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Next game at Target Field: Brewers at Twins |
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Picture of the Day
BallparkMagic presents a little bit of Target Field each day. (Click to enlarge.)  Places: Third Base LoungeAugust 20, 2010 11:08 PM The verdict on the First Base Lounge was swift. You were underwhelmed, to put it mildly. My hunch is that you'll feel pretty much the same about its brother across the diamond. If anything, it's even less elaborate, partly because it's not a mirror image, and doesn't have the benefit of the long walkway entrance. Also, I guess there aren't as many third baseman to be memorialized (I counted only three; at the end of this post you can see a comprehensive list).
Stepping through the bowl entrance door, you have to turn left immediately into a long hallway which connects to the service corridor. It's not much to see.
In fact, that poor guy had been stationed there just to make sure people did not slip on the wet floor, which was covered with condensation from the air conditioning duct-work running directly above. He was pretty cheery, and very helpful, but it didn't look like a very fun job -- especially when there's a major league baseball game going on about 50 feet away and you can neither see nor hear it. This reminds me of two short stories from the past couple of weeks. First was a conversation with an elevator operator at TF who said that the radio feed had just started being piped into his elevator car. He was grateful, but admitted that with people coming and going all the time, it was hard to track much of the game. The other was a conversation with a security guard who was pretty confident he'd been hired because he was not much of a baseball fan. His sense was that his bosses wanted people who wouldn't be distracted by either the game or their surroundings. Makes perfect sense, and it didn't take too much additional conversation to confirm that he was pretty disinterested in the whole thing. Back to business. The lounge hallway has a door to the left (not seen) which leads to a room for pregame ceremony participants, and a double door to the right into the lounge. There are also two big roll-up metal doors (more visible below) which separate the hallway from the lounge. My hunch (unconfirmed) is that these can go up during a rain delay to make better use of the space.
As was pointed out in yesterday's comments, the primary purpose of these lounges is to save a bunch of long walks up to the main concourse, and provide some respite from the elements. And they serve that purpose very well. Except during a rain delay (when they're packed to the gills), they are generally sparsely-populated, meaning lines to food and restrooms are not an issue. I will admit that when I walked into the first base lounge in March, I thought that it wasn't finished yet. So I was a little surprised when these never changed after that point. Most glaring to me was the bare cement floor, which is in stark contrast to almost every other part of the park. And the ceiling, though finished, tends to make it feel more cavernous than you might want. There is clearly room for improvement in the ambiance. A different floor/lighting/ceiling combo would make these a little more inviting. Also, unlike many other such areas, there is no memorabilia on display. That would also serve to warm them up a bit. But I didn't see anybody complaining. As on the other side, the view of the game from the little walkway is terrific.
Again, for fun, here's the comprehensive list of players who have ever started a game for the Twins at third base (with number of starts and era) through the '09 season. Gary Gaetti (1286, 1981-1990) (It was a fun little project to write the program which extracted that info. Any other positions you'd like to see?)
Barring the completion of something more consequential (unlikely because I'm going to the game tomorrow afternoon -- section 237, row 1), tomorrow night we'll look at the Legend's Club, which may take more than one post. CommentsTo utilized enhanced comment features, please enable cookies in your browser. Those Section 1 and Section 16 Dugout Box WC Row have to be the best seats in the house...plenty of leg room and an exceptional view!
Posted on August 20, 2010 at 11:33 PM by TK
So I took my 11 year old sister to her first Twins game and thanks to Rick and many others on this site was able to give her a great tour and informational on the stadium. We were able to get a ball from Liriano before the game, enjoy a hotdog and peanuts together, and have a happy birthday wish on Twins-O-Gram! One thing that I wanted to mention was what occurred during the 7th inning stretch. We were off to the concessions and I mentioned that we could check out the organist Sue. My sister thought that would be cool, well we timed it perfectly and got to sing "Take me out to the ball game" with Sue and it was awesome. The place was packed, people were holding each other and swaying together while singing and it was a neat experience. I think we found a new ballpark tradition!
Posted on August 20, 2010 at 11:52 PM by Josh
I do agress with Rick that there should be some small design changes to help these lounges feel more inviting. Hopefully the Twins will look at these suggestions and make changes during the off season.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 08:57 AM by Jeff
I don't see the need for upgrades. After all, these are merely glorified restrooms and concession stands, aren't they? The luxury is in their convenient location, the lower fan-to-fixture ratio, and the shelter from the elements.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 09:04 AM by Dr. X
Star Tribune reported that the Ballpark Authority approved 1.5 million dollars for funding toward the new transit hub that is proposed around Target Field.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 09:06 AM by Jeff
Target Field gets the Torii Hunter Seal-of-Approval . . .
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 11:41 AM by Expectorate
Great day for a game? With Sunday's game as the ESPN Sunday night feature game, the game time has been moved from an afternoon game to a 7:10 start. I thought this was a great change. I have tickets, but with the current weather, I was happy it had changed to a night game. It is so much cooler at night rather than baking in the sun in the afternoon. I checked Stubhub today and was surprised to see almost 2000 tickets still for sale and Standing room only going for less than face value. There are 97 SRO tickets on sale for $20 or less. I think the twins were selling them for $22.50. Is the bloom finally off the rose or is 7:00pm just too late for a Sunday night. Do people hate to stay out late on Sunday nights, knowing they have to get up early for work on Monday morning? What do you think? Since it is a nationally televised game, I thought it would be in higher demand than your typical Sunday game.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 12:43 PM by minn55441
Interesting points to ponder. Probably a combination of all three - although that's obviously the easy way out. The "ticket brokers" probably have the best handle on the Keynesian dynamics - do any of those types hang out here and care to comment?
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 1:04 PM by Ben
Another factor to consider is the Vikings are playing on Sunday night as well on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Yes, I know its only preseason, but the NFL is the King of Sports and the Vikings are the most popular team in the market. It was nice when the Twins played the Sunday night game on Memorial Day weekend because Monday was a holiday. Otherwise 7pm Sunday night games are too late when many people have to work the next day. It would pretty much be the same as a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night game at 7pm.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 2:13 PM by Mike
Last night was pretty miserable for people with a low heat/humidity tolerance - at lease in the terrace seating. A puff of air would have made all the difference. Tonight looks to be no better - maybe worse.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 2:29 PM by Ben
Thanks Mike. I totally missed the fact that there was a conflict with the Vikings game. It is beyond me how people can watch preseason football. Then again, those same people tuned into the Vikings Sunday night are probably wondering why someone would pay to sit outside on a humid summer night for a regular season baseball game. To each their own I guess.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 3:06 PM by minn55441
I would bet it's the Vikings. I'm a big Twins fan, and a season ticket holder for both Twins and Vikings. But I would still rather watch a pre-season Vikings game than a regular-season Twins game. Football is still king.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 3:34 PM by antifire
What is this "foot" ball of which you speak? Posted on August 21, 2010 at 4:31 PM by Rick 13 Rick --- You being well towards to the patrician end of the scale makes it very difficult to explain. Suffice to say that it is a sport designed to entertain those among us who lack the capacity to understand a game abounding with subtle tactics, strategy, and skill.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 4:40 PM by Ben
I sure do not understand the mentality of the fan who boos A.J. Pierzynski (who was traded) but do not boo Torii Hunter (who left voluntarily as a free agent). Is it just a personality thing? Seems rather illogical. Personally I boo neither, but am curious about the mindset.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 7:05 PM by Badjuggler
AJ is a prick, Torii isn't.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 7:57 PM by billymayshere
Rick (or anyone else who knows), How does a person in a wheelchair get to the Dugout Box WC seats from the main concourse?
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 10:42 PM by FD
FD, Just take an elevator down to the service level (which is also where the Champion's Club and 1B/3B Lounges are located). Then you will pass through one of the lounges to get to the accessible seats. Posted on August 21, 2010 at 10:58 PM by Rick 18 antifire, Football, er, the NFL, sucks.
Posted on August 21, 2010 at 11:41 PM by theloniousjoe
i agree with antifire. college & pro football are king. i really like baseball (almost love), but i love gophers football and vikings football. it is strange because i did't even play organized football growing up (baseball & hockey), but seem to enjoy it more than baseball and enjoy it a whole more than hockey. hockey in general (pro and college around the country) was really good when i was growing up......now for some reason i think it is just horrible. i guess gary bettman in charge of the nhl and the complete watering down of the wcha and ccha (by allowing all of these no-name, small schools to join the two hockey conferences) will do that to the game.
Posted on August 22, 2010 at 12:11 AM by Betaband
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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 WilliamsExplore the SiteHere 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.
  A glimpse of the rather plain west facade (the side which faces the HERC plant).  Good seats, but no scoreboard or sky.  This is the LRT bridge under construction as viewed from the east looking west. The ballpark facade would be at the left in this photo.  Playing surface dirt out there? Maybe. (click to enlarge)   Looking the other direction, again from Ford Centre, you can see what's going on over the tracks. This will be a public promenade.      A mysterious smile from within a very deep planter!   You'll be able to park here for a quick stop at the Pro Shop or ticket window.   This design has a rather generic quality to it, but they appear to have considered the B garage. Though it isn't part of the model, they've clearly left room for it.   Look! Speakers!  One half of those windows are well-used.     The brick has been tinted where the circulation ramp meets the admin building.  The Metropolitan Club (click to enlarge)  The Lincoln Saltdogs (and a promotional Nerd)  Ballpark elevation diagram, viewed from Fifth Street. (Click to enlarge.)  I had to hold the camera as far over my head as I could to get this shot, in which the infield is finally visible. It's a spot made for your average Timberwolves player.  Crosswalk taking shape.   At left, across the tracks by that pile of dirt is where the Northstar commuter train platform will be built, and where Twins fans will apparently NOT be able to get a train after night games. (For reference, that's the Fifth Street bridge, with the ballpark site just beyond it. The east corner of Ford Centre is just visible at the right edge of the picture.)  The heretofore unseen north facade (click to enlarge). Does it look like a ballpark? And what's with the bamboo?      Here's a first view of the surprisingly spacious walkway on Fifth between the ballpark and the LRT platform.  Looking up Seventh Street to the west   End of the line.  Just one lane of traffic and a couple of feet between the fence in right-center and the wall of the parking ramp!  The lot within the lot.  Discussions in progress on some very brown grass...  June 29,1936 - May 17, 2011    Dome, what have you taken from us?  From the roof of the Minnekahda building (courtesy Bruce Lambrecht).  Ahh. Lunch in the admin building...  Click to enlarge.  An overview of the model display. Welcome Visitors From Two Men On (Accessiblity) Glossary BPM - Ballpark Magic BRT - Bus Rapid Transit DSP - Dave St. Peter FSE - Full Season Equivalent FYS - Fake Yankee Stadium (see also: NYS) HERC - Hennepin Energy Resource Company (aka the Garbage Burner) HPB - Home Plate Box HRP - Home Run Porch LC - Legends Club LRT - Light Rail Transit MBA - Minnesota Ballpark Authority (will own Target Field) MOA - Mall of America MSFC - Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission (owns the Metrodome) NYS - New Yankee Stadium SRO - Standing Room Only STH - Season Ticket Holder TCFBS - TCF Bank Stadium TF - Target Field Selected Bibliography - Analysis
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