Ha, first one to report on this post.
Great job as always Rick.
It is a bummer about the seating thing. Don't know who dropped the ball on that one.

Just wondering if anyone has snagged any pics of the Twins sign lit up at night?

I don't think they've lit it up yet

i second what maz said at the end of the last post about the bleacher seats. luckily he knows when he is picking whereas i, because i signed up in april, am one of the last to choose and haven't even gotten my login information yet. i too want sun in my face

Rick,

Now that 1st Ave and Hennepin Ave are becoming 2-way streets I think you owe the city of Minneapolis an apology.

would love to make it to the library if possible. also would love to see a post asking us to share our most memorable twins moments thru the years ( i guess that's not ballpark-related though... ).

The sign was lighted on Saturday night, I might have a picture on my cellphone.

the jinx is alive & well! joe's on a magazine cover and goes 0 for 5 that night. thanks alot, si!

Everybody just calm down now. It was one bad night, well, Sunday wasn't too good for him either...but it's going to be ok. Perhaps we should sacrifice a goat just to be sure.

Rick-
I like the idea of cleaning up the old comments, but would like to be able to see what was posted there between when I posted last and when you updated the site.
Maybe you could put the link below the current comments?

I do have pictures of the Twins sign lit up but I didn't have my memory card in. And cannot find my USB cable. I will try to find it after work and post it on here tonight.

Here is a cool picture from the IDS building. Picture courtesy of Beth at http://bethspod.blogspot.com/

Use webcam 1 and scroll through the pictures from 7am to present to see how fast the outfield seats are being installed.

yeah, they have done an entire section in about 4 hrs, they are installing those seats so fast, that if there is a problem with the bolts on the seats they have already installed, then it's not going to add much of a delay to re-install them, I'm sure that the seats they are adding now do not have the bolt problem, or they wouldn't be installing them

they created a lot more party deck space by building the 'ceiling' on that the bud sign is attached to on the party deck, it's unfortunate but i'm sure they won't let people stand up there, but they should, you could get another 50 people in there, and how cool would a double decker party deck be?

Luke
this is not a strib comments section, we dont give points for first posts...

see everyone on stl!

Does anyone know what day SI arrives in the mailbox normally? I just subscribed and am not sure if I'll get this issue or not. Thanks

Can't help you, but click my name for the Joe Mauer Article for those who are interested.

JCTwins, I usually get my SI on Thursdays. Occasionally it will be delayed until Friday, but that's pretty rare.

Looking at that photo from the IDS Center, does anyone know what that series of buildings are just on the other side of 7th St. from the stadium? Just north of Ramp A. I've never really noticed those before...

FCA, that's all part of the Mary's Place compound, er... I mean campus.

Thursday here too. I think it hits shelves on Wednesday and then I get it the next.

Whatever happened to Bassett Creek?

How big is the "TARGET FIELD" sign? It looks small on webcam #1.

Thanks mplsgreg. I didn't realize that her campus (compound) was so large.

I would guess that the Target O Field sign is about 8 or 9 feet high.

Andrew,

Bassett Creek runs past the west side of downtown in a tunnel. If you look at the picture from the IDS center, you can see the spot on Glenwood Ave that is currently torn up to repair that tunnel.

jincr, I would appreciate that very much. I have tried to look at the webcams to see if I could catch a glimpse.

Thanks for the link to your article, Rick. I got a chuckle when I noticed it has generated a grand total of two comments (eight months apart) in the three years since publication. I'd say your readership has grown a tad in the meantime!

badjuggler - i was thinking the same thing regarding the comments on that old 2006 article? i wonder what ever happened to craig in mn and dave stack?!?! :-)

Seats on the LF Home Run Porch looking nice.
Can't wait til we start seeing some green on field level!

Rick -- The jump to the Basset Creek article has a Basset Creek & Proposed Ballpark map. This map shows the flow of the south fork of the two tunnels. Is there a map around that shows the north tunnel? Thanks.

I was just thinking: won't it be (initially) really hard for the umpires to tell if a ball hits off the foul pole vs. the limestone wall in left field?

Anybody know when they'll fill in that little section in the outfield lower deck that they've been using as an entrance for the equipment?

Deenels, I don't think it's going to be that difficult. There will only be a very small "window" on the pole that would resemble the same deflection off the wall. And if it does look the same the pole really isn't that close to the wall. Originally, I thought the pole was going to be attached to the admin building at the corner but there is quite a bit of space between the two.

I just got off the phone with my friend who has a USB cable for me to use to upload the pictures of the Twins sign lit up. She should be here before game time tonight so I hope to have them on here by 7:30.

...waiting for jincr's 'aha moment'

Thanks jincr, I cannot wait!

Ok sorry so late. Click name to see logo lit up. Also more stadium pics on there. Thanks

Sorry again forgot to put the link. Now click on my name to see logo in lights.

Not sure if this is true, but a friend of mine who works for a local corporation tells me Target Field is slated to host the 2013 NHL Winter Classic...I have found no confirmation of any of this but this is what I was told based on some rumblings going around.

I am not sure how much to think of this as I have not even heard the 2010 classic announced yet. I just wanted to throw it out there even if it is pure speculation because I know the Twins have expressed interest in hosting this event.

It was mentioned that the 2012 and 2013 games still have no opponents but the NHL would like a Canadian team in 2012 or 2013. Depending on NHL realignment, the Blackhawks and Stars appear to be the two favorites for the Wild in 2013.

Again, I have not been able to confirm this news, but its very interesting to say the least.

2010 - Fenway Park (Bruins vs Flyers)
2011 - New Yankee Stadium (Rangers vs Capitals)
2012 - Invesco Field at Mile High (Avs vs TBD)
2013 - Target Field (Wild vs TBD)

Mike I would think it would be at TCF stadium and not Target Field.

link to winter classic http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4284883

I've also heard that Target Field is interested in the Winter Classic - given the success of the 2009 Classic at Wrigley, and never mention of it at TCF Stadium.
The Gophers might be interested in something...

PS - nice pix jincr.

i have heard that both are interested in hosting a WC nhl game. personally, i think tcf stadium would be a better fit for a hockey game. i know they did wrigley last year, but tcf still seems to make more sense to me.

either way i hope one of them gets it. minneapolis should defintely be hosting one of these game before a lot of other nhl cities get a shot at it.

okay - that was the dumbest play by blackburn in the bottom of the eighth inning. what were you thinking blackie?! just wow.....

beta has his favorite compy next to him while watching the game. i'm impressed (and a little scared...).

Brewers and Packers suck!

well that game couldn't have ended any worse...Blackburn goes from pitching a gem, to being the goat...WOW!

Thanks, jincr. Those close-ups look fake...which means that's gotta be a great sign to see in person.

The Gophers and Badgers are playing hockey this winter at TCF Bank.

love the winter classic games... i think NHL should set a date in late January where they plyay the classic in as many markets as they can... make it a big event...

TF or TCF... either way I hope the Wild will play one outside soon given our pond hockey tradition

btw... rick... dunno if i love the pages of comments helps break it up which is nice... but the "comments" thing doesn't seem to work when you click it now...

I agree with CJ. Not a fan of the comment pages.

When I clicked the comment button, it didn't go anywhere. I would have to click on the 1st page and scroll down to see the latest comments. If that makes sense.

It seems to be working fine now though..

eric - the gophers and becky will not be playing an outdoor game at tcf stadium this winter. becky asked the gophers to come to camp randall this winter to play one of their reg. season games which would normally be at the kohl center, but the U of M rightfully said no because they want the first game that they play outside (if/when they do that) to be in minneapolis and at the gophers football stadium. after minnesota said no to coming to madison for an outdoor game becky then asked michigan if they would play the game instead, which michigan agreed to. michigan has already played michigan state in an outdoor game a few years back.

the gophers and becky are playing a game at target center this winter however. perhaps you were getting that game confused with thinking there might be an outdoor game at tcf stadium this winter.

i would look for the gopher men's team to try and schedule an outdoor game in minneapolis for the 2010-2011 season. hopefully against michigan, wisconsin or UMD.

Saw this photo of Oriole Park on Wiki and noticed the "walk-way" between the ballpark and the warehouse...

I definitely see some Target Field in that picture with the walk-way and the high right-field wall along with the Eutaw Street/Target Plaza areas.

It's a little interesting looking at the upper deck design of Oriole park compared to today's "split-deck" design that we will see in Target Field.

I think we can all agree that the Twins made a good choice in going with the smaller, urban, and intimate ballpark design.

Fairly confident this ballp

Target Field is definitely going to be a top ballpark along the likes of PNC, AT&T, Petco, Wrigley, and Fenway.

All of those ballparks are urban ballparks built into their surroundings, just as Target Field will be.

Mike (Brumley) - that walkway is only used by the catering staff to transport food to the suites and club level. I tok the tour last time I was at OPaCY, and they told us that the ballpark didn't have space for the "executive kitchen," so it was built in the B&O Warehouse, and they built that skyway to allow the service staff to transport the food to the suites and club restaurants.

Moose

Any ideas why there would be a bunch of scaffolding around the foul pole (web cam 1)?

I'll bet they're welding on the rest of the foul pole. It was missing the "mesh" extensions before.

i wonder if the peat from elk river will be soaked with schlitz malt liquor...

I'm sure a lot of you on this site have already discovered the great site www.ballparksofbaseball.com but if you haven't, it's worth a long perusal. I especially like reading up on the past ballparks and seeing the photos. Also interesting to see the evolution of some stadiums like Angels Stadium and Kauffman as they've changed over the years.

Click on my name to get to the site.

Other teams have stadiums?

Regarding the NHL Winter Classic, I pity the fans going to Fenway Park for the Bruins vs. Flyers game on 1/1/10. The lower deck, where most of the seats are located, is incredibly shallow and there are lots of posts blocking the views. Because of how the boards will be set up, it's hard to tell how a huge amount of fans will have any view of significant portions of the ice at all.

Closer to home, one thing I like about the ballpark is that the dimensions are not unnecessarily quirky and have largely been dictated by the lot on which the park stands. Too many of the ballparks built post Camden Yards have asymmetrical dimensions and odd quirks for the mere sake of it rather than for any logical reason. That hill in center field in Houston just irritates the hell out of me. Kudos to the Twins for avoiding such things. The 367 foot alley to right could cause some trouble, but at least it's that way for a reason.

This is interesting regargind the metro club area. Click my name for link.

I guess I don't know if I should have posted that link. Please do not submit the survey when you are done looking at it.

interesting link jincr. i wasn't sure if it's a survey for potential season ticket buyer, or current season ticket holders. in any event, i didn't submit it, cause i was afraid i'd get a call from the Twins, asking if I want to buy season tickets...
it was fun to go through, and get an idea of the different price points the Twins are considering. I liked question 58 with the seating diagram. i wasn't sure if that was a season ticket price, or single game price. either way, the Twins seem to be making good on the promise to keep it affordable, albeit being in a shiny new ballpark.

I went to an Astros game today and there was one thing I noticed that I'd like us to stay clear of(I'm sure this has already been discussed). There is an absurd amount of advertisements there, not just that but lots of "brought to you by" type of things such as the Coca-cola deck, the Landry's crawford boxes, the Chick-filet "eat more fowl" pole(probably the most obnoxious), the Lexus bullpen, the Corona out of town scoreboard, the Bubbles car wash grounds crew(I wish I were joking), The Kraft singles K counter, The Citco homerun counting gas pump. There were also lots of things on the big screen too like the AT&T call to the bullpen(I think it was AT&T) and others of that nature. I'm sure there are more but you get the point. It's overboard and it makes the ballpark feel like Six Flags rather than a baseball park. I really hope we abstain from going too far like the Astros. Plus their park sucks more and more every time I go.

agreed!

Well, i'm not so sure Eric. It seems like that in the Dome right now.
Delta is sponsoring the season, "Farewell to the Metrodome"
Samsung sponsors our Lower G/A / Home Run Porch section (yeah, I know they're reserved seats now, but it will ALWAYS be lower G/A to me - and USBank has dibs on the Home Run Porch at TF).
LifeTime Fitness sponsors the Family sections in 214-215.
Remember the two or three seasons we used to have that huge Land O Lakes milk carton out in right field...
And let's not forget the Stanley Hefty Bag (unofficial name of course).

Chik-Fil-A "Eat More Fowl" pole...ah, someone has WAY too much time on their hands to come up with that one. I agree, "Whatever-they-call-it-this-season" Park in Houston isn't really that great.

plus the Minute Maid Park logo looks like it's from a cartoon.

Note that the survey mentioned above was sent to existing season ticket holders and group leaders. (I got two invites to take the same survey). Here is the bulk of the related email:

"Dear Twins Group Leader,
As you know, construction at Target Field is rapidly advancing as we make our way to Opening Day 2010. As part of the overall development process, we are soliciting feedback from our Group Leaders on various conceptual products and areas in the stadium. As such, we would like to invite you to participate in a brief online survey. Your input is greatly valued, and we hope you see this as an opportunity to help shape the overall fan experience in our new state of the art ballpark, Target Field.

As mentioned above, many topics in this survey are conceptual in nature, and are only under consideration at this point. Because plans for the topics covered in this survey are continuing to evolve and be refined; your opinions are extremely valuable.

Your time, insight, and advice are deeply appreciated."

The Season Ticket holder email was the same, except said Season Ticket Holder instead of Group Leader :)

Follow up on the survey - it asks how often you might use certain seating options
- Metropolitan Club, bar only, buffet, buffet with view of field.
- Budwiser deck, as group option, single game seating or SRO.
- Super suites, group and single game with buffet (like Coors Field)
- Event suites, group and single game options
- What you thought day of game pricing should be for all the seating areas in the park.

Most of the questions asked how likely you were to purchase x if the price was $y and used 2 or 3 different values of $y from high to low.

This was similar to a survey sent out in February, but that was more "would you use these options?" as opposed to "how much would you pay for them?"

There is now an updated Target Field video tour for June with very cool commentary about all sorts of different progress going on with the project. The Twins just showed this video to Moorhead MN fans during a caravan promoting the ballpark. It is not the original June video- if you are on the Ballpark Authority website click where there is a link where they are talking about the Moorehead visit.

Does anyone know if the "TARGET FIELD" sign will be able to be lit up at night? I hope so.

I wish the target sign was neon that would be cool but oh well who does neon anymore.. That video tour showed some close ups of that plaza and wow that looks tight. Dont know how you gonna fit alot of people there but hey maybe its bigger than it looks.

If it's not neon - how are they backlit then? Are they LED lit now?

Luke,

There's this other way to light signs where you use a translucent colored plastic and put any light source behind it. Presto! It lights up at night. What modern technology has done for society!

Do you suppose they will have the temerity to call the old flagpole anything other than "the old Met flagpole"?

I wonder if the toilets will have a foreceful flush or not....

c'mon people!

mplsgreg and kevin in az, lords of sarc

LOL man you guys are ruthless when it comes to Luke.

Does anybody know what color the sinks will be? Will the faucets be chrome or brass finish? What kind of cleaner will they be using to clean pigeon shit off of the seats?

All these unanswered questions keep me up a night!

Ha! We are terrible. But not so much because I like to poke fun, but because I probably do care what the bathroom fixtures will look like and how the sign will be lit up.

My favorite activity is going to the site and bugging the workers.

Me: "So, is that 1/2" rebar you're reinforcing that concrete with?"
Worker: "Nope, 3/4."
Me: "Good choice."
Worker: "Go away and let us finish the park."

Green roof planting starts at Target Center

Nice to see some grass finally showing up on a webcam.

well, my comment was kind of a leer at Leroy's comment above.

Don't blink now - but the webcams are out.
"There is currently no image for this time" is the message I get.

webcams down? I just clicked on both of them and both said there were no images to be viewed or something like that. Are others having the same problem?

works just fine for me

Had a blast at the two games I went to, even with the unfortunate ending to wednesday's game, and the fact that it was unbelievably hot and I was sweating buckets through both games. When I was sitting down the third base line, I sat back and imagined what it would feel like if it were a year later and was at miller park. I replaced the right field bar/patio they have with the overhang and view of downtown, the center field area with our scoreboard and trapezoid, and bernie's dugout with the admin building. I know people don't like miller park because of the roof, but I personally feel it's a great place to watch a game.

Also, I realize that the brewers only got one out of six games on us this year but do brewers fans really need to say "twins suck." to me and my friends after they've walked three feet past us and we can't tell who said it? And do you need to chant "F the twins" in front of a bunch of kids during the next game? For shame people, for shame. Then again there were a lot of people who saw us and said good game, so you take the good with the bad i guess.

On the flip side I had three conversations with brewers fans who were wondering about the new stadium. It seems like they were just as excited about it as we are!

It appears as though the webcams are once again operational.
You'd think in that downtime, they might have, maybe, relocated webcam 2 - but they didn't, dammit.

Speaking of webcam 2, am I seeing seats in Section 1? (Dugout box at the RF end of the moat)

BillyMays,
I was at the Miller Park this week also and completely agree with your assessment of Brewer Fans. I've been to 8 other stadiums and have never run into that many dumb shits willing to yell "Twins Suck" and then run away. It's not like it was a really fair fight between eight of their drunk college buddies and against all 180 punds of me and my pregnant wife. I had to remind myself that there are some jerks at the dome that would do the same thing to opposing fans. In addition a frat house of drunk guys sat in front of us and made a plethora of "Dickey" jokes thate were completey unoriginal and that pissed off many of the families around us and then one of these Brewer fans kept grabbing his own balls and shaking them up and down like he was shaking dice at a craps table. That was impressive. I did meet many fans that were decent and are excited about TF.

As far as the ballpark I noticed that there was little to no breeze in Miller Park. This was my second time attending a series there and I decided that it felt more like watching a game in some guys garage with the door open. I am so glad the Twins won't have a retractable roof. It is so hard to get it right without that hangar feel.

it looked like it to me too BB, I'm curious. it looks like something's been down there covered up under a white tarp for a couple weeks at least...

Well Jim, they don't make them too bright in Milwaukee. It's no wonder that city has always been 50 years behind everyone else. Madison on the other hand is a complete 180 from Milwaukee.

While Miller Park is not the greatest stadium, its not hard to beat the Metrodome as we all know.

I have been going down there each year since this "interleague rivalry" started in 2001. I also went to visit the old County Stadium on occasion when the Twins played the Brewers during the American League Central days. I still wish the Brewers had not moved to the NL, but that is a whole other issue in itself.

Yes, the roof is gigantic and makes the park feel enclosed, but overall, the sightlines are great in this park and the seats are affordable.

Each and every ballpark has its own unique features and the roof is one of those things that makes Miller Park unique, along with the parking lot/tailgating experience.

I always be sure to sit on the first base side during day games so I am in the shade as it can get very hot along the third base line.

Even though the stadium feels enclosed whether the roof is open or not, its still a decent ballpark with REAL GRASS, wide concourses, great concessions, affordable seats, great sight lines, great atmosphere, great sound system, and of course the infamous sausage races and beer barrel polka. I believe Miller Park was rated the #6 best ballpark in baseball (overall ballpark design/experience) in last years Forbe's ballpark ratings. Much better than the Metrodome's 29 (or whatever they finished, 30?)

I was happy just to see "outdoor" baseball on green grass with blue sky and sun shining. Just to be able to sit and watch a baseball game with sunglasses is something we have not experienced in Minnnesota since the 1981.

I absolutely enjoy the "loge level" at Miller Park as you can get very affordable seats which are equivalant to the club level in most other ballparks, including Target Field.

Every ballpark is going to have its pros and cons regardless.

I didn't realize - but this is the Twins' first trip to the new Busch Stadium. They said that on the news last night. I thought for sure they'd been there...

Mike, I was in the club level on the first base side on Thursday. It was an awesome experience. The ballpark was amazing and I would put it right there with Coors Field. I had low expectations after reading a few of the comments of this blog, but the place was GREAT! Especially with the roof open. I echo your comments.

I put in a link for an article that made me wonder something. How tall are the railings going to be at Target Field? Hopefully taller than Busch Stadium...

ugh! once again scott ullger costs the twins some runs with his piss-poor third base coaching. i just think the guy is way too timid when it comes to sending runners. cuddy would have scored easily on crede's hit that last inning and instead the twins didn't get any runs. annoys the crap out of me because he makes a call like that almost every game.

wow! i think some of you might have touched a small nerve with mike by bashing on the grand canyon like hole known as miller park. his seemed like a rather impassioned plea for the stadium. however, i don't think anyone here was comparing the virtues of the metrodome to those of miller park, which would make no sense, so not sure why you are, which makes even less sense.

a closet sconnie fan/ex-patriot on a twins board perhaps (wink)?!

just playin' with ya.....well sort of! :-)

Milwaukee missed an incredible opportunity. The ballpark should have been built roofless and built downtown and perhaps tied to the historic district where the good bars, clubs and restaurants are. What an amazing area that would be right now. But drinking beer in a parking lot is more important to Brewers fans instead of having an authentic urban ballpark experience.

Mike, I admire your enthusiasm for Miller Park, but you really need to get out to more ballparks. Many here who have never been outside the Metrodome have gone to Miller Park and have been wowed. Then they'll go to Wrigley, PNC, AT&T, Comerica, Dodger, Camden Yards, Fenway, etc and Miller Park is a complete afterthought.

Mike, I would encourage you to go to Kansas City...Now that is a REAL ballpark which has stood the test of time....And you can have your beer in a parking lot as well.

kev,
I've been to The Cell, Wrigley, Coors and on Thursday, Miller Park. It was a glorious day on Thursday in the afternoon sun with a nice breeze coming through the open panels in centerfield. We stayed a good hour after the game marveling at the open concourses and spaces. NOW, the roof was OPEN thank goodness, but I'd rank Miller right up there with any of those other parks. It was awesome. Tell us the real reason you hate Miller Park? Bad experience with some drunkun idiotic Sconies?? :-)
Here is two reasons I think Miller Park is in the perfect location. The first is the sight of the Miller Brewing Co from the parking lot as you are tailgaiting. The second is the awesome view of the place when you first drive in from I-94 over Moreland Ave. Pretty Cool! unless you are the world traveller and have seen everything else outside the Midwest, unlike the masses is MN. :-)

all of that would have been great in regards to miller park... but all impractical Kev.

the reason MP was built where it was is that the ballpark authority already owned the land... moreover downtown Milwaukee is not really a draw... in addition, MP exists as Locker says, at a crossroads of several major highways.

as for the roof... Selig's folly if you ask me... but he REALLY wanted it, and seemed to feel it was the wave of the future, consider that many of the parks that were in development at the same time all have roofs... Safeco, Chase, and Enron were all designed at about the same time. (remember that MP was delayed over a year because of the Big Blue accident) only 3 parks opened up with no roof in the 99-02 era (PNC, AT&T, and Comerica...) the success of those three led to the 03-04 era parks being all outdoor (Citizens bank, GABP, Busch, Petco)

at the time... Selig really thought he was part of a movement that would continue toward retractable roofs everywhere... that and the Wisc. legislature demanded a roof if they were going to build it.

That might be it Locker...I was born and raised in Mpls but I've been to and lived many other places besides the midwest. Miller Park is probably the shit to many up there. I much prefer old County Stad to Miller Park - but that's the purist in me. I'll probably be sitting at TF next year and while enjoying the experience, I'll be wishing it was Met Stadium (I'm sure Rick and others old enough will also).

As for the drunken Sconies, nah, never had a bad experience with them...I just nod and smile at their sick behavior. Besides, if I had to live in such a dump like Milwaukee, I would probably be a drunk too.

CJ,
Nowhere was I reaching for practicality...I am no fan of practicality (or someone's definition of practicality) if it means losing the true baseball experience. Of course, we could go into what is "true baseball experience?" Everyone probably has their own definition. I'm an open air guy at all cost, you're a practical guy...Luckily with regards to TF, we have open air and practicality all in one.

I'm not really one way or the other... I've spent the last decade or so researching publicly financed stadiums around the country (wrote my senior thesis on it in college) and politicking for TF - I'm mostly just going in to the "how and why" of Miller Park... if it were up to me, I'd have put MP on the lakefront...

The real reason that Miller Park was built where it is was because the Selig family owned the team and did not want to share parking and concessions revenues with downtown business owners. The original development deals put in place with the county and city officials had the ballpark right in downtown near the waterfront (summerfest grounds for those who know where that is). Selig wanted the money for himself and was greedy. They missed a fantastic opportunity.

As if anybody needed any more reason to hate Selig. The only good thing he's done is interleague play. I know some markets hate it, but I love it.

it looks like construction workers have put in all the seats in the left field upper deck. Doesn't it according to webcam #1?

Not to mention the Selig's pocketed the profits and slashed payroll when they first moved into Miller, then took of advantage of the stadium franchise value surge and sold high.

Gee --- a greedy owner?

There are things I like about Miller Park, but in general I think of how much better it could have been in a different location and without the airplane hanger effect.

Just got home from millwaukee, i do see the airplane hanger of miller park but all and all didn't think it was that bad!

and BillyMays,i also know what you mean about the brew fans, after the loss on wed walking out i walked by people who said "Twins suck dick" and "sorry you drove all the way out here to see your team lose" but the person next to me was actually cool as i left the stands saying "good game" to me but the majority were really rude!

wait that one said "sorry you drove all the way to see your team suck" i love how they win one game out of the entire brew min series and are such assholes we got 5 and we aren't as bad i just did the joke jeering with some and they were laughing along with me

All of the Minnesotans should have worn Purple Favre jerseys...LOL!

that woulda been sweet. :)

I kid you not, I saw a guy wearing a twins hat and a brett farve jets jersey on wednesday!

why is everybody fighting about miller park? its just a baseball stadium who cares where its at or what it looks like. the only thing that matters is just having a good time while watching your team kick ass......... Now, im not too happy with were TF is but it dosent bother me....because i simply could care less about the location of TF as long as we are ditching the toilet. thats all i care about!

Maybe at TF just for the fun of it sometime they could have A few planes fly over so us old people can remember the good old days when planes would fly over met stadium. Safeco has their trains we used to have planes. Ahhh maybe in these times they will find something else. Doesnt matter since next year we are back outside. What could be better than that.

I agree with dickey. Also, I love where miller park is located since it provides a great tailgating experience. It's so much fun to head out to the park a couple hours early, fire up the grill, have a couple beers, play some bags, and have a good time before you're even in the stadium. You can say that if it was down town then you could go to restaurants and bars and do the same stuff but it would cost a hell of a lot more. I've been to Miller Park four times now and had a good time every time I've been there. Miller Park definitely gets a thumbs up from me.

billmayshere...did you hear that Billy Mays was found dead in his home this morning?

Bad week for celebs

hey everybody, who do you guys think will open target field with us next year? im thinking the white sox. anyone else?

There's one less commercial I'll have to mute.

Dickey,
I don't think it is arguing or fighting...just a healthy debate. That's what sites like this are here for. Don't get too hot and bothered by it.

Cleveland Indians

JIm, im not bothered by it. I just think that miller park is perfect where it is........

If we hadn't played them this year, I would have said Seattle. But I'm gonna go with...Cleveland too.

Vikeologist

I did hear that he passed away. Most depressing of the celebrity deaths this week in my opinion.

Twins home opener opponents from previous seasons...Judging from this list, there does not seem to be any consistency, so its difficult to predict who could be the opponent next year in Target Field.

2002 - Detroit
2003 - Toronto
2004 - Cleveland
2005 - Chicago White Sox
2006 - Oakland
2007 - Baltimore
2008 - LA Angels
2009 - Seattle

None of them repeat, so I'm gonna go with a team not on there, like the the royals or the rays

It's bound to be a southern team like Texas or Tampa...That way we can hear their players and media member piss and moan about how cold it is and how they should have put a roof on the ballpark.

Does anyone have new pictures of the ballpark construction? Things have really come to a crawl as far as construction updates are concerned. Most of the real work is going on now is at the interior areas, so we the general public are left in the dark about that progress to preserve a-ha moments which is complete BS.

I do. But, I don't know how to put them on this site.

rick or anyone - has anyone been able to confirm if the whole "issue" with the anchor bolts on some of the installed seats was in fact true or not? i haven't seen a single seat being removed or re-installed since that was brought up almost 2 weeks ago.

Michael, build an album on Flickr or Photobucket (or some other photo sharing site) and then place a link to that album in a post.

No comment = True

If it wasn't true, they would easily say so. The "no comment" makes them look like whiny little brats.

drove past target field yesterday on my way to wisconsin (needed to buy some "stuff" for the up coming weekend). it was kinda of a last minute decision to drive by it so we didnt have a camera, but i have to say it's looking great. I was really worried about the elevated walkway taking away from the clean look of the ballpark, but it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. fyi for those who haven't seen the twins sign coming in on 394, i highly recommend a trip through there.

Went to St. Louis Friday. It was great seeing all the Twins fans everywhere I went. Seeing a Twins victory, Pujols striking out against Nathan, being outside and dreaming of future Twins home games made it a great day. Sweating my nuts off at the Zoo on Saturday not quite as enjoyable.

If you look closely at webcam2 you can see the Met Stadium colors through the class of the Metropolitan club. That is a REALLY cool tribute to Met Stadium and will bring back lots of memories for fans.

crtwinsfan-what is the scalper situation at Busch? I'm going to be in STL in a couple of months when the Cards are in town and thought I might go see a game if I have time. I don't want to get tickets ahead of time though.

Also going to try and do a Busch tour while I'm there on an off day for the team.

Rick, how do I e-mail them to you? What's your e-mail?

The Rays rejected plans for a $471 million dollar rehab of The Trop. I'm not sure how you spend nearly half a billion dollars and still come up with crap, but looking at those renderings, that's exactly what they would get. Personally, I want to see the Rays move out of Florida and to Portland, even thought they already have plenty of teams in the West.
Click my name for the Link to the Story.

JCTwins,

I saw plenty of scalpers while walking to the game. I don't know what they were charging at all.

I hope Herbie is right: New stadium gives Hrbek 'chills on my spine'

Actually, moving the rays to Portland wold be perfect. They would be the 5th team in the AL West. Then you move the Pirates to the AL East. Then you would have 5 teams in every Division. Am I correct?

I went to the games friday and sat, we had tickets for sat game already but a scalper sold us behing home plate 5 bucks each in the 2nd inning then we walked down and sat in the first row behind the twins dugout for all of the game per whoever was sitting there was to hot! i will post pics when i come back from kc!

andrew,
then having 15 teams in each league would cause one team in each league to be off every night. they need an even number in each to make it work.

i would love to see portland get a team seeing that i grew up there. they were just awarded an mls franchise (my dad is very excited about that) but i am concerned about having two al teams in such close proximity. look at chicago and milwaukee, plus the mariners fan base isn't massive.

The trouble with 5 teams in each division is that, unless you were ALWAYS doing one interleauge series, one team in each league would be idle at all times.

as for the rays... spend 450 mils and get THAT??? woof. you could build a very nice park for 450... I loved what they were proposing last year.

If the A's can't make it work in the N. Calif, look for them to try Portland. Some have mentioned Salt Lake City, but I think one MLB team playing in a high-elevation bandbox is enough.

Portland has been an extremely successful minor league baseball town...I have no doubt that they would support MLB and create a great rivalry with other AL West teams.

annoying customer and CJ, thanks for doing the math on that one. I never would have assumed that that would happen. Good thing there are smarter people out there than me writing up the schedules!

about 10 years ago, Bob Costas advocated for doing the 15 in each league thing with an interleague series at all times in "Fair Ball" of course he also advocated contracting I think 6 teams... (twins not among them)

Portland would be an interesting MLB town. It's perfect for minor league ball, but I'm not sure if the city would embrace it - they backed off the Nationals offer pretty early in the process. That being said, there is a contingent to try to bring MLB to Oregon. Clicky.

OG - David Kahn was one of the original guys behind this back in 03-04...

you'd be hard pressed to get support in Portland for MLB... there is something quirky about Oregonians that makes me think the MLS franchise is going to be a huge hit... but that MLB might struggle

Is it just me or have they stopped construction on the canopy, since they have not moved any of the scaffolding and construction materials for days.

I heard that they used the wrong kind of metal in the canopy and they have to start over...

I thought that the last piece to go on blew off with the wind during one of the storms last week.

I was wondering the same thing, it begs to be finished

Rick, is that your e-mail? Do I type that in the "to" box on my e-mail with the spaces?

I would guess the canopy is on hold until the scaffolding goes beneath the unfinished part, so they don't back themselves into a narrow corner with materials and equipment. Also, it seems they try to avoid setting things on the finished surface.

hilarious rick! hilarious! something about that just made me laugh.

note to gardy: please don't play buscher, punto and young at the same time ever again. talk about no offense tonight. blackburn pitched a decent game, but once again did not get much run support.

Found something kinda interesting sbout the ballpark financing and stuff if you didnt know it already hope the link thing works.

why is delmon young still in there? he sucks i remember watching him at the dome a couple weeks ago....he cant even run! but i still have a little faith......go twins!

so i'll be in chicago next weekend while the cards are in town playing the cubs (including a day/night double header on sunday). if we choose to go to a game, how would it be getting tickets on the street?

Hey Everyone,
I shot this image from near the Walker Art Center while I was at Rock the Garden. It shows just how much of a presence the scoreboard has on the Minneapolis skyline.
Click my name for the link.

thx andrew for posting the picture of the skyline. it's strange that two prominent buildings in mpls (the halo bldg and target field) are facing the south.

wonder why nothing's facing north mpls...

Some activity on the front of the press box. Where they covered the yellow material with gray material it now looks almost limestoney-

Best viewed on webcam 2.

the park opens up to the northeast, not the south.

AC - be prepared to pay 2 or 3x face value, and be on the lookout for fake tickets. Wrigley is awesome, but getting in the door can be a ha$$le.

AC,
I would check craigslist before you go. This may be your best bet. You will pay through the nose from scalpers for that game...if you can find tix at all. There is a broker across the street from Wrigley if you get absolutely desperate but there is no guarentee they will have any.

Rick, did you get my pictures?

C'mon Twins. Give us some kind of interior updates.

tim, the large scoreboard sign is readable only from the south. those on the north side will see 'sniwt.'

north side shafted again.

the plaza looks nice now that they got most of the construction crap off it

JUST got back, went to Sunday and Monday games, lots of fun. Fans were terrible in KC though, and not just the drunk Frenchie. Constatly blocking the way in the middle of AT-BATS. One guy got up and kept standing in front of me two pitches into the inning, he just had five minutes to get up and he chose THEN. Sign.. Not everyone is as nice as St. Louis I guess.

*End Rant*

Camden - St Louis has awesome fans.

Nice shot Andrew.

I would like to see some kind of comparison of the total height of T.F. (not counting the scoreboard) compared to other ballparks.

Our park sure doesn't appear very tall. For those that have seen T.F. in person, does it feel squat?

I remember Rick's entry "But Can it Soar" from a long time ago. I think the canopy helps make the ballpark soar, but it definitely doesn't command as much attention in the skyline compared to most new HoK parks. Maybe that's a good thing.

Our ballpark I believe is 116 feet to the top of the canopy. Most of the new parks but not all are built into the ground so that the main concouse level can be entered just as you walk in at street level. The field grade at Target field after everything is installed under the grass will be roughly at the grade of the old parking lot. So even though Target Field appears not tall when looking at it -it will be at least as tall as most modern ballparks if not taller.

Click my name for some pictures from my trip on flickr. Went to the Sunday game in St. Louis and Monday and KC.

I took these photos June 28th. Click my name.

nice pics--both camden and michael

I think the halo looks really good

nice work, both of you guys. I didn't realize the "Target Field" sign was silver, I thought it was white.

got a question bout the outfield seats. above the entrances to the outfield sections there seems to be a couple of seats in what looks like a 4 seat row...what exactly is this for? just because the Twins can? click link to see

Good eyeballs, BB. That's bizarre. Those would be horrible seats -- you'd have people walking on either side of you all game. Bizarre.

Has anyone heard anything about a Pipe Organ for the new ballpark?
Early on in the process there was talk (Sid Hartman & Dave Mona) about installing one. If true That would sound Awesome! Like a real Ballpark

Thanks for the great pics everyone! Simply amazing! Some of these pictures look so good that its hard to imagine they are REAL! They look so good that it gives you the impression of some of the same renderings/virtual tours we have been seeing over the last 24 months...

Hans - It would be nice to see a pipe organ at TF, that is for sure! That is one thing I want in this ballpark is a REAL organ. To me, the organ is one of the most underrated features of a true ballpark experience, especially when it comes to sitting out in the sun and enjoying pre-game tunes and enjoying the true baseball experience.

On another note, does anyone have any insight or know what the difference is between plans C,D,E, and F for next year? Since the schedule has not been released, I am assuming you are just taking a gamble with what plan offers what games when selecting seats. I am sure the Twins will do their best to offer a fair balance between all four plans as far as dates/opponents but it makes you wonder if one plan may be better than any other.

the sandstone and the structure with the right field poll on it really reminds me of petcos western metal supply(beautiful but an epic fail for that missed opportunity for a view but thats another story)i wonder if that was the inspiration?

There was a pipe organ in the Minneapolis Auditorium (before the current convention center), and I heard it was still in storage somewhere. I imagine it would take some $$$ to have it restored, but it has to be cheaper than a brand new one.

BB,

At St. Louis in the section I was in there was one row of three seats right about the entry to the concourse.

Wrigley only has organ? Is that true? I'd love it if they did that at TF. Screw the rap music when the players come up to bat.

Screw the rap music when the players come up to bat.

And get off my lawn!

I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned before, but I can't remember where. Is there always going to be that gap in the second deck of the third base side, or will it be filled in eventually?

Forget a pipe organ, I heard they're just going with a 1/4" floppy disk midi sampler and drum machine. Flavor Flav will announce who's up to bat...

Screw the rap music when the players come up to bat

And get off my lawn

And you kids stop skate boarding on the sidewalks!

I like the personalized walk up music.

crtwinsfan - that gap in the second decl (club level) is by design and seperates the Legend's Club premium seats from the Skyline Deck seats. The Skyline deck seats are apparently going to be used by the Twins for group and day of game sales, but don't have access to the Club level amenities.

As for an organ - I sure hope TF has one. Nothing like real organ music at a ballgame!

I think it would've been cool for this year if, at least on the days the Twins wear their throwback uniforms, they play some 80's intro music tributing when the dome opened.

"We built this city!..."

Getting tired of waiting for the announcement about next year's uni change...the Twinks must want to wait till the season is over, because it's been decided for a while now.

yeah, they are only hurting themselves by delaying the uni change cuz a lot of people who want to buy one will just hold out til they see the new ones

I'm more concerned about who they put in those unis next season...and the bullpen needs an overhaul.

Like they said it will just be minor changes. My guess just the newly tweaked font, otherwise I think it'll be the same. I believe this is something they do closer to the end of the year or off-season.

looks like the seats are finally being installed in sections 101-104. seat crisis averted??

Uniform changes are unveiled in the off-season.

Crisis? What Crisis?

looks like the seats are finally being installed in sections 101-104. seat crisis averted?

also somewhat depressing i cant watch the game on tv today. looks likes its only being broadcasted on mlb.tv

FYI: You CAN indeed watch today's Twins game on Channel 720-1 on DirecTV via the MLB Game Mix on the Royals FSN feed....

Do you have the MLB subscription?

This is with the MLB Extra Innings Package on DirecTV. The MLB Game Mix channel has 8 games on 1 screen, so you can follow a bunch of games at once. It is pretty sweet.

Ok I just checked out WebCam 1. Anyone know what they are doing between the Metropolitan Club/Ticket Offices and the Team Pro Shop? The concrete is dug up and it is down to the dirt which I don't recall being the case before today....

I don't think they dug up any concrete, they're just adding on top of the existing concrete. They did the same thing when they finished the right field bleachers/overhang area. Probably to add steps/ramps or simply more of the big Target logos.

Seats are being installed in the area behind home plate.

I thought the seat crisis was only for the seats they were installing in the RF corner....That's the only place where installation came to a screeching halt and hasn't resumed. Left field pavillion looks to be nearly complete on the upper tier.

It looks like that "ad" board in right center to cover the view from the parking ramp is complete too.

after going 0 for 5 today, crede is now only 2 percentage pts ahead of carlos. time to take the medicine, all: crede is a bust.

Crede's the best defensive third baseman in the league. he's hit some bombs. Everyone knew he was on-base deficient. Twins had money to throw around. Considering all the circumstances, I wouldn't call him a bust. Yet.

Crede is a career .250's hitter....what do you expect? Like Elston said, he is stellar on defense and has some pop in his bat...i am not disappointed with him at all so far. Plus...he has 45+ more at bats than Gomez does.

Crede isn't a bust...Crede is as advertised....If there's a bust in any of this, it's Billy Smith and believe me, I would rather not see his bust!

"the best defensive third baseman in the league." clearly you are high.

i'd take inge, zimmerman, figgins, and hell even teehan over crede. all have a ba over .275 and almost as good fielding pct as crede and all have played 70+. crede? a measly 57 games an a punto-like avg.

a bust is as a bust does my friends.

I wouldn't call him a bust. It's not like he's a .300 hitter. he was and still is a streaky hitter. if he's a bust your expectations were unrealistic, imo.

Crede has some situational experience unlike the other half of the infield though- that was worth something once or twice through the year. Better than Buscher being your every day guy, which would have been the alternative.

Almost as good is not as good. The Twins (and fans) have gotten exactly what they expected/deserved. If you want talk about "bad moves" there are at least a few which are a hell of a lot more egregious. You must be visiting the fridge or the bathroom while Punto is batting!

I love DirecTV. Have not sprung for MLB yet, but I live for the NFL package on Fall/Winter Sundays.

I guess the term "bust" is relative to what the expectations are. And yeahkyle's expectations for Crede must have been much higher than kevinAZ, Erik, myself and most Twins fans.

i can't believe what i'm seeing from the ballpark pack. does anyone else see joe crede bouncing into double plays? or striking out? or wincing on the bench? he was supposed to 1) be over his bad back, 2) deliver some pop in the lineup (ok he has had a few taters), and 3) be the solid #5 hitter.

why am i the only one who see's that crede's a biggest bust since tommy herr?

Crede has not been a bust...i do wish his avg. be up around .260ish, but his other numbers are fine. 11 homeruns and 35 rbi..not bad numbers for a 7th place hitter. i am still mad that punto makes over $4 million a year

On ESPN's web site they did a piece about who's fan's are treated right and the Twins ranked 23rd out of the 4 major sports(pretty good) and in the Stadium Experience category we ranked 114, you'd have to believe with TF we would rank in the top 10. I thought this was interesting.

another interesting thing, the Xcel Center was ranked 2nd. Is it really that good?

yeahklye,

I guess I'm a fan who looks at like this:

is Crede better than any 3b we've had since Koskie??? You better believe it. That's enough for me. After watching Tiffe, Batista, Buscher, and cast of thousands... I'll take 11hr and 40 rbi at the mid point... end of season numbers (if he duplicates this effort) 22hr and 80 rbi

is he better than the lame excuses for 3rd basemen you listed, cj? of course. my beef is that there was a lot of chatter and salivating on this blog when crede was signed. but he is nowhere near one of the key players he was in '05 w/ the sox. and that was the curb appeal w/ crede.

thankfully his contract was structured rightly so we wouldn't have to pay for such underproduction.

btw, there is NO WAY crede hits 22 hrs this year. if he does, i'll run naked thru the plaza.

he's a 6 hole hitter on pace to produce 22 homers and 80 rbi... that's pretty decent production for a guy who wont play in 150 games... he's contributing from a position that has been a black hole for five years. considering the investment, i'd call him a success.

Here is a link to a 2nd page of an article that talks about center field camera angles. I remember reading a post here about the topic and am not sure if you already knew this, but the article in the link talks about the Twinks going with the straight on view.

Oops! didnt look like it showed up. Here is the link to the article and some quoted text.

http://www.slate.com/id/2221384/pagenum/2

"The Red Sox went dead-center midway through last year at the behest of team owner John Henry. The Twins also switched last summer on an experimental basis and have since decided to keep the setup when they move into a new stadium next year. Minnesota color analyst Bert Blyleven is a fan of the new view, saying the camera makes it easier for him to convey the game's subtleties, like the tail of a fastball or a pitcher's positioning on the rubber. "As an analyst, you're an educator," he says. "Having the camera directly over the pitcher gives the fan at home a better perspective of what pitching is and the game within the game."

No, Crede is absolutely not a bust.

He is the BEST third basemen in the league. You cannot argue it, because there is a stat that proves it (click my name). The number you see on the far right, UZR/150, which Crede has a 29.0, is the number of runs that a defender saves his team over the course of 150 games.

The stat takes into account errors, arm strength, range, etc. It is used by many voters for the Gold Glove. The next closest person (3B) in all of baseball is Zimmerman with a 17.8.

In addition, Crede is a career .256 hitter, so expecting much more would be illogical. Is his .233 average low? A little, but it is to be expected. He has 11 homeruns and 35 RBI which puts him on pace for 26 homeruns and 82 RBI. When have we seen this from a third basemen recently. Especially with the defense.

Also, he gets paid as he produces with incentives and not a flat salary.

yeahklye,

The fact that his contract was structured as it was is evidence that your expectations are more than likely quite a bit higher than others (at least those within the organization, and by the looks of things many of us on this board as well). The Twins knew what they were getting: a guy on one hand with great potential to take up space on the DL, but on the other hand he could hit 20-30 HRs with 75-100 RBIs - and he was billed as such (do you recall of the "Wow, he has great potential...and we're quite optimistic that he is over the back injury" chatter?).

In addition, your comparison of fielding percentage is suspect to say the least. Fielding percentage takes into account only balls that the fielder reached, neglecting to factor in balls that the fielder reached that either (A) other fielders never would have gotten to, or (B) balls that the fielder reached that resulted in the prevention of a run being scored.

Take a look at either the defensive range metric (PMR) or the defensive runs saved metric (DRS). You'll find that Crede is significantly above average in the PMR and ranked 3rd among all defensive players in DRS. He is DEFINITELY a premiere defensive player (not to mention third baseman) and outshines the other four players you mentioned in each metric.

Twinsterritory,
Thank you for restoring sanity. I knew when I saw Fielding Percentage, we were going down a bad route. It's probably going too far to suggest that you can't argue against him, but anyone who's been disappointed with Crede this year has to have A) no idea about his history as a player and B) little knowledge of how great a third base he plays. This is like complaining that Mauer is a glorified singles hitter. C'mon guys...

Someone asked earlier (sorry, I forget who, and with this new format, I now can't look back) about if Wrigley only has an organ, or if they play "real" music too. They play real music too. Have for a while. The 1984 team started the tradition of playing Van Halen's "Jump" before every game, and recently, they started playing "Go, Cubs Go" after a win.

Also, some one else asked if the "X" was really that good. IMHO, yes, it is. One reason is that it is one of the few buildings where hockey was the primary design concern. Most major arenas are designed as dual purpose (basketball/hockey). You wouldn't thin it makes as big a difference as dual purpose baseball/football stadiums (and it likely doesn't), but it does make a difference.

Basically, I think the two biggest things the "X" has going for it are the fact that the corners in the club and upper decks are squared off, rather than bowls. And that when you walk around, it feels like a hockey rink, because of all the hockey stuff on the walls (and no basketball stuff). Heck, even the Leafs can't claim that, since they have to share the Air Canada Centre with the Raptors...

Moose

Yeah, it was a little far to say you can't argue it :)

It's just that he has been a great fielder this season and I think so many people let that go unnoticed. Along with that, he hasn't hit for a great average, but he never has and he is still driving in some runners and is on pace to be one of out better third basemen offensively in quite some time.

I know Rick, I was just half way through typing, and didn't want to lose what I'd written...

Moose

Anyone know where Twinsfest is gonna be next year? It seems like the dome is still the most logical place (utilizing the open field is a must), yet I'd think the team would like to have the final game of the season at the Dome be its final send off from the beast. Do you think they would try something at TF? The convention center?

batting average means nothing anymore too. i'm glad to see that espn has finally admitted that ops is a real category (on base % + slugging %).

crede - .748
gomez - .622

huge difference

and field percentage/errors are bs. that's what torii hunter looks at and that is why he claims he is the best in baseball (even though statistically gomez makes the most out-of-zone plays)

I've suspected the convention center for Twinsfest, thinking they will want to disassociate the team from the dome. I've been wondering the same thing, though.

The Twins don't even know where it will be next year. I've heard rumors that the Target Center is in the running. Perhaps they could bring tours across the plaza.

Target Center actually is a really good idea. That seems to make the most sense.

I found a new Twins jobsite report dated July 1, click my name. The pictures are quite small. Lets see how long it takes the Twins to update their website now.

Does anyone know if Target Center's exterior is scheduled for renovation? It's due for an update to compliment TF's modern look.

Millcityexplorer.com also clarified the no photo policy that the Twins have implemented on an earlier Target Field blog entry date June 25th 2009. Maybe there is hope for you after all Rick. Where you invited on this tour?

Taken directly from the millcityexplorer blog
"Prior to arriving on site we had to sign an indemnity waiver and were instructed that photos would not be allowed. Being a rule following goodie-two-shoes, I left my fancy schmancy camera at home. Lo and behold...upon arrival to the construction site our tour guide clarified that the Twins only wanted us to refrain from taking pictures of the enclosed portions of the building (such as the locker rooms and whatnot - something about a phased media unveiling)"

There has been some informal talk about the Target Center getting a fresh new look. Tim Leweike, CEO and president of AEG (AEG owns Target Center), is looking at "spiffing" up the Target Center at a cost of 0 to 100 million dollars. Click my name for the full article.

legacy, disagreeing with me on how crede has not lived up to his promise by isolating one statistic is one thing; insulting my knowledge of the game's history is another. be careful, dude.

i'm sure you guys can conjure up some amalgomation of a few statistics to prove that i am flat out wrong, so if that is your measure of crede's being a bust or not, fine. the twins did not need crede's defense as much as they needed his batting avg. and that has been abysmal lately.

ok, i'm done w/ the crede rant...

simmer down

If the Twins signed Crede for his batting average then we're in even more trouble than I thought.

First time poster, long time reader ...

Couple questions:

1. I just got done looking at today's webcam. Anyone know what they're building on the roof next to the "TARGET FIELD" sign (overlooking the plaza)? Are those seats? Or maybe they're utility boxes of some sort? I'm guessing the latter.

2. Looked at the pictures that Jeff linked to. Thanks. I love this ballpark, but that little overhang in right field smacks of contrived quirkiness. Does anyone know if there's a legitimate reason for that design?

the legitimate reason is simply to fit more seats in there, as far as I know. the plaza directly behind it is right over 3rd Avenue, which limits the space. I wouldn't call it a forced quirk or contrivance, just making the best of the space available

also, from what I've learned from reading this blog, the designers originaly wanted the overhang to be like twice as big, but the Twins nixed that.

Hey at least its not a hill in center field.

Totally agree, Matt. I bring it up only because it seems like they did a good job avoiding un-necessary quirkiness in the rest of the design. I'm skeptical of the "making the best of the space available" theory, but who knows ...

Matt, you're right. That hill in Houston is probably the most obvious example of forced quirkiness. I was trying to think of others. Unless there's something I don't know, Houston's weird train over the left field wall qualifies. The odd gap in the upper deck in Cincinnati seems unnecessarily unusual, too.

well it is an attempt at some quirkiness, there isn't a need for an overhang there. a larger overhang would have been really contrived. but i'll be fun to see how it affects play, especially when some no-count sox or indians rightfielder looks up to see a morneau blast flying over his head and not coming back. gotta admit i have target field fever...fullblown sickness when that grass appears early august!

I think Fenway is a really quirky park, it gets overlooked because of its history.

Wow, the Twins logo on the dugout looks excellent. The limestone on the dugout looks cool too.

Anybody know what is happening with the Minikahda Storage building across from Carew Gate? They have a portion of the sidewalk blocked off. There are "cut" markings and assorted dotted lines on the pavement. The only thing I have seen happen there lately is slapping a little paint on the 5th Street side.

Holy crap Klye did you just make a threat?

Be carefuldude. Hmmmm what happenned to the spirit on this board? I think if you guys are going to start with that stuff you should step outside get some fresh air and a different perspective. That isht just ain't cool.

It looks like they are installing more seats behind home plate. Webcam #1.

Nothing happened to the spirit of this board. Now, the spirit of kyle could definitely use a nice long weekend and a few sunny days at the beach. Enjoy the holiday, kyle. It sounds like you need one!

Joel, those are most likely A/C units for the Metropolitan Club.

It's KLYE.....not kyle.

And yes, let's not let the spriit of the board go to pot over Joe Crede....If we're gonna let it go to pot, it should be about something really important....like...how many ounces of beer will the cups hold?

hahahaha i totally agree with you Kevin

Interesting critique of NYS. Apparently (based on the comments) even the uppity designer types prefer Wrigley.

no moda, i didn't intend in any way to make a threat of any kind. i apologize exceedingly if what i last wrote was perceived as a threat.

you are right, kev in az: great timing for a long wknd.

(why do i feel like this blog is now a support group? ballpark-aholics annonymous, man...)

(oh great i just misspelled my own name...i need MANY beers...)

(um, what's w/ the "(aka ...)" thing, rick?)

The purpose of the overhang in right field was to provide more seating close to the action. Yes, the Twins nixed the idea and had it shortened dramatically.

yes,we finnally sent henn down! we brought up duensing or whatever his name is.....

On ESPN's web site they did a piece about who's fan's are treated right and the Twins ranked 23rd out of the 4 major sports(pretty good) and in the Stadium Experience category we ranked 114, you'd have to believe with TF we would rank in the top 10. I thought this was interesting.

A good chunk of ESPN's survey is very subjective and unquantifiable, so it's hard to put a lot of stock in it. That said, one of the factors that can be legitimately tracked is affordability. The loss of all those cheap upper outfield seats and the likely discontinuation of many of the pricing discounts/gimmicks at Target Field will adversely effect the Twins in this category.

I think TwinsFest will end up at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Target Center is closer to the new stadium, but its layout is all wrong for this sort of event, especially in terms of the crowd circulation in those narrow concourses and the relatively small area of the arena floor. The Convention Center is the only logical location unless they want to keep using the Dome.

The new dugout definitely looks good. I'm okay with the move to the first base side. They were on that side at the Met and only switched over to the third base side at the Dome and rather than for any strategic desire to swtich baselines, they moved because it was more sensible and convenient to put their clubhouse over there so it would connect directly to the Twins' offices. Had the Twins offices ended up where the MSFC offices are located, the Twins would probably still be on the first base side.

On ESPN's web site they did a piece about who's fan's are treated right and the Twins ranked 23rd out of the 4 major sports(pretty good) and in the Stadium Experience category we ranked 114, you'd have to believe with TF we would rank in the top 10. I thought this was interesting.

A good chunk of ESPN's survey is very subjective and unquantifiable, so it's hard to put a lot of stock in it. That said, one of the factors that can be legitimately tracked is affordability. The loss of all those cheap upper outfield seats and the likely discontinuation of many of the pricing discounts/gimmicks at Target Field will adversely effect the Twins in this category.

I think TwinsFest will end up at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Target Center is closer to the new stadium, but its layout is all wrong for this sort of event, especially in terms of the crowd circulation in those narrow concourses and the relatively small area of the arena floor. The Convention Center is the only logical location unless they want to keep using the Dome.

The new dugout definitely looks good. I'm okay with the move to the first base side. They were on that side at the Met. Rather than for any strategic desire to swtich baselines, they moved over to the third base side because it was more sensible and convenient to put their clubhouse over there so it would connect directly to the Twins' offices. Had the Twins offices ended up where the MSFC offices are located, the Twins would probably still be on the first base side.

Moose,

can you tell me how to get to Roy lake just south of your town? we are heading up there for the weekend.....kansas city was insaine the "new K" in imo better than the new busch...dont start a roit with that one.. you have to be there to understand

Maz - I assume you're comming from the Cities, correct? If so, the first piece of advice is to ignore the Google Maps/Mapquest version of how to get here (Hwy 371 through Brainerd) and do this instead:

go I-94 to Hwy 10 (cut across at Clearwater rather than St. Cloud). Once you get to Little Falls, continue on Hwy 10 instead of taking 371 to Brainerd/Baxter (the sign will say Staples/Motley I believe). Once you get to Motley, turn east (right) on 210, and then immediatly north (left) on Hwy 64 (it's about 1/4 mile). 64 will take you to within about 20 miles of Bemidji before it dead ends into Hwy 200. Turn west (left) until you reach Kabekona and the junction with Hwy 71 (you're actually going to still be on Hwy 200 and 71). From there, follow the signs to Lake Itasca State Park. You'll actually stay on 200 all the way to Roy Lake, passing Itasca, Zerkel and maybe a few other tiny towns along the way.

Hope that isn't too confusing. Conversley, coming to Bemidji would be back east on Hwy 200, then north (left) on 92 to Hwy 2, then east (right) into town.

Moose

I should note that there are a few twists and turns, but just continue to follow the roads I mentioned and you'll be fine. They are marked just fine. Also, I recommend Motley rather than Brainerd because there are fewer towns to slow down in, and it's a less populated area you'll be driving through... I will note that I will go the Brainerd way in winter when roads are bad just in case something goes wrong, because there isn't much between here and there on 64. Including cell service. Not a good place to break down, but sometimes you can get moving ;)

Moose

Moose,

Thanks a bunch i was going to do the google maps way... but i will give this a try! i have nav in my truck but it has no idea where roy lake is without a addy and the cabin addy does not show up on google or mapquest

Wonderful late-night news....Luis Ayala is GONE!

forgive me....it takes a while for the news to make it down here and even longer to sink into my brain with this heat....

What do you guys think about us hosting an allstar game at target field in the bext couple years?....(sorry if this has been talk about already)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(sorry, i ment to say next)

is anyone going to the ballpark to take some pic's this weekend? I can't get enough of this stuff.

i think 2014 is their goal for the all-star game.

anyone seen the marlins webcam??? already up and they've not even cleared 1/4 of the site (the old Orange Bowl in Miami) I don't have link, but it's interesting to watch.

here's that link, CJ. They just broke ground on the 1st, I believe. Not sure why the webcam has been up for so long

I'm sorry but the artist's renderings of that new marlins stadium look awful, for 634 mil they could really build something that they might want to play in for more than 20 yrs. At this moment I feel bad for florida fans. Actually Miami fans cuz when the new stadium opens it says on their website they will be the miami marlins.

Right now, I think I would take target field over the Marlin's new dig any day

man, you click on that florida marlins webcam and you can literally SEE their oppressive humidity just hanging in the air down there. yuck! no thanks.

Anyone see the bee swarm at Petco Park yesterday? That's the perks that come along with outdoor baseball, nothing we have experienced in the Metrodome.

I am sure the people at that game will always remember the 55 minute delay due to the swarm of bees, its just one of those unique things that you will remember if at the game. That's what outdoor baseball is all about...the memories it creates due to the natural elements from being outdoors whether its pigeons, seagulls, mayflies, bees, wind, rain, sleet, snow, heat/humidity, etc.

It will be very fun and very interesting returning outdoors next year in downtown Minneapolis. No more sterile environment that is ALWAYS 68 degrees with a sea of blue seats under a white teflon sky with fake grass.

i agre dirwin... it doesn't look like a winner... looks like skydome south

I also wanted to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day! Take time to thank those who have served and made our country what it is today.

What better holiday to enjoy America's past time than the 4th of July! Thankfully, it is also the final 4th of July INDOORS at the Metrodome.

God Bless the USA everyone!

the renderings of the new rays park looks pretty cool tho, although the giant "sail" is pretty gaudy, I think it's cool to see a team incorporate a sun screen over their stadium as opposed to a roof, I've said that for a while why don't these teams that supposedly can't stand the heat or elements or whatever they are kind of whining about just make a sun screen for the fraction of the price of that of a retractable roof. In Florida, it'll probably cut down on the rain too. I don't see any reason why Houston, AZ, and FL have decided to ruin the baseball experience for their fans. I've been to both Miller Park and Safeco, and even when the roof is open, it just doesn't feel right. Safeco better than Miller park tho. Just to throw it in, I was at 'the new K' on monday, that is a nice stadium, altho the jumbo tron is so big to a point it takes away from the classic stadium feel that that park has

Hadn't seen this posted yet...

April 12th looks to be the tentative home opener for 2010. Click name...

How great will it be next 4th of July. I can see it now: flyover before the game, a great Twins win and fireworks off the B ramp after the game. Can't wait!

I really hope they get a home series for the first 4th of July in Target Field.

Nice picture Twins Territory! That sign lit up is solid!

ok, time to eat some crow...

crede is a very good home-run hitter.
crede is a very good fielder.

That photo is from the Minnesota Twins Fan Page on Facebook. Actually, it was posted by Kevin Smith...

hmmm...opening game against the red sox....there won't be any ticket demand for that i bet

wow cuddy! what a POS on that at bat. ugh

Will somebody put duct tape on Roy Smalley's mouth!

locker - i would actually like to see it the other way around. i literally CAN NOT stand dick-face bremer. the guy always says the wrong shit at the wrong time and seems to always be bringing up obscure stats and stupid folksy, i'm from central minnesota ah-schucks conversations that are just lame and irrelevant to 95% of the audience watching the game. the only thing he has going for him is he is good at raising the volume of his voice at just the right time when the twins make a good play/hit a home run, but just about anyone can do that.

i would love to see bert blyleven continue on with a new play-by-play announcer at his side.

i'm w/ you locker. roy bugged the heck out of me all game. i almost stuck a scratch awl in my ears for some sweet relief.

sorry betaband. he may look like a weeble-wobble, but dick bremer, imo, knows how to call the game.

compared to the clowns on the radio, Dick Bremer sounds like Vin Scully.

omg Kevin you are so right. John Gordon says some of the most ridiculous things ever. When they were in Boston he said someone's hit was "off the baggie".... Only Gordon could mistake the Green Monster for the dome baggie. But my favorite of all time is this sign-off by Gordon:

"From Jacob Field in Chicago... Goodnight everybody!"

classic.

Gordo sucks....I just can't say anything nice about his delivery...Now I've heard from others who have met and known the guy and he's first-rate, very classy man....But he absolutely sucks at calling a game. In the spirit of the 4th of July he makes me want to light a black-cat in each ear.

meow?

Not literally my furry friend....click link - my name.

You guys should hear that TV broadcast for some of the other teams. Sampled the MLB package the first week of the year and they were annoying as hell. Way more opinionated than Dick & Bert. Like WAY more.

New ballpark next year. (Slightly) new uniforms next year. Two new play-by-play announcers would make the perfect trifecta! Although I must admit I am a tad spoiled: I spent five years in Cincinnati listening to Marty Brennaman before moving back home 17 years ago. It's like they are working two different sports.

agreed. Dick n Bert are homers and everything, but they're not emotionally invested in the team like a lot of TV guys for other teams. Chicago has Ron Santo on the radio, and the south side has the Hawk and his cronies. It's bad.

My problem with Bremer is actually how excited he occasionally gets when the other team does well... it's aggravating. I've gotten used to him, and you get a lot worse with other teams... so I'll take him. I'm a big fan of Blyleven, but the need to ditch the rest (Coomer, Laudner, Smalley) they are superfluous.

Lived in LA for a few years and there are people that whine about Vin Scully too. They should be punched. However, just goes to show you that some people will never be satisfied with who broadcasts their games. I really don't think we have it that bad.

Now if we could get the rest of the prelim 2010 schedule. I was very surprised to see MLB.com post the April 12th story - I presume it's true.

Surprised that the Red Sox will be the home opener. You would think it would've been another team so the focus would be on the Twins and not "the Red Sox are here in Minneapolis and it looks like the Twins have a new park".

"the Red Sox are here in Minneapolis and it looks like the Twins have a new park".

My nomination for the best sentence to ever appear in this blog. Good humor!

yes, but it ensures that ESPN will actually acknowledge that TF exists... since the game will involve the team they are a wholly owned subsidiary of...

I agree CJ. I rarely even watch ESPN "Baseball Tonight" anymore. MLB network has taken over as far as baseball coverage is concerned. ESPN has become YES network II or Red Sox nation superstation.

What happened to the Twins game on Fox??! It was just on and now I have the Dodgers.

OK, it's back. Did they change just for Manny?? Lame.

Boy I sure hope they change the schedule for next year...so many Red Sox fans will be there and totally ruin it. They can annoy me but MLB, please wait a few weeks for Boston to be in town. I would rather have the home opener only on local tv against an AL Central team than a nationally televised game versus Boston. I say online petition! :)

BB - red sox fans will only be in our stadium if people sell their tickets to them. are you planning on selling to them?! i recently read that full-season ticket holders for next year will be close to 25,000 or more. that is in a 40,000 seat stadium, so there will not be many individual game tickets floating around. people need to remember that this is not going to be the 55,000 seat metrodome anymore. combine that with additional twins fans who are not season ticket holders, but want to be there for the first game and you will have an overwhelming twins crowd.

by assuming the worst you kind of sound like a defeatist baby. just sayin'!

Happy 4th everyone!

I don't know how you can possibly have 25K FSE (Full season equivalents) - with 40K seats, if you assume the average FSE is 2. something seats, that would be more seats than are in the park. And I think the current FSE is around 13K.

If by 25,000 you mean 25,000 seats sold to season ticket holders, I think that's going to be low, given the current seat selection maps. There is very little left in home plate box for full season and the partial season packages seem to be filling well. It looks like the Twins have reserved about 8K seats for groups/single game sales.

I doubt seriously that there will be a lot of opening day tickets sold to Red Sox fans. But I suspect that quite a few will be sold to the opening series, as those will most likely command a significantly higher premium than most given the high demand to get in to Target Field early (assuming the weather is OK) and the natural additional demand given a premium series.

Has anyone seen a number on how many STH doubled up during the selection process? A number of those were bought for resale I'm sure.

Something re: ticket prices, that I haven't seen discussed is tiered pricing. The Twins currently have three prices (Value, Select and Premium), but I've seen some teams use four and five tiers of ticket prices. This can be confusing, but effective - especially for the weather and opponents. As an example, opening day will always be a "premium" ticket, but day games vs. the Royals in April should be on the lowest end of the spectrum, and should be even cheaper than a night game in April. Same for weekends. Really, you could individually study your schedule and price each game if you wanted, but at worst, I think more tiers isn't a bad thing for the team, or the fans. The team can get more fans to the park with lowered costs for games they might not usually attend, and can make more money off games that are in greater demand.

Moose

I don't see that there will be any need to expand tiered pricing for a couple years. Unless the team just implodes on the field, the "new ballpark effect" will keep demand up, so there is no need for the additional pricing levels (which are always lower to drive demand).

For 2010, pretty much the only day of game tickets that will be available will be those that the Twins have reserved, some outfield seats and the top 1/2 of the 3xx level and maybe the top half of the four outer field box levels.

I suspect they will have a few more premium games (e.g. fireworks), but what other teams would you move to premium games?

That said, I hope that the Twins and other teams will expand tiered pricing and go to a more on-demand model, but only to the extent that existing season ticket holders (STH) are protected. I would not be happy to find a team offering any significant number of games at prices less than what I pay as an STH.

I tried to get info on the percentage of STHs that "doubled up" and couldn't. For the full season plan holders, it sured seamed like a lot though as seats in Home Plate Box were being snapped up at a far faster rate than would be expected, given the Twins 2009 FSE. I know I talked to a number of folks that had been account holders for 8+ years who were very disappointed at their seat locations.

To me, the provision to allow folks to "double up" for 2010 was one of the few blunders the Twins made with the process. Instead of getting new account holders to grow the base "the rich get richer".
I guess the only good side to this is that those buying the tickets for speculation will drop in a few years (or maybe not until after teh ASG), opening up seats for existing STHs to upgrade.

I'm sure every ticket broker doubled up and have seen a few ads out on Craigslist and other places where STHs are looking to sell season tickets at a huge markup (hello, 237 row 1). Like many, I run a season ticket group and split the season with others, but at cost, not trying to use tickets to pay my mortgage.

On thing I have noticed is that the 20 game packages aren't selling as quickly as I thought they would - not sure why - maybe because of the locations left, maybe because we're just near the end of all the folks in Phase I.

I've been gone for a week, and just catching up now. so cut me a little slack.
is it my imagination, but on webcam 1 it looks like they're getting ready for sod installation? and i thought i saw what would eventually be the pitchers mound.

DAMMIT!

I thought the sod was being harvested August 15th, so I'm not sure that's it.

Kevin in AZ - care to expand a bit? :)

jfh,
I can't right now...It's Sunday and I'm trying my damndest to be nice so I really can't expand. Just read the post above me and then go look at webcam #1. I thought this bullshit was over...Okay, fine...It's too late, I've already expanded.....

LUKE....where do you see a pitchers mound??? Right now there is a pile of black pipes laying right where the mound will be. There is a mound of grey stuff which has already been laid out in rows above the pipes which have already been installed. I think it's same to assume the stuff that you see is just more of the shit they've installed in RF - as they have more to install across the rest of the field.

There, rant over...Luke, I hope you enjoyed your week off, I know I did.

Who's the dumbfukc to schedule the red sox with the most obnoxious fans. I'd rather it be a divisional opponent.

Kevin, cut him some slack man, at least he's trying to talk about the park. So he might be wrong, aren't we all sometimes? I haven't been Luke's biggest fan either but at least he's trying and not complaining like a lot of posts I see.

MATT,

The dumbfukc is from the same front office that implemented a no photo policy. The dumbfukc is from the same front office that is trying to preserve all of our a-ha moments (I'm betting the Red Sox on opening day was yet another one let out of the bag early)...The dumbfukc is from the same front office that traded for Delmon Young. The dumbfukc is from the same organization which traded Santana for Carlos Go Go Go away. The same dumbfukcs which are guaranteeing this beautiful new ballpark will be 2/3 empty 3 years from now.

I tried to Eric....I tried...

I have very few problems with the Twins' broadcasters for both radio and tv

thanks Eric. i know kev means well. apparently he didn't read my post entirely, where I said "I was still catching up." i wasn't sure what they were doing over there, but it looked to me, at least on webcam 1, they were starting to plot out the field pattern.

Thanks for understanding Luke...I'm very grumpy this morning....I was up all night with a barking dog thanks to fireworks....

no harm, no foul kev. I know that feeling. you wouldn't BELIEVE the dogs we had at our cabin this weekend. to the east of us, four very loud dogs. to the west of us, four very obnoxious dogs.

sounds like you need a no dog zone, dog!

stop picking on my son.

You dawgs need to keep your dogs in the basement on the 4th. Walking around the stadium, there's not too much to take pics of at the moment. Just a dirt field.

Does anyone remember what thread contained the "overlay" pictures of the Metrodome/Target Field?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Mike - if you use search this site, you can find it. Or you can click my name.

thanks jfh!

I was thinking there was also an overlay of the "field level" seating but it must have just been the upper terrace/view level.

click my name for a gallery that also includes some overlay pics. I think the entire blog entry from MinnPost "A fan's eye perspective" is worth a look, not just the photo gallery.

guess it is just the photo gallery - but with some nice commentary on each photo though. it's been a while since i looked at that post. sorry bout that. but there are two overlay pics on it.

sunday games outdoors = the best thing ever

Just an observation from above: the schedule isn't done by the Minnesota Twins. It's done by people from the Major League Baseball offices in New York. Teams have no say over who they play in interleague, when they play teams, etc.

Thanks for the link Luke, I am just curious as to how things will be in Target Field as far as seat articulation. I know the sections are articulated, but am curious to see how much the seats themselves will be articulated since its a little difficult to tell from the terrace level seat installations to date. (from the pictures I have seen)

As far as the scheduling is concerned, the only things teams can do is make requests such as the Twins did to open their 2010 home schedule during the second week of the season.

I know two years ago, the Twins tentative schedule came out in July 2007(for the 2008 season) than there were changes made to it before it was finally released in September. MLB had the Twins playing at home during the week of the Republican National Convention, but the Twins insisted not to play at home that week so the schedule was modified, resulting in the excessively long road trip last year. I think the LA Angels and Toronto home and home series' were somehow flip-flopped from the original tentative schedule which was released in July. This explains the 14 game road trip and the flight from Oakland to Toronto.

i know they hand out the "Winter Edition" schedules at like TwinsFest and stuff. The ones that just have the schedule, no ticket or TV info or stuff like that.
i didn't realize MLB had originally scheduled them at home for the Republican Convention week. i thought it kind of strange that the Twins were on the road that week, seeing as the RNC was in Saint Paul. but there was a whole slew of parties in Minneapolis, like at the Guthrie and the Convention Center and stuff. the Twins being home might have been a nice diversion for the delegates, especially that shortened first day of the convention because of the hurricane.

Hey rick, when is there gonna be a new post?..im dying here!

Saw a game this weekend and hung out afterward to see the players get into their cars and drive off. It's a real small town feel, and pretty surprising more people don't hang around there. I can't believe they'll continue this in the new park for a variety of reasons. Has anyone seen or heard where the player entrance will be?

Also FWIW the message was clear that Mauer and Morneau use a different exit. Gardy also drove away and waved without having walked past us, so he too uses the "alternate" exit. I don't know why they wouldn't all just do that really.

Regarding seat articulation - can't say for sure for the Target Field seats, but for other recent HOK parks, articulated seats place your eyes at the pitcher's mound when you are looking directly forward while sitting in the seat.

I'm sure they don't all do it is then there really wouldn't be an alternate, I'm sure everyone would hang out there then. Or if it's underground or something (speculation) they may have limited parking. Or they want to have some people give autographs but Mauer and Morneau would be so inundated that they wouldn't be home until 1 am. As for player parking it is underneath the 7th street bridge.