An Early Review of Target Field

The last Twins game played at Metropolitan Stadium was in September of 1981. As you may know, this was the last time there was an outdoor Major League Baseball game played in the state of Minnesota.

Now, I've seen outdoor baseball before in Minnesota, but of course it wasn't a major league game. There's something about an outdoor Major League game that makes it more special than, say, a Northwoods league game. Maybe it's the big stadiums or (most likely) the quality of play. However, I've seen enough Rochester Honkers games to know that Minnesota has great weather for baseball in the summertime. Finally, baseball fans unable to drive large distances will get to experience an outdoor baseball game.

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a pair of tickets to go to a season ticket holder open house for Target Field, the new home for the Twins, last Saturday. Yeah, there wasn't a baseball game, but the bottom line was this: This is going to be awesome.

The first thing you'll most likely notice at Target Field is Target Plaza. When the initial concept of the plaza was brought up, I didn't think it would pan out. I was wrong. There are monuments to past Twins greats. There's a giant gold glove. There's the tradition wall that lists every team in the history of the Twins. Most importantly, it's very spacious. I don't know what kinds of food (if any) will be on the plaza like there was on the Metrodome, but there is a lot of stuff to check out on the plaza, and I assume when games start, there will be booths and games galore.

If you enter through Gate 34 (Gates are now named by numbers of former Twins greats, so 34 is named for Kirby Puckett), you get a great view of the stadium. I think they're going to sell standing room tickets at Target Field, so you could theoretically watch an entire game there or anywhere as Target Field will have open concourses.

If you haven't seen one of these, there is no wall separating the seating area from the field. So if you've ever been at a Twins game at the Metrodome and wanted a hot dog, but didn't want to miss anything, now you won't. All you have to do is turn around and watch!

Target Field also has many different varieties of food options. It's clearly a step up from the Dome as they have great food. However, BRING YOUR WALLET! If you want to try something new and interesting, it will cost you. For example, the Twins have added a steak sandwich from a Minneapolis steakhouse named Murray's. Murray's, according to my dad, is the home of the fifty dollar hashbrowns. Oh yeah, it's $10.50 at the ballpark. Guess they need to afford Mauer's contract somehow.

If you'd rather, there are also two restaurants that are open to the public at Target Field. On the lower level, by Gate 14, there is a restaurant called Herbek's. Think of it as a TGI Fridays type place. I didn't get to go into Hrbek's, but it looks like it should be interesting. There's also the Townball Tavern, which is a more traditional bar with food. Again, you'll probably need to bring your wallet to these places.

The beauty of the open house was that we checked out the Legends Club on the club level (the Champions Club, which is open to the beautiful people who bought big shooter season tickets, was not open...don't want any of the peasant dirt in the Champions Club!). This is open to people who buy season tickets, but it's pretty cool. The concourse is sheltered and there are many murals to pay tribute to Twins greats. There are also catering areas for group events and that stuff.

Also in this level are the event suites. It's basically what you would expect in a suite. A mini bar, private bathroom, TVs, etc. The really cool thing was that the walls could be opened and you could have one giant mega suite if you wanted to.

Another luxury at the ballpark is the Budweiser Roof Deck. This can be rented out for parties, but is reserved for single game tickets on Thursdays and Saturdays. You can get a ticket up there for 15 bucks, but it's standing room only. There's also a private bathroom up there along with a firepit for cold nights.

Oh yeah, then there is where the diehards sit. The nosebleeds! There is not a bad seat in the house at all. For example, I bought tickets to the April 14th game that are two rows from the back of the stadium. At the Dome, this would have been a disaster. At Target Field, you can see everything and there's a giant roof covering the infield portion of the stadium. Most importantly, there are bars located near home plate of the upper deck. Want to take your athletic alcoholism to a new level? Knock yourself out!

In the outfield, it's a lot more interesting. For you fans of student nights, they will have that promotion on Thursday's for 9 bucks, but they took away dollar hot dogs! (That promotion has been moved to Mondays.) The most interesting part about this is the slope of the sections is steep! I am personally looking forward to someone getting way to drunk and falling down the stairs because you're not stopping for a while. Call me what you will...

Also, the game theatrics are going to be top notch. The scoreboard in left field is gigantic. It's the 4th largest in the MLB and it's crystal clear. Even when the sun beats down on it. There's also ribbon scoreboards in case you can't see the big one. In center field, there's the Minnie and Paul sign. This sign is going to light up when a Twin hits a bomb to show Minnie and Paul shaking hands across the Mississippi River. It's one of the coolest parts of the stadium.

So I'm sure most of you have already heard about this, and granted I didn't see a game there, this is one of my favorite stadiums already. It exceeds the "caved-in" feeling of Miller Park, and rivals Kaufman Stadium (which has been renovated since my last trip there). Bottom line is, this park won't need to be replaced after 20-30 years like it's predecessors. This stadium was built the right way.

Crisis Averted

We're going to jump in the time machine for a second. It's December 2010 and we're at Target Field, the new gem of downtown Minneapolis. The ballpark just got done with it's first season hosting the Minnesota Twins. It's a shame that it will be the only season.

Thousands upon thousands of fans have traveled to Target Field to give the Twins a piece of their mind. Joe Mauer, the hometown boy wonder who is sometimes referred to as "Baby Jesus", just signed a 10 year, 250 million dollar contract with the New York Yankees. These fans aren't mad at Joe though, they're mad at the Twins.

They're breaking off the head of the Mauer statue on the plaza. They're raiding the suites and ripping up the clubhouse. Soon, Patrick Bakker, a friend of the Crishad Experience and visiting clubhouse tennant for the Twins, is being carried out by an unruly mob. Then...the alarm clock sounds.

The radio offers the good news. After months of negotiations and a very uptight fan base that has offered suggestions as far as trading Mauer, Mauer has agreed to a 8 year, 184 million dollar contract extension, which will put him in the same tax bracket as Scrooge McDuck...well that is if he was an actual person.

At first, it may not look like Mauer gave the Twins a hometown discount, but if he had hit the market, he would have gotten A-Rod money. Instead, Mauer chose to stay where he grew up and became a superstar and it's not like he's only getting a ham sandwich and a bad of Lay's. No, Joe can enjoy his pre-game Jimmy John's sandwich every day and not have to look constantly at his checking account.

Of course, with deals like this, there are many pros and cons. The pros obviously is that Twins Territory doesn't go into riot mode against the front office. Love Bill Smith or hate him, BS has made plenty of moves during his tenure that Terry Ryan wouldn't think about making. Let's see...

- Smith orchestrated the Johan Santana trade, which believe it or not is looking better by the day. Originally, the Twins received Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber, and Delois Guerra. Fans wanted all four to play ASAP, but the Twins were very cautious. Especially with Guerra, who's a promising prospect with a nasty changeup in AA right now. Also, Gomez was traded to Milwaukee for J.J. Hardy, and Mulvey was traded to Arizona to get Jon Rauch, who will probably be the Twins closer this season. It still doesn't make up for it, but the Twins are trying.

- Smith traded for Rauch, Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and Ron Mahay when the Twins needed help last season.

- Smith has signed quality players to fill holes such as Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson.

And now Smith got the Joe Mauer deal done. But this isn't about Bill Smith, it's about the fans. The fans can look at this and know that the Twins are trying to build not just an American League Central Champion team, they're looking for bigger and better things.

The cons are there too, such as Joe Mauer's peppered injury past and the concern that last year's power surge was a mirage, but it's really not that bad. Worst case scenario? The Twins move him to the outfield or third base. Mauer should be productive no matter where he plays, and the Twins made the right decision by signing Mauer.

The biggest beneficiary of this is Mauer himself. Yeah, he's getting paid, but he also has this giant monkey off his back. To compare, Cal Ripken Jr. was the AL MVP in 1991. He put up revolutionary numbers for his position. The next season the Orioles were moving into Camden Yards while Ripken was one year away from free agency. Ripken didn't get the deal done and had a horrible season.

To compare, Mauer won the AL MVP in 2009, put up revolutionary numbers for his position, and the Twins were moving into Target Field. This will probably help immensely. So sleep well Twins Territory, as this may have been the only thing that may have made today better after losing Joe Nathan for the season.

It's No Time

The Minnesota Twins have been snakebitten by elbow injuries in the past couple of seasons. I'm not sure why they can't detect an elbow injury when they see one, but they are as helpless as yours truly looking for a pallet of shelving at Menards.

First, Francisco Liriano hurt his elbow in 2006. Liriano was a fireballing left hander who posted a 12-3 record and a ERA around 2 in his rookie season. That dream season quickly came to a crashing halt when he felt pain in his elbow. The Twins shut Liriano for a couple of weeks and gave him an MRI. The MRI showed no structural damage, so Liriano tried to rest the elbow and pitch a couple weeks later. Liriano could only get to the second out of the 2nd inning in that game and he was done for the year. The Twins thought that Liriano could heal the ligament via rehab. They were wrong and Liriano had to get Tommy John surgery later that year and wound up missing 18 months.

In 2008, Pat Neshek felt a pop in his elbow while pitching against the Chicago White Sox. Neshek tore his UCL and the Twins, again, thought that Neshek would be able to rehab the injury and return in time for Opening Day in 2009. Well, that didn't work out either and Neshek went under the knife for Tommy John in November 2008. Neshek will make his return to the major leagues at some point this season.

Unfortunatly, there is a new chapter in the Twins futility to recognize elbow injuries. Joe Nathan pitched with bone spurs in his elbow towards the end of the 2009 season. Nathan had offseason surgery to get the spurs removed, and was looking very forward to helping the Twins win their 5th AL Central championship in the last 10 years. Then Nathan pitched in a spring training game against the Red Sox and found out he had a torn UCL in his elbow. Nathan thought he might be able to throw through the injury, but that was nonsense. Hello Mr. Tommy John!

So after strike three for the Twins medical staff, the Twins are faced with a serious question. Who will close games for the Twins? Twins Territory, which is already on edge with the Joe Mauer contract situation (although good news may be near), is now wondering which white-knuckle inducing reliever will attempt to slam the door on opposing teams in close games. However, maybe this whole thing is overblown.

Take this into consideration. According to baseball prospectus, Joe Nathan has 246 saves since he joined the Twins. Of those 246, 13 of those came when Nathan had to get more than three outs. So, technically the Twins will be looking for a ninth inning specialist. Most people think that a closer needs to be willing to drink lead paint to get a save, but it's a basic concept.

Regardless, the show must go on. The Yankees, Red Sox, and every other team in MLB won't call timeout for the Twins, so who will fill Nathan's shoes?

THE FAVORITE -

Jon Rauch (5-1 1.72 ERA with Twins in 2009)

A lot of people have given the closer job to him already because he has experience. Rauch notched 17 saves with the Nationals in 2008. He's very versatile and doesn't get rattled easily on the mound. That's a trait that you would like to have in your closer.

IN THE MIX -

Pat Neshek (missed 2008 and 2009 due to elbow injury)

This is a guy that a lot of people want to see, but he's also coming off injury. I believe that if the Twins go in house, they need to stick with the decision throughout the season. Teams that have to change their closers mid-season are usually not playoff teams for a reason. Neshek may run out of steam by the end of the season because he hasn't pitched in two seasons, which makes this a risky move.

Matt Guerrier (5-1 2.36 ERA in 2009)

Patrick Ruesse wrote an article on Guerrier in the Star Tribune, and he may have a point that he's in the mold of Eddie Guardado, the former Twins closer. Guerrier has the guts, but I think the Twins like him setting up the 9th inning. Jason Kubel was asked about putting Guerrier in the closer role, and he sounded as if he was uncomfortable with that...it's not that Guerrier is bad, he's just better in the role his in.

DARK HORSE -

Anthony Slama (4-4 2.67 ERA, 29 saves between AA New Britain and AAA Rochester in 2009)

Another Ruesse suggestion, because he has all the answers...but this may be a possibility. Slama has dominated the minor leagues wherever he has pitched. He's 26 and probably begging for a call-up. They might not put him in the closer role right away, but he would be very intriguing.

Jason Frasor (7-3 2.50 ERA, 11 saves for Toronto in 2008)

This would require a trade, but maybe the Twins could dangle Glen Perkins, Alexei Casilla, or maybe even Ben Revere to get him. He has closing experience, and his stats would suggest that he's not terrible. The Twins could go worse here, but they have a strong reluctance in giving away prospects.

John Smoltz (154 career saves in 4 seasons with the Braves)

Smoltz has signed with TBS to be an analyst for their broadcasts, but he never ruled out pitching. Smoltz appears to be done as a starter, but what if he only throws 20-30 pitches a game? He's old, but it may be worth the risk.

Heath Bell (6-4 2.71 ERA, 42 saves with San Diego in 2009)

Maybe the biggest name out of all the dark horse options. He'd require a trade, and he won't come cheap, but if the Twins can land him, it would be huge.

NO CHANCE IN HELL -

Kerry Wood, Francisco Liriano, Clay Condrey, Jesse Crain, Jose Mijares, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins.

The only option that I would consider is Francisco Liriano, and he's been pitching well in a starters role this spring, so why throw Duensing in there? Everyone else would mean complete disasters.