in all of baseball who does it when you would be wrong about that. Most of them do it and some managers will give some guys a longer leash like the guys I named above. That does not mean that they do it with every pitcher on their staff.

Is it me, or do relief pitchers seem to go down more to injury?

If I had a supervisor who has a certain way of thinking, I would be more apt to go along with that perspective than showing disrespect to a subscribed philosophy...

Don't get me wrong. I don't like the pitch count but that's not my beef here. What I'm a hater of is pulling a guy from a game when he has a shutout and a 2-run lead going into the ninth inning. And then use the pitch count to defend the move. Especially a veteran guy who's supposed to be our ace. The right move is to put him back out there and pull him at the first sign of trouble.

That's the problem with the team. A lack of fire in the belly. Any one of the aces I listed would not have come out of that game yesterday. Point the finger at Pavano. Point it at Gardy. But point it somewhere.

I think the manager needs to make the decision, "We want you back out there, are you okay?" Not, "how do you feel?"

Pavano doesn't seem to be the one to go around someone and be his own man, he wants the team to do well, and subscribes to how the skipper calls the game.

Paul-
Then point it at the guy who said he didn't want to go back out there. That guy is Pavano. Gardy and Anderson were going to put him out there for the 9th. Pavano said no.

And I remember a few times last year where Pavano wanted the ball though the Twins were going to pull him. They stuck with him in those times, so I'm guessing Pavano was too tired this time, because I've seen lots of fire in him ever since he arrived. If he thought he could do it without blowing it, I have no doubt that he would have went back out there. He's shown it in the past. I'm guessing he thought it would cost the team the win if he went out there and had nothing left. Pretty sure he didn't expect both closers to implode, probably expected them to do a better job than his tired self so that was his decision.

Was not the 8th Pavano's best inning?

I hope the Twins can shut me up over the next 14 games in 15 days...

And if the Twins' situation wasn't bad enough, there's this gawd-awful video in honor of Baby Jesus's upcoming birthday. (Luke, did you have any part in this??) clicky, clicky....

Dick is at it again, just when I didn't think he could say anything more wild, he goes out and says that the Rays should relocate to New York...

Looking forward to the game being on National TV tomorrow to where we will get some real HD; the Twins FSNHD isn't that great IMHO

HD looks pretty good to me. You must be on cable or Dish Network.

Game over!!!

Game over, hell, Season over.

On cable, but the games always look better on the MLB Network and FOX

Watching the Twins at bat this year is like watching paint dry. Zero after zero after zero ...

Yesterday I said the Twins would finish 4th I would like to rescind that and say they will finish dead last. We are 1/10 of the way into the season and they havent scored more than 4 runs in a game except one game in NY and that took 10 innings to get there. What a shitty year to be a fan of Minnesota teams!

All the negativity on this message board sucks.

TTH, so does the Twins offense/pitching

I will be the first one on here with compliments when it is turned around, until then I am off to search for more Kool-Aid, as if the Twins lose tonight I do not think the Twins go 6-0 to get me to the (6-2) roadtrip I predicted.

The Twins really need to cleanse with some Vagisil and start gutting it out a little...starting with the $180 million man. Can somebody man-up on this team?

I could spit nails after having seen that game tonite.
Not good. This is not good.

Speaking of what defines an ace, Jered Weaver is sent out to pitch the 6th inning after a rain delay of 30+ minutes. And it cant be more than 35 degrees outside!

So who put Mauer on the 15 DL with just a viral infection? Talk about a panic and missed diagnosis! FCOL!

Luke you can run but you can't hide. Answer my man The Truth Hurts. Are you involved and/or an "actor" in the Baby Jesus Birthday video? Don't duck him!!!

Who put Mauer on the 15 day DL for a viral infection?

Probably someone who didn't want to tell Cuddyer he now was the starting catcher if Butera got hurt.

Personally, now, I'd prefer to see Cuddyer catch. He's capable of hitting over .200, Butera isn't.

A question like has to be from a person who boos when the opposing pitcher tries to hold a fast runner on first. That's retarded.

Is he supposed to just let the guy steal?

That's about as annoying as "EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS!!!"...

And the very dangerous thing about the Twin Cities market is that the anger and disappointment will quickly turn into apathy if this shit doesn't stop stinking...oops, i meant ship doesn't stop sinking.

Reusse article (click name)

Interesting quote from Billy...

"You can't go three or four days with one catcher, so that's why we had to make a move," Smith said.

wow...

Sorry Max, music that entertains common criminals and thugs on Hennipen Ave doesn't appeal to me.

HOWEVER, I could have had a part in this video. And I think, "Minnesota Twins 2011 playoff hopes" was inscribed in poor Baxter's collar in this video. You should see what happens.

This explains last night's Rays' lineup. Apparently even the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce can outcoach Gardy.

clicky....

I guess the pitch count controversy goes both ways because if it wasn't for Joe Girardi taking out CC Sabathia in New York after 7 shutout innings, the Twins most likely lose that game because CC was shutting down the Twins just like Pavano was shutting down the Rays on Thursday night.

Either way, we are two weeks into the season and the Twins have done nothing so far to show they are a contender.

They have scored more than 4 runs just two times (scored 5 runs in 5-4 10-inning win at NY and 5-10 loss to KC).

They have scored a whopping 38 runs through 14 games...averaging 2.92 runs/game, ranking 30th in MLB.

Yes, its a long season but at what point does a "slump" become a trend? We are now two full weeks into the regular season.

I think it's time for Joe Vavra to canned, granted I didn't like that hire in the first place. Imagine what the Twins very talented batters could do if they were coached to be aggressive at the plate as opposed to patient.

I think this is the difference between the Yankees and the Twins and was on display last postseason. If a Twins pitcher made a mistake pitch, ala Jesse Crain, the Yankees are going to make you pay for it. If a pitcher makes a mistake against the Twins there is a good chance the Twins will let it go by because it wasn't the pitch they were waiting for.

Prime example, Joe Mauer rarely swings at the first pitch even though 99% of the time it is a fastball down the middle of the plate. I know he is a great for average hitter, but someone needs to tell him it is ok to take one of those and drive in to the seats.

Clicky (as TTH would say) for a small report about the music and new DJ fit for the Minnesota State Federal Penitentiary being played at TF this season.

Vavra stays as long as Gardy stays. That is the attitude in this organization. Like it or not.

Just thought I'd play the part of eternal optimist:

If you assume neither KC nor Cleveland will win the Central... Twins are just 3 games out of first!

Wow. Another Bill Smith gem. Trading away a real catcher for a AA reliever.

Can we please let the exorcist into the clubhouse?? PLEASE????!?!?!

Just forfeit tomorrow's game and get on to Baltimore, boys.

Forget my 75 win prediction. 65 wins - maybe.

Another 3-runs-or less game for the "hitters". That's the tenth time in fourteen games for those of you keeping score at home.

Looking forward to 2012 already! Get rid of Nathan ($12 mil) Cuddyer ($10.5 mil) and Mad Crapper ($8 mil). Over $30 million coming off the books.

LAA up 3 on Sox

...still down just 3?

Ugh.

The good news: Mauer should be over his cold/flu bug on 4/28 and read to play ball again.

I have NEVER, and I mean, never, seen a softer franchise in all of sports. It's like my pops without his Viagra...night after night. Even while they've enjoyed their AL Central free pass into the playoffs all through this decade, they play like wusses once they get there.

So...the playoffs start when? Next week?

I thought all the posters here were seasoned baseball fans. We're two weeks into the season and because the Twins have been in a hitting slump, you've got them written off for the season already.

I think we are all baseball fans and we are still here, and a lot of what we write is emotional based. The Twins have almost written us off by their play, but we are still here, just awaiting them to rewrite their path.

However we won four, it's a miracle.

I'm pissing and moaning because there have been terrible personnel moves made upstairs by the Twins, and it has killed this franchise. In particular,

1)Being duped into making a decision on Cuddy after his one decent season one full year before his contract was up=$10.5 million
2)Signing an aging closer to a multi-year deal=$11 million
3)Signing local hero to A-Rod, franchise-killing contract one full year before he had to. Think Mauer's price would've gone way down after last season between the HRs, RBIs and knee issues? Nobody was paying him $23 million a year for 8 years, except Bill.
4)All of the above leading to bloated payroll, which forces cutbacks in bullpen, forcing the club to convince themselves that Nathan, 13 months from TJ surgery, is ready to resume closing. Nathan looks awful this year.
5)Letting proven major leaguers go (Hardy/Hudson) in order to fulfill PR stunt by signing a guy that had one good year in Japan, who showed his inexperience at 2nd base within a week of the season.
6)Trading away Ramos for Capps. Capps sucks, and Ramos could be an All-Star catcher real soon--perhaps a better catcher than Mauer. And Ramos was the highest regarded prospect at the time of the trade.

There's just too many gaffes to ignore here. These are the types of moves that can kill a franchise for a decade. God forbid the Indians and Royals get competitive...the Twins have been feasting off of them for years. Envision Target Field in 2013 on a September evening with 8,000 fans watching a meaningless game. I think that's what we're coming to. I would love to be proven wrong, but this team has no heart.

I have to agree with the previous post. BS needs to be held a accountable he has pretty much set this team back with bonehead deal after bonehead deal. The cupboard is bare in the minors and BS trades away one of our only blue chippers for Crapps. The nucleus of this team is past there prime and it could get real ugly here real soon. Like I said earlier only thing they have going for us is big contracts coming off the books next year and maybe we can bring in some talent cause there isnt any in our minor leagues. Rick maybe you could start a countdown timer for next season since this one is pretty much done.

I don't think the Twins (or anybody for that matter) will match the least number of wins recorded in an MLB season, which apparently (click my name) was a team called the Cleveland Spiders in 1899. They went a whopping 20-134. I don't see the Twins being THAT bad.

I know the Twins have pulled off a 60-102 at least once (1982)...will history repeat itself nearly 30 years later?

You're all expecting Bill Smith to have a crystal ball on his desk. Sure, he could have waited a year before doing the Mauer deal, but if Mauer had another monster year, the Twins would never have been able to afford him. And everyone in baseball was seeing the kid's up side, even our faithful posters here. Nishioka suffered a broken leg on a freak play. How do you plan for that? Cuddy's been one of the Twins most reliable guys for a long time, and there was no idication that would change. I'll agree with others here on the Nathan thing; the guy makes me nervous every time he walks out of the bullpen. He can't seem to get through an inning without giving up a hit and walking a couple guys. I could tear my hair out watching him work.
Time will tell whether Ramos turns out to be everything he's been built up to be here on this site, but then the most popular guy in town is always the backup quarterback.

It's two weeks into the season.

Ouch. Just, ouch.

Our team is not living up to expectations...

Two weeks into the season, the last inning of tonights game, regardless of how we look at it being early, this roadtrip is critical, especially as we host the best ball club currently in our division next weekend.

I wish this team would have a closed door team meeting and someone light an F'n fire!

And I do not see the guy attached in this Explore Minnesota ad being one to light a fire under anyone's @$$.

This ad makes me sick...and I do not know what is worse, Joe's singing voice or his offensive abilities this season.

At what point does it go from a bad streak to "we just suck!"?

Wilson Ramos is a prospect. How are we to know at this point what good he will be someday?

That's part of the trade world...you have to give up something if you want something. While I was not a big fan of the Capps trade last year, I wouldn't put so much stock into Wilson Ramos just yet.

The Twins were handcuffed with the Mauer situation and they would have taken a major PR hit if they did not re-sign him and on the other hand, they would be taking criticism for re-signing him and overpaying him. No matter what the Twins did with Mauer, they would have been criticized.

People also complain about lack of moves at the trade deadline by the Twins, but yet, they complain about having to trade away certain players. You can't have it both ways and if you are not a big fan of a certain player (Punto, Harris, Casilla, Tolbert, Tyner, etc), than why would another team want to trade for that same player?

So many Twins fans (in general) expect a Nick Punto for Cliff Lee type of trade. If you are the Twins GM, which player(s)/prospect(s) do you give up in a trade??

If you are an opposing GM, which Twins players/prospects would you go after in a trade??

If you are an opposing GM, which Twins players/prospects would you go after in a trade?

Answer: None. There are no prospects and Bill has put all current roster players out of tradeability with pie-in-the-sky contracts.

Nish broke his leg because they don't see take-out slides that hard in Japan and he didn't know he had to go vertical.

Re Mauer, I'll use Pujols as an example. The Cards haven't panicked and signed him...they are waiting to see how this year plays out (no injuries, solid MVP-type year). Assuming all goes well, they'll probably bid Mauer-type money, and lose him to another team. And, they'll be willing to do that because he will be starting the back-end of his career...the best is behind him, and do you want to saddle your team with a $200 million liability for the next 7-8 years? Mauer was signed for a best-case scenario repeat MVP season, and a healthy year. He definitely didn't produce to match that contract. The only players worthy of Mauer money are Pujols, maybe Tulo and Cano, in my opinion.

Closed Door Meetings in April are only conducted by teams who are panicking!!! Relax. The season is 14 games old. I'll buy Luke season tickets with TTH if Kansas City or Cleveland win the AL Central.

I already have full season tickets, but if you want to pay for my annual beer tab at TF, I'm all for it.

Oh, and Dr. X is delusional.

...While TTH, on the other hand, is infallable.

Twins (4-10) are now a half-game ahead of Boston (4-11) for the worst record in the major leagues.

Yippee.

Capps replacing Nathan as closer. Now I feel so much better!

Tolbert 4, Casilla 6, Kubel 9, Thome DH, Young 7, Cuddyer 3, Valencia 5, Holm 2, Repko 8, Duensing

Gulp...

I actually hope the slide continues. It will weed out most of the professional brokers and almost all the wana-be small-time STH brokers.

If the slide is hard enough, maybe they may even bring back the $99 full season ticket packages and start broadcasting games on network tv again.

Whether the Twins are winning or losing, I will continue to go to games every year and enjoy myself.

The fact that they are losing doesn't bother me, its the reactions the players have that bothers me. There just doesn't seem to be any fight in this ball club. Someone needs to step up and say enough is enough, and play with some emotion and fight. Stop looking around and blaming your teammates.

Wow, that lineup Gardy thru out there today likes like a AA lineup! This team might be out of contention by Easter.

Listening to radio earlier, one broadcaster quoted AJ P. when he was with the team and saw that he was not in a b lineup game, "what? Are we giving up today?"

Bremer has been opening broadcasts by introducing himself and "Hall of Famer" Bert Blyleven. The games don't even get started before our asses are being packed.

Whatever walk-up sales the Twins lose this year are all the gain for oppossing teams walk-up sales...I think Tampa wishes we had a 6-7 game series.

Max - you got yourself a deal...lol. Dugout Box would be just fine. I'd be OK with Mezzanine too. That's about the only place at TF I haven't sat.

okay boys, here we go...it's a 2 run lead going into the 8th inning. brace yourselves!!

You hear that noise........Twins bullpen imploding again!

Perkins can feel the noose tightening around his neck...

The Twins cannot make an insurance payment...no insurance runs and a 2 run lead. Is it worth waiting at the bar to watch? Over/under on the Twins dropping this one?

Twins win! Sox lose(ing)! All aboard the bandwagon!

Well, at least the B line-up showed some heart today...

catcher hitting .286 and centerfielder hitting .333.

eskerber - one win doesn't put me back on the bandwagon.
If we can sweep the series against Baltimore, or AT LEAST get three out of the four games, then we can talk jumping back on the bandwagon.

luke - Yes, there was mild sarcasm in my post, but assuming this game exorcised at least some demons, we aren't exactly buried in the division when all is said and done.

Sox, KC, and Detroit all lost games today, and we've only played 5 home games thus far with road trips in Toronto and New York. After all the chokes and weak bats, we're down just a pair of games to what were expected to be our biggest competitors in the division.

Unless Cleveland is for real... then yes, we're screwed.

I loved Thome's 80' single. If that's the kind of break the team needs to have some fun and start playing better, we'll take it!

A Decade of Twins Musical Memories with Kevin Dutcher, the Minnesota Twins Music Director for 11 seasons on the current right now

This just might be the best Twins commercial yet. (Humorous off the field, not-so-humorous on it.)

clicky, clicky...

Here's a little hope:

in 1991, the Twins started off 4-10. During those first 14 games they had a seven game losing streak, and in only two of those first 14 games did they score more than four runs. They were shut-out three times.

Did you see Don Zimmer at the game today, best nicknae ever "Human Gerbil" given to him by Ferguson Jenkins

Gardenhire could make a positive statement by using today's lineup every game until they lose. Reward them for the nice effort. Wonder if that will happen...

Baltimore has lost 7 straight. Let's hope we make it 11. Last time we played a struggling club it did us wonders...

Very interesting show on 89.3 The Current last night with former musical director Kevin Dutcher. I found it very informative listening to how players pick "walk up music," as well as how he picked local music such as The Replacements and The Hold Steady for use in the ballpark. He also talked in detail on how he selected music to play in the Dome after 9/11 and the 35W bridge collapse. Very good stuff.

I get the impression Dutcher has forgotten more about music than whoever picks the current mindless teeny-bopper stuff in Target Field.