Thanks for the pics Rick, and risking national security in the process.

Have fun in NYC. Yankee Stadium is wonderful but make sure you're up to date on your tetanus booster before you walk into Shea.

wow i missed alot when i was out of town friday!

rick,

thanks for the new pics.

btw - from past entries it sounds like you have a couple contacts within the twins organization itself. have you - or have you considered - dropping them a quick note about some of the overzealousness of the skyway security you have experienced personally - and heard about from others - to see if they can chat with the parties involved to "tone it down a bit" when obvious twins fans are just stopping by to take a peek at the new ballpark?

to your point above it would be unfortunate - even though it doesn't have much to do with the city of minneapolis or the twins themselves - if the unfounded, somewhat over-the-top concerns of a few private security guards ruin it for the many. some of who may be considering becoming future season ticket holders.

Another good point to make is that a majority of this ballpark project is being funded by us, the taxpayers in Hennepin County, or anyone else who spends money in Hennepin County. We should be entitled to take pictures and get some glimpses of this great project if we so choose. We always hear that this is "Minnesota's Ballpark", well than, let the people of Minnesota and the fans of the Twins take pictures and catch a glimpse if they so choose.

I have 63 construction pictures from yesterday but there is currently a programing error in google picasa uploader. As soon as it is fixed I will upload the photos and share. I head to the site about once a week and it seems like every time I go down there there are more and more workers....it's crazy busy at the site. The security guard thing amazes me too...I bet I have been to the site over 50 times and have never even seen a security guard.

I read a comment made in an article on the Minnesota Independent blog(click on the name for it) thinking that because the Repbulican National Convention is coming up, this is probably the reason for the heightened surveillance.

Then again, I've been by the site recently(in the skyway, of course) and have never been asked to move along. Same goes for when I'm at the far western elevator complex at the A ramp.

Hopefully, Minneapolis will wise up when the convention ends and we can get back to gawking at the construction site.

Is it just me, or is this thing taking a REALLY frickin' long time to build??

No way! I think this is going up REALLY fast!

you're right on, rick. the way to handle their concern about security is not scolding from behind a monitor; security "on the street" is always the best deterrent.

dsp will make a call tonight after reading this i'm sure.

before i go: who EVER thought scott baker would actually mature into a reliable pitcher worth keeping? i for one did not.

Looking at the current Webcam picture and looking at the archives, it would appear that the rightfield tower crane has been taken down.

You cant judge Bakers career after his rookie season he showed promise that year to with a shut out in yankee stadium.

wow! i didn't realize that brett favre read twinsballpark2010....

hi brett

construction pics from Friday...enjoy

no...still haven't been hassled.

Rick...feel free to use any of my pics...if you want.

Twins ask Seattle about Beltre.

Thank you MOJO! I will be there in a month and cannot wait to see it in person.

Nice job MOJO, thank you. It looks like limestone time is near!!

Thanks MOJO!!! Those are awesome!

bmd - wouldn't it be great if we were to acquire him before the next series starts?!

I can't believe we're even talking about the Twins aquiring Beltre. Isn't he a 10-15 million a year player? Keep dreaming folks (I'll join you)!

Construction Photos from the Ballpark Authority are available for the month of July 08.

Long time reader, first time poster. The topic of player statues versus numbers in front of the new stadium gates has been discussed before. In my opinion, after watching the Twins series at Comerica Park I don't think the statues of players idea would fit with the overall design scheme of the new Twins stadium. I believe the player's numbers give the new stadium a more distinct and progressive feel that fits better with the cosmopolitan design of the new stadium.

Also, I was thinking that the plaza and possibly some other areas of the ballpark need some sort of water feature. A fountain mixed in with the trees and flower beds of some sort would be a great addition to the main plaza. It would make for a more welcoming entrance and create more of a "urban park" experience. It would also build around the water theme that is now currently represented by the glass being used thoughout the park. Any ideas.

its a urban ballpark in a urban area, whats with everybody trying to make it even more urban as if that is possable, if you to too much then it will look tacky and look like they tried to hard at making it a urban ballpark... the ballpark is fine.... its urban, now the area around the park needs some development and it will grow... just think when wrigly was built i doubt the hood looks the same as it did now it had to evolve into what they have today....

Jeff, I completely agree about the numbers versus the statues. They feel much more modern and aren't done at every ballpark in the country. The statues are cool, but almost every team has them. Has anyone heard if the Twins will have statues of the former greats?

I too am surprised that there won't be much water at the park.

Is anyone else disappointed by the Ballpark Authority construction pics? Do we really need to see close-ups of conduit, rebar, pipes, and random construction equipment? The details will be cool to look at once the facade, bleachers, and concourse get close to complete, but for now I prefer seeing the "big picture" pics that Rick and MOJO have been taking.

um, yea, agreed there. close up pics of construction equipment? i don't need to see a stack of pipe. are they starting the exterior limestone work today? i don't have access to the webcam at the moment.

oh, and i like the numbers to mark the entrances, it's fits the park's design.

To be honest I don’t even look at the Twins or the Ballpark auth. photo's... I just look at Ricks and MOJO's and others on this site... The Twins and the Ballpark authority has really taken the fans for granted I think when it comes to keeping us informed and stuff, even DSP blog updates don’t tell me anything new from what I already heard before he prints it. As much as I hate to say it sometimes I feel like once they got the go ahead with groundbreaking they left us in the dark.. I hope it’s just my paranoia but I guess I will see in 2010 when we see the team they will field...

So thanks again to Rick, MOJO and others for helping us out.. I have only been to the site 3 times and it has been about 2 months since I have been so the pics are appreciated!

Aside from the fact that it's already designed and under construction, I don't think you'll see a water feature in the plaza because of the fact that it's on top of a freeway. That's not prohibitive, but it certainly adds to the cost. I think greenery will do just fine.

I guess I should change my name... OG Jeff it is...

A water feature would be cool, but its my personal opinion that this park has a ton of character as it stands. I like the idea of the numbers - if they pull it off right. It would be cool to see other materials different than cement. Maybe glass or steel? Either way, we're going to see lots of cool updates over the next few months...the progress is really picking up.

Mazarati,
It's not your paranoia. The Twins have completely dropped the ball when it comes to their "DEDICATED" ballpark webpage. We're lucky to get a blog update from DSP more than once a month and we're even luckier if it has anything new or noteworthy. Much of what he posts is news we've already heard or read from other sources and the other stuff he writes is thank you notes to his boss and politicians. Hmmmm, we were supposed to have that 2nd webcam when???? I remember when Cleveland was building Browns Stadium. They had 3 real time cams with weekly pictures from inside the action. From Mojo's pics you can see a lot has been going on in center field and right field, but with the one lone webcam from the shitstack, you can't see any of it. Whatever money the Twins are spending on employing whomever is supposed to run that website, it's a waste! Rick and MOJO have done a far better job than the Twins have. Put the 2 of them on the payroll please!

To be fair, at least we have a webcam. Both of the new NY stadiums don't have a single webcam, and the pics on their websites are updated less than ours. I don't even think Citi Field had a model of their ballpark. Plus, fans weren't allowed to attend the groundbreaking ceremonies.

With that said, I agree with you guys. The Twins could be doing a much better job. You'd think they'd give us more updates considering this park is funded with public subsidies. Thankfully we have this site and a couple of forums to view pics and discuss the progress.

Does anybody know if the new ballpark is in line to host an upcoming all star game?

i heard 2014 at the earliest

2014 is what they are gunning for and bud will grant it ... man would that be a hot ticket in this town....

This is from Urbanowl at Minnescraper. This was posted on that site yesterday.
"First exterior precast is now underway on the seventh steet side of the building. Looks good up close."
I got to see this, I'll get down there this weekend. IF I can get my stupid camera to work I'll get some pics.

What a disgrace!!

Hey State Farm, His name is Justin!! Not Jason. Hey Erin Andrews, instead of making a stupid looking face, correct him and say, "Hey Pencilneck, his name is JUSTIN!"

Josh Hamilton is a great story, but guess what ESPN....HE DIDN'T WIN!!!! If you don't like the rules, change them.

So is anyone going to take pics on the site today? We'd love to see the stone go up.

I'm picking up a new camera tonight. If it's still light out I'll take it over for a couple test shots.

talk about the skyway right i have been down there too been push aside too.

Jon, I agree with your point, but in all due respect to Justin Morneau for "winning" the derby, Josh Hamilton stole the show. People are going to remember this 2008 Home Run Derby for Josh Hamilton's amazing performance in round 1, not necessarily for Justin Morneau winning it. I am glad Justin won it, but this will be much more remembered for Josh Hamilton's performance in Round 1.

Similar to Lance Berkman's show he put on in 2004 in his own ballpark in Houston even though Miguel Tejada won the derby.

Has anyone been able to see the limestone going up yet?

Lincoln, I know that is what people will remember and kudos to Hamilton, But ESPN could've handled it with a lot more tact, in my opinion.

I just feel bad for Justin, it was almost like ESPN was annoyed that he won. Those elitest snobs out east can take yankee stadium and shove it for all I care!!

WAY TO GO JUSTIN, we are all proud of you here in our tiny little midwestern state. All 5 million of us!

ESPN is the McDonalds of sports journalism. Who cares what they think.

Hey Lincoln,
Thanks for filling me in on the details of the 2004 derby, I'll finally get some sleep tonight!

I agree, that Morneau got snubbed! But that may just drive this team that much more to go win the "whole f*ckin thing!" (Major League)... I also think some limestone pics would be GREAT!!!

Click on my name for some pics of the limestone going up! Pretty cheap cell phone pics, but they're something...

Does anyone know how they are being installed? Cement? Weld? ???

ok thank you, excellent job getting those pics up of the facade! this is going to look better than pnc park.

the limestone looks a lot better than i thought it would

this ballpark is gonna be awesome

Tim, I actually didn't get them, I just found them. But I will accept your thanks anyways. LOL! It does look good though!

Today the limestone begins installation and WHERE ARE THE TWINS??? Why don't we have any story about it on the DEDICATED ballpark website? Why do we not have TV stations out there doing a story like they did for the first brick at TCF Bank Stadium. WHERE ARE YOU TWINS MARKETING DEPARTMENT, DID YOU ALL GO TO NY?????

OG Jeff,

Welcome to Rick's post, and I do like your idea of a water feature at the new ballpark. However, when I talked to a Twins representative at this year's Twinsfest, he mentioned that installing a fountain is not structurally possible for the park. This is because the outfield plaza goes directly over 394 and 3rd Ave N., which takes up the necessary space for a reservoir. Also, KC fans would accuse us of copying their outfield anyways (click on my name for a link to Kauffman Stadium).

Be still my beating heart...Thanks for the news Rick. If you get the chance, can you find out if we'll be able to view webcam #2 before the stadium construction is finished?

Yes Rick, please find out when they are adding the second webcam so Kevin will shut up about it. Just messing with you Kevin, I can't wait to see it too. :)

LOL....Trust me Lafferty, once webcam #2 is up and running, I'm sure to find something else to bitch about. I'm old and it's 102 degrees outside.

hahahahaha....nice

Let us have a moment of silence for Tiger Stadium.

click link

Hi Andy. OG Jeff (that's me) is the original Jeff. And I completely agree with your sentiment...We've got our own park - let's make it uniquely ours!

Lafferty, Ohhh.. that photo makes my heart sink. I saw many games at Tiger Stadium. It was my 2nd favorite ballpark next to Comiskey Park. Very, very sad.

tiger stadium will be missed, its really sad they dont keep it around for a museum or somthing

Now they should just stop the demolition of Tiger Stadium. Leave it the way it is in that picture. It will blend in nicely with all the other partially torn down buildings in Detroit.

More construction pics on Minnescraper.
Thank you LaRose. I love security guards and police!

So what are they doing for those peep holes in the limestone? They are not there now, so are they going to cut them out?!

Also, what is up with the one row of smooth rock (5th row up)?

Brandon, If you look closely at the model pics, you will notice there are several rows of limestone that are smooth. It seems like it is about every 5th row.

Ya when I looked, I nticed that too, I guess it just looks a little different when it's real, and up close. Like look at the color of the strip below all the limestone in the model pics, then real life. They are way different, and I like the color in the MP better, but overall, I REALLY like the look of the limestone so far!

Wow! You are lucky! Those pics will be VERY much appreciated! Rick comes through in the clutch once again! :)

Now that I see this going up, I want a webcam of that side just to see the limestone progress! Why can't they just put up like 10 cams?! It can't be too expensive!

Limestone looks AMAZING! Can't wait til its done!

There are 0 seats with obstruction of the view of the game in the new ballpark. (its on the website) There are currently 1,392 in the Metrodome.

I got a throw back name. Since the TC Bear looks like the Ham's Bear. How about Ham's Park.
Great pictures

wtf?