Here Comes The Sun

Thanks to Betsy and her tweeting to the world that she found tickets to the home opener last week, I was able to do the same. Unlike Betsy and Katie, I was able to find two seats together and my sister and I sat in section 102, row 16. Our seats were great and we had an amazing view of the whole park. Like everyone else I scrutinized the weather more than I’d care to admit in the days and hours leading up to the game. I was fully prepared for rain, but immensely relieved when it became obvious the rain wasn’t going to be making an appearance at the game and blue skies and sunshine showed up in the second inning.

The opening ceremony was beautifully done and truly a celebration of the Twins and Twins Territory. Honoring local soldiers who have lost their lives while serving in Iraq & Afghanistan, the American flag was raised by the lone surviving soldier of a Humve attack in Iraq last year, followed by a moment of silence to honor the three soldiers from Minnesota who’ve lost their lives in Iraq over the last two weeks. The National Anthem was sung by members of the Twin Cities Gospel Choir, followed by a F-16 flyover by the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard. The ceremonial first pitch balls were delivered to the pitching mound by Twins greats Kent Hrbek, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew and the late Kirby Puckett was represented by his son Kirby Puckett Jr. The ceremonial first pitches were thrown by members of the Hennepin County Ballpark Commission and Mortensen Construction, all who worked on the design and construction of Target Field. The only change to the opening ceremony I would’ve made is to get someone higher profile to sing the National Anthem, of course this person would have connections to Minnesota. I personal would like to see Minnesota natives and Broadway stars Laura Osnes or Christopher Sieber sing the National Anthem.

In past seasons I’d have the same thing at every Twins game… a Dome Dog. This season I’ve decided to be adventurous and sample all the food Target Field has to offer. At the exhibition game I attended I sampled the Jumbo Dog (the replacement for the Dome Dog) and actually prefer the taste of this hot dog over the Dome Dog. During the opener my sister and I split the Nachos Grande from Senor Smoke’s before the game and a basket of chicken fingers and french fries during the 6th inning. I thought the prices were reasonable for ballpark food, the nachos were $8.50 and the chicken fingers and fries basket was $7. Both items had more than enough food to feed two people.

I’ve been a baseball fan my entire life and a Twins fan since my first game in May 2003. The Twins have given me a lot to be proud of over the last seven years at the Dome; four AL Central Division Championships, two MVPs, a CY Young Winner, numerous Gold Glove Winners, a three time AL Batting Champion and countless games and memories that I’ll never forget. With all the excitement that has surrounded the opening of Target Field, it’s evident that Twins baseball is back where it belongs… under blue skies, sunshine and star filled nights. After Monday’s historic home opener at Target Field, I’ve never been prouder to call the Twins my team and to proclaim myself as a member of Twins Territory.

Welcome to Target Field

Yesterday I attended the Season Ticket Holder Open House at Target Field, and was impressed from the moment I entered Gate 29. Every aspect of Target Field was designed with the fan's comfort in mind and its easy to spot them all. For example, not a bad seat in the place.

Here's a run down of what I enjoyed about Target Field.

• The spacious main concourse. You can see the action down on the field from everywhere. The minute you walk in the gate, while standing in line at the concession stand or walking from section to section.
• The number of bathrooms. There are men's, women's and family bathrooms located throughout the park.
• Heat lights - located at the top of each section and in drink rail sections. These offer just the right amount of heat to take the chill out of the air on cool spring and crisp fall games.
• Ticket Windows - located throughout the park. This I believe was an excellent idea. Not only do you have the option ob buying tickets at the main ticket booths at the park gates, but scattered throughout the park are ticket windows that are open before, during and after the game.
• Angled Seats - seats in the outfield along the first & third baselines in all sections are angled toward home plate. That means no craning your neck to see the action at home plate.
• Food Options -with options ranging from standard ballpark fare, Italian, BBQ, Twin Cities restaurant favorites to State Fair Classics the food choices go beyond the standard Dome Dog. And it doesn't matter what section you're sitting in, you're only steps away from the food of your choice.
• Drink Options - In addition to the numerous food options, there's also many options for drinks. Scattered throughout the park are the regular stand alone beer and drink vendors, but there are also many pub style bars filled with TVs and drink rails overlooking the field so you don't miss a single pitch.
• Budweiser Roof Deck - sitting high a top the left field wall sits the Budweiser Roof Deck. Here you can catch the game while taking in perfect views for the Minneapolis skyline and surrounding area. The view is one of my favorite things about this area, but what I love the most is the fire & ice firepit.

Overall, what I was able to see of Target Field was beautiful. Whoever was asked for input when designing the park, knew exactly what needed to be added to make this place a world class facility. The only thing missing is 35,000 screaming Twins fans and a Twins victory.