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Next game at Target Field: White Sox at Twins |
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Picture of the Day
BallparkMagic presents a little bit of Target Field each day. (Click to enlarge.)  Wind Tunnel?December 14, 2006 12:08 PM I'm still waiting for more images of the concept design to surface. The Twins seem to be guarding this pretty closely, though I think that anything shown at a public meeting of a public body (i.e. the Hennepin County Board) must legally be accessible for public viewing. But the hunt goes on. Meanwhile, I saw an interesting comment today over at The Hardball Times in an article about Petco Park: During its first two years of existence, Petco was the single most difficult place to hit a home run in all of baseball. In 2006, it jumped all the way to the middle of the pack, to a level higher than had been seen during the Padres' final seasons at Qualcomm Stadium. Many possible explanations for this phenomenon exist. Two of the more likely are: * buildings constructed beyond the outfield have changed wind patterns that may have kept more balls from leaving the yard; * pitchers have grown accustomed to the way Petco Park plays and are more susceptible to making mistakes high in the zone because they believe—consciously or otherwise—that they can get away with it It started me thinking about the air flow into and across the top of the new park. I'm not an expert in this regard, and would love to hear from someone with more understanding, but I'll take a quick stab.
There is no question that the park is to be built in the middle of a sort of urban trench. The land is low-lying compared to everything around it because it was used for so long as a channel for railroad tracks. The playing surface will be roughly at the same level as the driving surface of I-394, which also runs down this same trench and actually served to widen it when it was built. It's become fashionable to build ballparks in big holes, moving the playing surface well below the surrounding terrain. This is often sold as a means of controlling the effect of the wind, though it also aids significantly in managing the flow of people (upon entering, half go up and half go down). That's not an option here because of what lies beneath the site (an underground river, among other things). The southeast "wall" of the trench is the row of parking ramps and warehouses which form the psychological edge of downtown. The northeast "wall" is also a row of old warehouses. Since our prevailing winds come from the northwest, and the diamond looks like it will be oriented due east, the upper winds will certainly favor the left-handed hitters (as will the short dimensions in right). The trench factor, on the other hand, has the potential to channel winds either from the southwest or northeast -- either of which will affect right-handed hitters. Based on this simple look, it appears that no matter how you slice it, winds will increase the likelihood that this park will be a hitter's paradise. The wild card, of course, is the potential for tall condo buildings built very nearby, most likely to the northeast. This is why the Petco article caught my attention. Our hitter's paradise could become a positive Shangra-La if big buildings block winds from the northwest and unleash the power from the right side of the plate. Now, this is pretty rough, and I'd love to know if there is any other research out there on how nearby tall buildings affect the airflow around ballparks. CommentsTo utilized enhanced comment features, please enable cookies in your browser. I know this is off-topic, but Star-Trib sports columnist Sid Hartman reports that the entire Twins ballpark project may be in jeopardy because Hennepin County is having a very difficult time reaching a deal to buy the largest parcel of land on which the ballpark will sit.
Posted on December 31, 2006 at 1:26 PM by Chris
The ballpark should house a proshop entirly devoted to Twins merchandise. The left field corner seats seem to obstruct them from the score board. Whats obstructing it? The replica looks great. Building it with out a retractable roof seems better, making it seem like more of a ballpark. On Febuary 15th they officaly unvail the design, and I'll be there!!!
Posted on January 31, 2007 at 2:08 PM by sam krainak
sorry sam, piece of shit bruce lambrecht delayed the official unvailing for the 15th, give us our land dbag we want to see our ballpark.
Posted on February 18, 2007 at 4:34 PM by Kevin
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"You talk about the magic, the aura, but what really makes a stadium is the fans. Concrete doesn't talk back to you. Chairs don't talk back to you. It's the people who are there, day in, day out, that makes the place magic."– Bernie WilliamsExplore the SiteHere are 50 images chosen randomly from the 3004 found on this site. Click the image to be taken to the original post. A new list is created every 10 minutes.
   The dish!   Main concourse, looking south toward the area behind home plate.   The main concourse is a very busy place at all times.  (Click to enlarge.)  (Click to enlarge)    Seating mound (seen from the B ramp)  Suite Level     I would put on this face.  Bike parking available along Second Avenue   How many times did we water down our field as kids? More times than we played games, that's for sure!   Skywalk over Seventh  Hooked up   These images are found at the top of the staircase, which leads to the Suite Level.   The Metrodome has sure been tarted up.  1885 Sanborn Map Image (Source: Sanborn Map Collection, Minneapolis Public Library, Copyright © 2001 by The Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Library, LLC)  Inspecting the delivery   The brown grass was left over from the first attempt at groundbreaking (canceled after the 35W bridge collapse)   At lower left are the seats I'm not going to use any time soon.   The service entrance area in left-center, now with bench seating  The entrances are all the way around on the other side.  Perched welder on the top of the canopy.   Click to enlarge  Nearby, workers are finishing a support column. The guy at the bottom is using some sort of personal dirt mover (inset). Very cool.   The Hrbek gate is directly below. It's a lively place after a game.  Friendly faces greet you right inside the door of the Legends Club.  Skyline to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the outfield with you... (click to enlarge)  The parking bay structure is now clearly visible  The Ballpark Authority at work (Source: RP)   Typical standing room crowd which started early and lasted the entire game.  Looking through it, you can see the outfield pavilion (upper deck at least).  Welcome Visitors From Two Men On (Accessiblity) Glossary BPM - Ballpark Magic BRT - Bus Rapid Transit DSP - Dave St. Peter FSE - Full Season Equivalent FYS - Fake Yankee Stadium (see also: NYS) HERC - Hennepin Energy Resource Company (aka the Garbage Burner) HPB - Home Plate Box HRP - Home Run Porch LC - Legends Club LRT - Light Rail Transit MBA - Minnesota Ballpark Authority (will own Target Field) MOA - Mall of America MSFC - Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission (owns the Metrodome) NYS - New Yankee Stadium SRO - Standing Room Only STH - Season Ticket Holder TCFBS - TCF Bank Stadium TF - Target Field Selected Bibliography - Analysis
Selected Bibliography - Surveys
Selected Bibliography - Nostalgia
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