Bring the heat Rick!!!

Remember the sidewalks and skyways are PUBLIC property! The team has no control of them at all. There is absolutely NO reason what so ever that anyone should stop taking pics, forming there own opinions, pointing out the obvious, describing what they see, and giving updates on whats happening in the area.

Me thinks we need a ninja photo update later today....

rick - i along with some others have been with you since almost day one and i just have to say: CONGRATS! YOU ARE #1 on Google! That is a big deal my friend.

seriously though. i am so glad i stumbled upon this site a few years back. it is a joy to visit your site almost every day. has been quite a ride so far.

i completely understand and get 100% that you have to be politically correct regarding all of this stuff with the website, etc. you obviously don't want to "bite the hand that feeds you" to some degree - i.e. the twins org.

but, in the immortal words of chuck d i just have to say: "fight the power!" :-)

keep up the good work brotha....it is appreciated by all of us

Beta

Keep up the good work, Rick; this site is a great discussion forum for the ballpark.

And everyone else, keep up the good work, too. I've seen tons of great information show up in the comments, and for those of us who care, it's welcomed.

Information is free and free-flowing. You can't stop it, and it's very hard to even charge for it. Those of us who hit this blog for details will know all of the "a-ha" things in advance, but we choose to spoil it for ourselves. There will be plenty of fans who show up on day one with no knowledge who will be surprised and amazed. Those of us here will just be amazed, which is fine by me.

The Twins need to recognize that this is like a movie trailer. You must reveal some bits of the film in the preview to get people excited to see the movie itself.

^I second everything said by Beta... Please don't stop posting updates Rick just because people in the P.R. dept. have sour grapes. No one should stop using there freedom of speech and stop telling those not in the metro whats going on.

Rick, this is the best blog and site out there on the new stadium!

I have been a faithful reader of this blog for a long time and I have enjoyed every post.
DSP’s blog has been nothing but disappointing this past year. His last blog is nearly two months old.

The Twins are making a major mistake on turning their back on you and the other curious folks out there who have nothing but honest admiration of the new stadium. As we all know, pictures and videos are one thing and actually being there is another. The shock and awe or the "Ah-ha” moments will be there for everyone when Target Field opens.

Shame on Kevin Smith and Dave St. Peter!

Keep going Rick, for those of us outside the great Twin Cities keep going! This is a fantastic site and I was shocked when I couldn't find something of equal value when the new Yankees and Mets stadiums were being constructed. You are doing all of us avid readers and the ENTIRE Twins organization a great service with your blog and I congratulate you.

Keep this going!

The old guard is going to have to realize the value of alternative media sooner or later. Your site is a great example of the unfiltered information that has the internet taking down newspapers all over the country. I for one appreciate all the material that I'd never get through official channels. Keep it up!

Hmmm. And all this time, I thought we were the ones paying for this place.

It's like building a new house, and then 6 months before you're supposed to move in, the builder says, "You can't come see your house until your move-in date. And then we're going to charge you again to walk through the front door."

It's not as if you HAVE to look at blogs. If you want to save the "ah ha" moments, don't visit the web sites.

This is a serious bumble on the Twins' part.

Rick,

That's not horseshit on the sidewalk...It's bullshit. The bullshit left behind by Scott O'Connell and Kevin Smith no doubt.

Calls have been placed. Levers have been pulled.

The ninja will strike again before the park is finished.

Let us remind Kevin Smith that we paid for the majority of his new house, and you can be damned that when I'm building a house that I pay for, I don't wait until it's built to make sure it's being done to my satisfaction.

Kevin, you are casting a dark cloud rather than taking advantage of free marketing and a good way to generate excitement. Let me also remind you that secrecy breeds speculation. You sir, are an imbecile!

Don't let them discourage you Rick, you provide a great service for people actually interested in baseball and community development rather than another way to milk a $. Much appreciated.

I don't think claiming that we are the ones paying for the ballpark is a particularly good argument. The Twins don't have any legal responsibility to the taxpayers beyond what their contracts with the county (and any other government entities) require of them. After all, the Twins aren't taxing anyone - the government is. If you have a beef, its probably more so with the ballpark authority, etc.

That being said, the Twins do run a risk of alienating the fan base in situations like this. I would guess, however, that a fairly small percent of the Twins fans care (or are even aware) of such issues - and I'm pretty sure noone will be canceling season ticket plans because they didn't get pictures of the sod growing.

I second what andy just said, i mean of all the twins fans that but tickets and enjoy the twins, the ones that come to this site are such a small percentage and agreed with andy when im sure no one will care too much because they didnt get an extra picture of the field growing in another state. but this is a great site, and a year from now we will me watching the games in target field rather then blogging on the construction, so im just happy about seeing the field with my own two eyes

This is ridiculous, I live in Texas and the Twins provide inadequate information and pictures. What am I supposed to wait 2 months before their next update? This website is the only thing keeping me from being pissed off about not being able to see anything.

Rick - I didn't intend to start anything when I posted the responses from O'Connell and Smith. If this somehow causes you grief, I apologize.

I was just surprised at the response - I mean what possible harm could come from someone wanting to take pictures of grass? This is the Twins (and the county's) project - they have a right to control it however they see fit. In my opinion, they have missed the mark in a couple of ways. First, if the reference to blogs was directed to you (and, given that this seems to be the top site devoted to the subject and the one I mentioned in my note, that seems to be a good bet), don't take it as a critisism - your coverage has been fair and it's very clear you don't have any hidden agenda.

But keep up the good work - I've learned some fasinating things about Target Field, the approval and design process that I never would have known without this site.

To others that say "hey, we are paying for the stadium" - I don't really buy that argument (I've spent/committed a small fortune with the Twins for this year and next, so, even though I'm not yet a HC taxpayer, I'd put myself in that group). Even the most cynical of you must admit that the Twins can't possibly honor every request made of them for information on or access to Target Field and they don't have any obligation to do so. Besides, so what if a hundred people or so might be upset? No real downside from the Twins point of view. Are people here going to be so upset that they won't come to the park? The Twins want the same thing as all of us here - for Target Field to be great. They aren't going to care if we think they are clueless about why it's a good idea to help Rick and others, officially or otherwise, generate interest in the project.

The bottom line is this - for whatever reason, the Twins don't know how or don't want to harness the passion of you and those here that are excited about the team and Target Field. It may be as simple as numbers - I'm sure that only a very small portion of the Twins fan base has more than a passing interest in this site.

As roro said above, this will all be forgotten on opening day when we walk around and in the park and each have our own "Ah-ha" moment.

There are stables not that far from the "road apple" pic. Could be a byproduct of the mounted police or from one of the many carriages that wander around the streets of downtown Minneapolis in the evenings.

It makes me wonder what the streets were like when horse-and-buggy transportation was the norm.

As to the stadium pic debate: we are getting to the point where external shots aren't going to yield much new information, anyways... so why not start focusing on the surrounding neighborhood? Did we ever hear about the re-route of Bassett's Creek (As I remember, the conduits used to run directly under Target Field, and there was talk of a re-route or a resurfacing of the creek). What ever happened to Twinsville? Was there a resolution on Mary's Place? Even without a steady diet of construction photos, there is still plenty to discuss... The way I see it, if the stadium is done right, it is a catalyst for further development in the area.

"And I have been (and will continue to be) critical when something worrisome arises (I've got a big one in my hopper right now that we'll be talking about in the coming days)"

Man am I the only one whose curious to know what this is?

Oh and love how the header/banner changes monthly, it really shows the progress.

Well don't forget that before the ballpark bill passed in May 2006, the Twins endlessly campaigned to the fans to "call your legislators today", "tell you friends and family members to contact their legislators"...The Twins also called up many fans on the phone several times and solicited them to call their representatives to help get the ballpark bill passed.

In the end, its the fans who got this ballpark built and are paying for a majority of it through the Hennepin County sales tax.

I could care less about seeing pictures of sod growing, but I just hope the Twins don't turn arrogant on this issue as the opening of Target Field approaches 10 months.

Rick- This is a great site to get updates, i haven't had a lot of time to just go down and walk around the park to see it, and as it was pointed out, i don't need to wait 2 months for the twins to finally put up an update, which is really not enough of an update, as you(and everyone on this site)give

Keep it up!

ment to say i don't want to wait not need but yea

I'm afraid it's too late Mike...They turned arrogant a couple of years ago. It's a cancer that is spreading throughout the organization...And now that Daddy is gone, I'm worried that it's getting worse. Terry Ryan was a gentleman, Billy Smith is an ass. Jerry Bell is a good guy but has always been smug. DSP used to be great with fans when lobbying to get the ballpark bill passed through the legislature and now he treats fans as if they're in his way. Seeing these statements from Kevin Smith and Scott O'Connell just proves the arrogance is spreading like cancer.

This argument isn't about Sod growing....It never has been. It started with an average man and his son trying to take a few pictures of a building that HIS TAXDOLLARS are paying for. A building which the ballclub BEGGED its fans to call legislators and the governor on their behalf. A man and his little boy taking pictures in a PUBLIC SKYWAY no less! No photograph policy????? What kind of crap is that? They're buiding an f'n ballpark, not the Pentagon. And what is this bullshit about a ha moments??? The only a ha moment I want in this new park is a goddam setup man that can pitch!!

Damn, the Twins are being very unclassy about this now that they have their ballpark mostly done. I have been reading this site since 2006 about 10 times or more a day, and they have the nerve to say that "much of the information shared is speculation and discussion rather than information based in fact."

Not based in fact? There is more facts on this site than on their website. I have not seen much on this site that is not becoming a reality. All the way from info. on the Met, the land dispute, metrodome rock, etc. Actually there is more detail and fact than could possably be listed on one post, and almost anything you want to know about TF and the history of ballparks in MN are unparalleled.

Rick, maybe you accomplished your mission statement already...by becoming the thorn in their side to make the Target Field the best that it can be, as it is still our ballpark...And you are going to bat for all of us. I would not lose any sleep over it.

Scott and Kevin,
We all know you read this site and probably use it as a tool as to what us die-hard ballpark fans wanted to see at TF. I think that lots of the small things that are the "ah-ha" moments were probably conceived from this site. The Twins should be embracing this site and be proud of how well construction is being documented here without having Rick on the payroll when he obviously is better at it than whoever is on the payroll. Imagine what Rick could do if he was on the payroll without having to "speculate". Hell, it was Rick's idea about the Met flag pole, and how do you thank him? You put it where it looks like an outcast to the ballpark! They should also not bite the hands that feed them both financially and with mounds of ideas. Very unclassy, unprofessional, and unnecessary. Shame on you! Keep up the great work Rick!

Flag poles in the infield seem to be down/being taken down. American Flag now flying in the right field bleachers. Also seems like they are doing a lot of scoreboard work today.

We have been defending the new ballpark to people who are upset about not having a roof, upset it is being paid for by taxpayers, upset that it is next to the HERC, called our legislators, and what do we get in return?...Spit in our faces, unbelievable!

Rick -- I wouldn't read anything sinister into this. It's just the usual stupidity. The Twins are paying big bucks for a stadium construction website, and the only time anyone goes there (instead of here) is because someone here links to it for the monthly update. Can you imagine going a month between updates? I sure can't. The Twins need to embrace the enthusiasm of their fans, not try to suppress it.

to those who didn't agree with my argument against the Twins policies that the taxpayers paid for this park --

you are absolutely right -- that anger should be directed at the organization that took the money and is spending it to build the park, namely the county and the ballpark authority. they are the ones who should be accountable and ensure that taxpayers are made aware of what they are spending our money on. They are also the ones that before the legislation was ever passed should have retained something like the naming rights for example, so that the taxpayers could have regained some of their investment rather than a nice big bow on the Pohlad's xmas present.

But I still blame the Twins organization for being voluntarily secretive and stingy about things as silly as construction photography for no good reason.

And thank you Kevin for pointing out that this topic upsets people for reasons other than not being able to see some grass.

It seems to me that the Twins are merely jealous of this site Rick. The powers that be over at 34 Kirby Puckett Place can't stand the fact that Twins fans come here to inquire about the latest developments of OUR ballpark, rather than suffer through Dave St. Peter's feeble attempts of updating the fanbase. I would treat it as almost an "honor" that they are so frustrated with you and us as a whole, that they want to hide any progress in a shroud of secrecy in an attempt to be the first ones to break any news of Target Field's progression. I read this site daily.(more like 10 times a day) I truly appreciate it and all the comments that you and others provide. It's a damn shame the Twins won't applaud your efforts the way I'm sure all of us do.

Speaking of blogs....Again I have to bring up a blog which the Twins really ought to thank their lucky stars for. Shane's Greet Machine was monumental at organizing fans to contact legislators. His voting guide kept track of politicians favorable/unfavorable rating when it came to the ballpark. This blog was known...WELL KNOWN by legislators at the Capitol.

The Twins really need to wake up or that ballpark after a couple of years will be as empty as the Met was in 1979.

This is expected, Rick does not run ads for the Twins or make them any money.. also its kinda a slap in the Twins face on how well Rick and others can cover this ballpark on his /our free time when they waste millions on stupid ballpark updates and crappy webcams....

Rick, i look at this as almost a complement...kudos

In all due respect to the Twins, they are providing 'adequate' coverage of the ballpark construction to a majority of the fans who are just your "average" fan with little to basic knowledge of the ballpark.

The issue is that we discuss things much more in-depth and much more frequently on this site (and baseball fever) rather than the "average" fan the Twins are aiming at.

We are just a very small audience. So many of the "average" fans know little to nothing about this ballpark, and some still want to think it will eventually have a roof.

I think if you were an average fan or an outsider, a monthly update would be adequate from that perspective.

It's the hardcore enthusiasts such as ourselves, who demand more frequent updates. Unfortunately, the Twins are targeting the average fan and not the hardcore enthusiasts. That is the reason we come to sites such as this and baseballfever to curb our appetite.

The Twins have done a terrible job of marketing the new stadium. Fans are naturally curious ab the park and are therefore loging on to this site. The Twins should embrace the enthusiasm of those on this site.

I think the bottom line is that the Twins would have been much better served by embracing (instead of shunning with arrogance) the folks who have a genuine interest in the continuing construction of Target Field.

This includes the people who take time out of their day/week to walk around the park taking pictures (um...Marketing 101 this is making the Twins money indirectly) and the daily visits to Rick's site for more updates (um...Free advertising, it doesn't get any easier/better than that). C'mon this isn't rocket science.

I've got a couple questions/points regarding this whole issue:

1. Who the hell watches the local news anymore? Are you kidding? (BTW, Twins, I'm an avid fan who lives in the North Loop, and who represents your fanbase under 40 years old.

2. No coverage of NYS? The blog SLIDING INTO HOME had nearly daily updates with a dozen pics or so a day of what was going on there. It was awesome.

3. Since most of the Twins front office must have graduated before the internet age, I've linked a history and guide of how things in modern society are properly marketed. THIS SITE ADDS TO YOUR EFFORTS, NOT DETRACTS.

Ha - i love that wiki page, it's got MLM pyramid schemes on there...

Anyone want to start a Target Field Pyramid scheme?

Well OG you better stop walking around your own neighborhood and posting pictures on a blog....You're going to ruin my a-ha moment!

Who doesn't like local news? It's easy to do, it's typically informative, and it's often a train wreck. That's like the Holy Trinity of awesomeness. Fox 9 is so outrageous between the "Investigators" and Tim Blotz (whom I adore), that you'd be hard pressed to find anything more entertaining on TV. Or the Internet. Embrace local news; it's ours.

Marketing 101:

Your best customers are your "Cheerleaders". These are the people who will jump up and down telling anyone who will listen about the virtues of your business. They go out of their way to speak highly of your endeavors and are your biggest fans. You treat these people like royalty as they are invaluable to the success and continued financial growth of your business.

an FYI: Fox 9 goes HD today

Maybe we should request an exclusive from the Twins. If Kare 11 can get one, why can't we? This is more in depth coverage than Kare does anyway...

It's not like TV has a larger audience than the internet (i.e. twinsballpark2010). We should be the first to get an exclusive, after all, the Twins wanted our fan feedback for ballpark ideas and now we're scum! Alienating the most interested fans of Target Field who will build enthusiasm for your business, GREAT PR MOVE! Sorry, I'm done posting about this topic every few minutes, but they need to get out of the stone age and realize that this is the future of PR...

Don't be scared by the suits! O'Connell and K. Smith are just blowing smoke. They are just saying what they have to say since this site is not officially sponsored/endorsed by the Twins. I can assure you though that they both sneak a peek at it, as it is FAR superior to the updates that are on the official site. Do not let them stop you Rick from maintaining the best Target Field and Twins fan link out there!

I'm fairly new to this site, and excuse me if this subject has already been discussed ad nauseum...but has there been any study detailing how long the lines for LRT might be after a sold-out game? And from what I can tell, the station area is not very large, so where on Earth would that line form up?

Max - look no further than Apple Computer for a business thriving on "cheerleaders"

At least some sports teams are starting to get media's future. The best example I know of is the Washington Capitals. They have gone as far as setting up a "blogger pressbox" and providing building and internet access to the serious bloggers

The twins should let us know what exactly it was that caused them to TRY to pass these barbaric, fascist and f'ed up so called rules. (What exact a-ha moment did we as a community "steal")
sorry but this just really irks me in ways I rarely get mad... that's all..

BTW New Yorkers NEVER stopped taking pics no matter what the teams said click link for prof.

Fred - the 1/4 mile of extra track beyond the station is where the LRT cars are stacked and line up. Problem solved.

Wow, Kevin and Scott... Do you want me to blow your big uniform "a-ha" moment too? Well, I guess I might lose my job if i did.

Twins employees read this page.

A lot.

Fox9 has been HD since Feb. 17th.
Both Kare11 and Fox9 are HD. It's the number 5 and the number 4 that have yet to make the switch.
I started watching the number 9 just for the fact they were HD!

To be fair to the Twins I think they're coverage has been pretty good. Mets were far worse, and I don't remember any good stuff done by the Yankee's, didn't follow the Nat's stadium, but I know the Cardinals did nothing substantial as well. If they Twins had an exclusive deal with KARE11 they are legally obligated to abide by it. I wouldn't be overly concerned, overall they have been a big help to us in the long run. If you read, especially the early posts, there is a lot of speculation, sure there is plenty of fact, but I think you are all looking too deep into this.

off-putting smugness. Here's the biggest issue coming up: DSP said that Target Field will generate about $40 million dollars more than the dome. And half that will be open for player payroll. If the Twins fail to increase payroll, and can't sign Joe Mauer to a deal before his contract runs out after next season, I'll view this whole entire ballpark project as a scam. Off-putting smugness.

I know that this has probably been discussed ad naseum, but why doesn't the city tear down / relocate (?) HERC and use that land for urban development?

I'm hoping some one can link me to a previous discussion / article about this or maybe a succinct response. I know it would be expensive but it just seems as though the long term benefits outweigh these costs. I'm guessing it will never happen now because they are investing more money into HERC currently. Very disappointing.

I stumbled upon this site in the winter of 2007 - january maybe - it was like finding the holy grail. So much negativity in the way the stadium was being built and the land issues and all the local news channels wanted to do was rehash the "shocker" headlines. There was ONE investigative piece that I remember by Rick Kupchella on 11. Must be a Rick thing. Rick's ability to intelligently and professionally lay out the details and present the issues in a eased my nerves and my mind daily. I could at least be prepared for the worst but also reaffirm my hope for the best which was equally important, all because of his efforts.

I wanted so bad for this stadium to happen, which is what the twins wanted. Now they don't need my opinions and mysupport anymore so they close the door?

As an usher for their sub-.500 team, I'm frankly ashamed. Thanks for all you do to get me excited about this spectacular project...no, Kevin and Scott, not just for your precious organization, but for this city, and this tax payer base.

I read that they also designed the sidewalk along the ballpark to allow loading directly from the ballpark side, rather than just from the middle. In that case, they should be able to load 2 trains simultaneously.

HERC is not going anywhere. During the time of the ballpark construction, they tied it into the downtown steam distribution system to sell excess steam to heat the downtown buildings. When it was built, it was located in an undeveloped area between the bus garage and a parking lot.

LOOOOOOOONG Post here, just did a check on seat availability:

"Some Seat Selection availability updates for you all, non-1961 Season Ticket Holders began selecting today.

Legends and Champions club seem to be unavailable, these are separate from standard season tickets however.

Dugout Box’s on both sides are essentially gone, only exception would be the last few sections on the end.

Upper Deck 310&311 are unavailable, Family Section?

View Level (First Base line working around):

All open up until first row of section 307
Rows 8-11 taken in 308 and 309
Upper Deck 310&311 are unavailable, Family Section?
312-314 completely available.
315 rows 3,4,5 and 6 are gone, 4 seats on aisle of row 1 gone.
316-320 available
321 rows 8-11 gone
322 rows 8-11 and half of 12 gone
323 first row gone
324-327 available

Terrace Level (First Base line working around):

201-208 available
209 top two rows 4&5 gone
210-213 open
214 aisles of row 1 gone
215 row 1 gone
216 4 seats in rows 1,2 gone
217-221 available
222 rows 5,6,7 gone
223, 4 seats in row 1 gone
224-228 availble

Field Level (Working 1st baseline and around)

101-102 availble
103, rows 1,2, 20-23 gone
104 rows 1,2, 35-39 gone
105-106 available
107 row 1 gone, 2-4 aisle by home gone
108 row 1, 14-17 gone
109 row 1,2,3, 14-19 gone, aisles of 4-7 gone
110 rows 1-9,14-19,23-26 gone
111, row 1,2 gone
112, row 1-4 gone, 21-28 gone (include scoreboard obstructions)
113 rows 1-8, 22-14 gone
114 rows 1-17 gone
115 rows 1-7,21-22 gone
116 rows 1-4,20-28 gone
117 rows 1-2 gone
118 rows 1-6, 23-26 gone
119 rows 1-2 gone, first few rows aisle closest to home
120, row 1 gone, well two left in middle
121, few seats from row 1, 18 gone
122-123 available
124 rows 1-4,30-31, 35-39 gone
125 row 1 gone
126 row 1 gone
127 open

Bleachers!

128 open
129 rows 11-12 gone
130 half of rows 10-12 gone
131(by bullpens) row 1, aisle by bullpen of rows 2&3 gone

Left Field Home Run Porch is completely open

Trapezoid:

237 available
238 rows 9-10 gone"

Some of what I noticed is a lot of people are going for the overhangs in the lower bowl, probably about half of lower level ticket holders.

Yikes. Could be a tough ticket in 2010. Although, I figure, after 81 games at Target Field, the honeymoon will be over, and there'll be PLENTY of seats to be had at TF.

Legends and Champions club are unavvailable, because you have to purchase seat licenses for those areas before you can buy the season tickets.

Camden - what do you mean by "scoreboard obstructions" in section 112 row 21-28? That's gotta be one of the best seats in the whole place!
Check it out on the 3D seat thing on the website. 112 is almost smack behind home plate! and on the 3D thing, the scoreboard was in plain view. AND rows 25-28 are underneath the Legends Club overhang.

I don't know if this has been answered before (probably has) but what is the reason for the gap in the club level on the third base side?

Luke, I guess starting with row 24 in that section there is at least partial obstruction of the main video board according to the seat selection tool. Viewer starts at row 19. Overhang at 18. There must be something, hopefully no surprised for them, the Twins are making it really easy to understand what obstructions/annoyances there will be.

billy, past the gap are not part of the legends club, likely they will be sold to groups for single events, or individual club tickets like the Terrace Suites.

luke,
tonight's 5pm news marks the first hd broadcast of the fox9 news. anything you saw before would have been 16:9 sd

Is today's pace going to continue? Does anyone have any idea what the pacing is on seat selection?

Thanks for the complete update, I've been wishing it was posted on the public site.

MPR posted a few pics last evening.

Wow, thanks for the link, scoreboard is really coming along now.

Twins are really missing the boat if they are worried about losing the "aha moment." I go to this site daily, and scour the pictures. I've been to the ballpark site itself on a regular basis and have a pretty good idea of what's being built. I probably know the general layout of the new ballpark better than I know the dome.

However I still look forward to that first game. I will undoubtedly have tons of "aha moments" probably more so because I followed the construction from the first spade of dirt being overturned.

Are the Twins brass really that dumb?

Wow those tickets are going fast... i might not get my bleachers huh?

From the looks of the MPR pictures is looks like the Twins are going to emulate the new Yankee Stadiums now infamous moat, it looks like it will extend past the dugouts. Does anyone know if it will be completely fenced in like NYS?

Maz, only two rows are gone, Most of the full-season and partial will want to sit in the infield. I don't know if you'll get first row, but you should have a decent selection out there.

Yeah. The moat bums me out.

Why can't good seats just be good seats? All this "exclusivity" is sooo 2007.

Camden,

I look at the seat selector and it has not updated to what you are saying, is there another way you are finding this out? so i can track also ?

yes if i cant sit in the sun i will have to scrap my blechers and figure somthing else out...

the twins are making a significant miscalculation in choosing to strong arm rick's blog. whether intended or not, the perception of this cold shoulder is smug, elitist, and controlling. before the ballpark opens, mark my words, the twins will make an about-face on this one.

someone needs to photoshop a "kung-fu blogger" of rick and post the link here...

You're clicking on the sections right? Red dots are taken seats. Yeah just the two rows and a few seats by the bullpen when I looked again. But if your doing that and just seeing green, I don't know what's up.

Waiting patiently for Rick's "big bopper" story...

Looks like our view from the garage will be gone soon, scaffolding up by the triangular bill board.

Are there still going to be fire pits on the rooftop party deck? Anyone know if it's still in the plans? Sorry to those of you who didn't hear about this for ruining another "ah-ha" moment! If the casual fan wants an ah-ha moment then they don't come to this site anyway. This site is for more than the casual fan, it is for people who demand more info...

A couple pics from this morning...

OMG unk Tom OG.. you ruined it for me!!!!!

Nice shots OG Jeff.

Closed Circuit to the Ballpark Villains (Scott O'Connell and Kevin Smith):

Lonn Trost and Randy Levine, whom you know as the guys in charge of building the new Yankee Stadium, have egg all over their faces from their continued arrogance towards the fans during the entire process(the list of faux pas is endless). Let there be a lesson learned here. People will continue to take picture of "your" beloved ballpark whether you approve or not (ha check out the links this morning of --hush-- more pics of Target Field.)

Full interior and exterior pictorial of construction of NYS linked.

I spoke to the assignment editor at KUSA regarding the turf farm story - it will be broadcast here in Colorado on the 6pm broadcast, then uplinked with additional footage to KARE 11, who will run the story with (forgot the reporter's name) this evening on the 10pm newscast.

I'll grab the KUSA story (and will be getting a DVD from them) and will stick something out on YouTube as soon as I understand the rights.

Hopefully someone local can grab the KARE 11 story tonight.

"The Twins objected to you taking a picture of the grass? Really? Wow."

"The Twins organization is coordinating an extensive media coverage of this visit."

I wasn't able to find any information on this on the Twins web site.
But, maybe broadcasting the story to millions in multiple states without telling anyone to watch for it is a good thing.

We cut to a couple in Wyoming this evening:

"Hey Sally - some company in Colorado is growing grass for the Minnesota Twins new ball park for next year"

"WOW - I can't believe it. Call your mother in Minnetonka and tell her the Twins are building a new stadium. Maybe we should call to get season tickets - it's only an 18 hour drive to a game. I wonder if they are going to have a roof."

Oh man, jfh, I just spit up the soda I was drinking. That is hilarious.

Seems to me the Twins' front office has become increasingly arrogant since the first shovel went into the ground. As mentioned above, they've gone from begging and pleading for we fans to contact our legislators, to now bad-mouthing an "anonymous" ballpark website as unreliable. What happened to "this is YOUR team..."? In any case, thanks to Rick and all the other contributors here, we've all learned many details of TF weeks, sometimes months, before the Twins have seen fit to release it. Is there speculation here? Of course, but thats part of building anticipation. Thanks to all who post here - sometimes brilliant, sometimes not so much. It's all good. And a million times better than what the Twins have been spoon feeding us.

I just wanted to chime in and say that this site, ever since I discovered it about three years ago now, is one of the sites that I make sure to visit every day. It has been a pleasure to be informed on the progress of this project and this site offers the best way to be able to do that and for that reason it is the #1 link on Google for the new twins ballpark. Keep up the great work and if the Twins were smart they would find a way to utilize you Rick no matter the cost to them to ensure a great final product and informed fans about the project. Attending college away from the cities hasn’t allowed me to be as close to the project to follow it as I wish and this site helps to close the gaps.

Top ten things that I learned about the new Twins ballpark by making sure to visit this site every day (in no particular order):

1. Going to be named Target Field It Could Have Been Better/Worse
2. Not having a roof will be O.K. (I wasn’t even that skeptical of the idea from the get go but this site was able to provide me 100% satisfaction of not having a roof) Proudly Anti-Roof
3. History of the site (twinsbaseball.com has nothing on this) Baseball Soon, Parking Now, Lumber Then
4. In depth analysis of the virtual tour Touring the Virtual Tour
5. The webcam is available on twinsbaseball.com (otherwise I would not have visited their new ballpark page because there was nothing new worth visiting for the previous two months) Webcam!
6. New plaza design (see #5) Of Topiaries, Hops and Wind Veils
7. The story of the Met Stadium flag pole Some Flagpole History
8. More comfortable with the size of the site How Much Room...Really
9. The first views of the limestone exterior from street level Stoned!
10. Who the most dedicated fan to the project is Googled

And many others…Thanks for the hard work Rick and don’t ever let them change your dedication

JCE,
Did you know that their were 29 horizontal canopy supports currently in place? #30 and #31 will likely happen in the next couple weeks...you can't find that at twinsbaseball either. :-)

so looking on webcam 1, it looks like the arch on the ground just inside the gate next to the steps to the rf bleachers appear to be the start of the target logos on the plaza.

tom - I doubt there will be firepits on top of the admin building, but I don't know for sure. I had heard the firepit thing when they talked about a brits roof style green garden thingy. That was way before the party deck plans. It looks like it'll be a pretty standard beer roof. Closed off to people like me.

Thanks to Rick and all the other for all the great pictures and updates that the Twins don't offer. I visit this site four or five times a day to see and hear updates since the Twins update there site about once a month. When they do update there site is a lousy update anyway

Just confirmed, the first seat in target field has been installed, its like playing wheres waldo, and it depends how big your monitor is, but its there. i even asked a construction guy from the site, its there, may 12!

hmmm....i checked, both webcams. i didn't see anything.

Took a walk around the field today, and saw down in the players' parking lot what I think is the steel framing to the sky bridge. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera, but can anyone confirm if that is the the bridge or is it something else?

Where exactly is the first seat? Don't they install the arm rests which connect to the stadia before they put in the actual seats?

9News in Colorado did a story on the TF sod today (click link), which contained this nugget:

"Target Field is set to have a retractable roof and will have heat cables to potentially melt snow making drainage essential."

It's like a political zombie lie, this roof of ours.

An NBC affiliate in Colorado just posted a story about the sod farm. Leave it to the traditional media to screw up the details:

"Target Field is set to have a retractable roof and will have heat cables to potentially melt snow making drainage essential."

Haha, we caught the same error at the same time other guy.

whoa, nice simultaneous post, guys

Rick, your site has kept me from losing my mind down here. Your dedication to this blog is unmatched!

The Twins can shove their "ha"s up there "ah"s.

If you're going to claim that seat installation has begun then you should point out where it is. For now, I'm just going to imagine that the first "seat" to be installed has been a toilet.

just watched the little tour given by kevin smith... no ah-ha's... must be the fault of this blog and all of it's "rumors"

btw... haven't read on any "blogs" covering TF that we'll have a roof... luckily "legitimate journalists" would never make such an egregious and obvious mistake...

there is something very frustrating when the Team refuses to use a great resource like an independent, well read, and accurate blog is dismissed by an organization that relied on them so heavily to do the political heavy lifting.

i'm hoping this attitude will change back, it'd be nice if they would adopt an attitude of making Rick privy to details again, and simply ask he embargo some things until a release date... nothing wrong with that. communication helps reduce speculation gents...

The roof must be the "ah-ha" they were talking about

Was there a video with the sod article? If so could someone point me in the right direction I must have missed it.

Rick: What is up with the bold font? Is this a new addition to the site?

I agree about the John. I think that was the first "seat" to be installed.

Ok i know this is off subject, but baseball fans, let me know your thoughts, is it just me or does it seem like the homeruns this year seem to be way up, i mean if u look as some of the home run numbers for some of these guys and some of them have already matched or exceeded there home run averages not even a quarter of the way into the season, i dunno, last year the home run totals were down from the nthe previous numbers in the past 10 years for obvious reasons, but were on pace to be back to those crazy numbers from earlier in the decade, any thoughts?

He comes some gasoline for the fire names Jesse Crain, why is this guy still in the bullpen he is garbage!

Twins to Lease Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS--The new home of the Minnesota Twins will be more than that, according to the team's spokesman.

Twins' Executive Director of Public Affairs Kevin Smith acknowledged Tuesday that the Major League Baseball club, with the blessing of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority and Target Corp., will lease Target Field to outside parties during road trips and the offseason.

According to documentation acquired by the Associated Press, the team has already leased the site to several organizations, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, the North Minneapolis Indian Association Jai Alai League and a General Mills corporate summer softball tournament.

With a tiered-fee structure, the leases could reap an estimated $2.2 million annually for what the Twins organization deemed future "ah-ha moments."

"We feel that by opening this tremendous venue to the public it will create goodwill for the community as well as provide revenue for improvements that will ensure that Target Field remains the premier ballpark in all of baseball," remarked Twins President Dave St. Peter. While St. Peter would not specify what those improvements would be, he said that Twins fans should not be surprised if in the future the ballpark includes a party deck fire pit on which to roast Jesse Crain, syringe containers in the restrooms for those who come to the ballpark from Block E and a retractable roof.

Target Field is set to open April 2010.

Thanks Rick. I've been following you from the beginning. I've saved some of your pics to show my two boys when they get older - now 2 yrs and 2 weeks old.

Was it just me or did they not do the story?

yea, I guess they didn't show the story. Maybe they (Kare one- one) will broadcast it Wednesday. Otherwise this whole thing has been ruse (sic).

"EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE"

Yeah Scott and Kevin...your extensive media coverage in Denver claims we have a retractable roof....and you have the nerve to say this blog is all speculation and NOT FACT????????????????!?!?!?!??!!??!

I SMELL BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure KARE 11 won't run the story because the bimbo reporting said the ballpark would have a retractable roof. Even the media experts at KARE know that's erroneous.

Great job Scott and Kevin! Way to deliver to the fans!

Wow, that is kind of crazy with that article on the sod farm. I was driving around today and saw a sod truck pass by and it imediatley reminded me of the sod that they are growing down in Colorado for our ballpark and it made wonder about it a little bit. Now I just saw that article later today.

I can't believe they reported that there will be a retractable roof, they must be living in 2004. I feel bad for the people in Colorado that read and believe it, then if they get in an argument about TF having a roof, they would look really stupid when they're proven wrong.

Here is what I am refering to when I said the Twins were thinking about fire pits on the admin. building in LF. It is from a post from over a year ago from the "Naming Clues" article.

"I was in the Twins ballpark sales office yesterday for a presentation on the Legends Club. The Twins' VP of ticket sales was giving the presentation and said that as part of the add'l upgrades the Twins are paying for, they are spending $3.5MM to put a green roof on the front office building in left field, and that they are envisioning firepits up there for people to use (on a reservation basis I would assume). Is this old news? I don't remember ever reading about it on the board before. Sounds awesome.

Posted on March 26, 2008 at 7:15 PM by AJE"

Good memory Elston Gunn, I guess the firepit issue is dead!

Someone beat me to it, but the video to the 6pm version of the 9News story is posted above. I've already written the reporter, expressing dismay about the retractable roof comment in the print version of the story. I also told the reporter about this site. 'll post here if I get any response.

There was also a much shorter and more Twins-focused version of the story on the 10pm newscast here. I have both versions on my Tivo and will get them uplinked somewhere in the next few days.

(Sally and her husband in Wyoming are going are certainly going to have an "Ah ha" moment and be very disappointed next year when they go to Minneapolis and find out the Twins left the roof off Target Field ...)

Hey Kevin in AZ - give the Twins a break - there WAS extensive media coverage:

1) A three minute story on the 6pm Denver newscast
2) A different version on the the 10pm Denver newscast
3) One of the guys from the Twins took a picture with a cheap digital camera of the head groundskeeper holding a square foot of the turf.

Of couse, it seems like only the Twins fans in the Rocky Mountain region got to see any of this extensive coverage. Oh yeah, we also learned that you guys are going to have a roof on Target Field after all. Maybe that's the real reason behind the new "no photography" policy regarding Target Field :)

jfh, so that's the reason why they wouldn't let you take pictures, they're growing a retractable roof, oh no the cats out of the bag.

Boy o boy that must have been quite a media event down in Colorado yesterday. Big enough to keep all the unprivileged and unwashed away from the sod farm where Larry DiVito and his gang of cronies watch the new grass grow for hours.

Hey O'Connell and Smith: What do you have to say for yourselves? You are getting beat around like a redheaded step-child. Time to grow a set of balls and speak up. We know you're reading...

No jfh, Sorry....I will not give them a break. Not until they stop being morons about TF, nor will I give them a break until they sign a $#%$#@!#@% middle reliever who can pitch.

lets hear it for Joe Crede, grand slam to win it in 13 inn! anyway hello

What a game!

I am sorry I had to be such an arrogant and inconsistent umpire behind the plate tonight.

I wasn't sure if this would be my last game umpiring behind the plate in the Metrodome so I had to make it as memorable as possible.

When the Twins play in NY or Boston I have begun to write off those games as loses. I consider any win there as a bonus. Otherwise I cannot handle when the bats with RISP go silent and the Ayalas and Breslows du jour serve up meat.