Wishful Fields Archive Target Field History

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Melting

March 17, 2011 12:08 AM

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Imagine that you owned a building with no roof. More properly, imagine that your building's roof is primarily a floor for half the year. Suddenly, ice dams look like child's play.

It's one thing to realize that Target Field's concourses are actually outdoors at all times. It's quite another to see that some of the most important parts of the park are subjected to the harshest elements a Minnesota winter can dish out.

For instance, how about those wooden-backed seats?

They sure cost a lot of money, yet all you can do when the summer is over is cover them with a tarp and wait for spring.

Or how about those fancy new dugouts?

Plywood and prayer, I guess.

The seating bowl has almost completely emerged from its winter slumber. Areas in the sun are already snow-free, but there's still plenty of the offensive white stuff to make for some interesting scenes.

Don't worry. Those seats will be dry and warm by the time you sit in them again.

A couple of footnotes from the past couple of days: First, they've now installed wood panels (a la the circulation ramp coverings) beneath the new outfield scoreboard. I suspected as much when I saw the prep work they'd done.

Second, a bunch more french fry lights have been installed over the standing room areas on the upper concourse. Here's a look (from a distance) at those which have appeared behind section 227:

Tomorrow we'll stroll the plaza.

The Carew lounge was all ready for some corporate event.

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Just to piggy back on the last thread, I believe dynamic pricing is the way teams will approach the future. If I have to choose between giving the extra money to scalpers or the Twins, I'd want it going to the Twins (assuming of course it goes back into the team).

The early team adopters should have a competitive advantage and have more revenue, but if the whole league eventually adopts it, then the advantage begins to diminish and it simply means baseball makes more money from its fans.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:35 AM by bp 1

Thanks for the pics Rick!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:35 AM by tk 2

Loving all the pics, getting excited!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 01:53 AM by The Sooj 3

Wow, I knew the Giants were experimenting with dynamic pricing, but it looks like they went all out. Even after the World Series win, however, there seems to be seats available for most games. I checked a couple just to see, and some were just scattered singles, but weeknight games had no problem getting 2. I can't believe they aren't mostly sold out for April and May at least.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 07:16 AM by Lincster 4

I posted this last night on the old thread, so in case people missed it. Tim Davis put together a nice slide show of the building of Target Field. Click my name for pictures.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 07:58 AM by Jeff 5

Wow Jeff, thanks for that link, that slideshow is awesome!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 08:36 AM by Faber College Alum 6

Great to see Harmon Killebrew arrive at Twins camp and full of smiles in Fort Myers!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:44 AM by Mike 7

This was posted earlier, but many may have missed it as well due to the change in article.

http://www.interpretationbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IBD_baseball_flowchart.jpg

It's witty and clever decision flow chart making fun of the fanbase nuances found across the league. It hits the Yankees fans right from the get-go!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:22 AM by lindywig 8

Excellent!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:22 AM by Ben 9

Sorry I may have missed this in a previous thread, but what are the plans with the space in the outfield where the trees originally were?

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:28 AM by Mike 10

Officially, there are no plans for the former tree space. They will be putting a dark mesh over the batter's eye, and that's it.

Obviously, there is room for creativity there, but nothing which could impact the hitters.

You may remember that I was pulling for a waterfall -- only between innings, of course -- that would bubble up and over that wall and into the container area below.

Minneapolis was, as a matter of fact, situated because of the nearby St. Anthony Falls, which powered mills (flour and lumber) for almost a century.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:15 PM by Rick 11

They should in the least, fill that hole with water. Take out the bark and put some water in there. Would be cool to see homerun balls splash into it (except I can only remember a few that landed in the batters eye)

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:35 PM by PatMeares 12

(I'm putting the following in a comment to get to all you regulars first...)

Through a friend of BPM, I've managed to secure group tickets to two games for this year's official BallparkMagic Nights!

Saturday, April 9, Section T (Skyline Deck, vs. Oakland)
Tuesday, August 23, Section 140 (RF Bleachers, vs. Baltimore)

Tickets will be sold at face value plus shipping through this site.

If you're interested, send me a message (rick at this domain).

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:53 PM by Rick 13

Went to the open house on March 21 last year and the snow was entirely gone. This winter has dragged on W-A-Y too long. Sargeant Preston of the Yukon would look right at home in those pictures posted today.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:03 PM by terry 14

Only problem with having water in that area in center field is on sunny days, the sunlight would reflect onto that batter's eye wall - and that would be more distracting than the trees were.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:04 PM by F_T_K 15

Click name to bid on TF batter's eye tree.

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:17 PM by Buzz 16

Rick, those are 2 of the dates I have on my 20 game plan F. I'm in Skyline view seats. How many seats do you have and what is the price? Wow 1500 bid on one of the trees..

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:48 PM by TwinkFan 17

Awesome updates Rick!

I have my ticket draft sunday and I can't wait for this season to get going!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 4:56 PM by CSG Mike 18

Terry - I remember that as well, although, if memory serves correctly, they still had the bleach white tarp over the field during the Open House - whereby this year, they just peeled it off a couple days ago.

I remember being so bummed they still had the tarp on during the Open House. I wanted to see green grass!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 5:26 PM by luke 19

max,
we ate at Gimardi it was great pizza but the clzone sucked, the Blue point oyster resturant was great, shoeless joes is where our base was and it was good cheap drunk food.. great beer deals (1.50 taps 4-8) downtown was a blur but we partyed at the indigo room lots of women (spring break... the tgi fridays is the only bar around bell tower thats open past midnight on week nights but hald off apps..potts sports bar next to hammond stadium was good food, good drinks .. met a guy who inducted me into the "big fella fan club) gave me a shirt with a pic of wayne hatteway on it.. just good times!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 9:10 PM by mazaratirick 20

Got my 5 games secured through a friend who sells me 5 of his games. April 9th is one - might have to check out all the BPM regulars!

LOTS of snow has melted in the last 36 hours!

Posted on March 17, 2011 at 9:39 PM by ole 21

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"You talk about the magic, the aura, but what really makes a stadium is the fans. Concrete doesn't talk back to you. Chairs don't talk back to you. It's the people who are there, day in, day out, that makes the place magic."

– Bernie Williams

Explore the Site

Here are 50 images chosen randomly from the 3004 found on this site. Click the image to be taken to the original post. A new list is created every 10 minutes.

Section 237, Row 15 (top of the Trap)

Did you know that the out-of-town scoreboard is covered by a black chain 1ink fence?

Just some of the lumiaries who turned out for the unveiling (Terry is clearly thinking about Sidney Ponson).

Skywalk over Seventh, looking back toward the parking ramp

An escalator was going in the day I was there.

At Comerica Park, some aisles have railings and some do not.

In the top of the 9th, the sun hit our backs and summer took one last long look.

The heretofore unseen north facade (click to enlarge). Does it look like a ballpark? And what's with the bamboo?

Location for automated ticket machines

Some people will go to work here every day.

Pesky Reality

The model still shows the Batters Eye Club, which is no longer part of the design.

Stairs and escalator down to the platform

Work on the pavilion in center.

The louvres on Fifth have been completely filled in

The Legends Club retail store is just visible at the right of this picture.

I have no idea what this is or does, but as gear goes, it's totally boss, man. (Attached to a railing just off of the Trap)

They can put a camera just about anywhere. (Photo by Jeff Ewer)

Stairs down to the sidewalk from the skywalk over Seventh

Look! Speakers!

From the TV camera platform -- the view you'll see on TV

Final Metrodome baseball sight

Staircase view

Good seats, but no scoreboard or sky.

Poles through the gap

Now looking north, the tracks emerge from beneath Seventh Street as freight tracks only. The Northstar line ends at the northwest corner of the ballpark. One day, however, you can bet that other passenger trains will approach from the southwest metro on these tracks -- if our legislators are smart and persistent, that is.