Most members of my family (husband, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, one daughter, and even my mom) are avid baseball fans. I'm pretty lukewarm about baseball. I go to the occasional game because my spouse LOVES baseball, and I try to share his interest. I can even keep an accurate scorecard with minimal assistance. (It's a good way to pay attention to the "action" that occurs sporadically in a typical game.) So when I joined spouse, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson for a tour of Target Field (new home of the Minnesota Twins) yesterday afternoon, I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how impressed I was. (There I am, smiling at a seat in the press box, almost 90 minutes into the tour.)
The designers of Target Field have built a venue that has broad appeal -- to avid fans and to the more casual attendees who just want to enjoy a good time without watching every single pitch. It's a great field for watching the game, and it's a great place for taking a break from the action to wander around the park and absorb the atmosphere. Constrained by the space available for a downtown park, the designers couldn't build an adjoining "Twins museum," so they sprinkled history and memorabilia throughout the park instead. Here we have the three generations of Heidelberg men (boys?) posing in front of Harmon Killebrew in the Legends Lounge. The attention to every detail (like the original flag pole from old Met stadium, a golden glove sculpture on the plaza at exactly the distance of Harmon's longest home run, gates numbered for all the "retired" Twins numbers, and much more) rival a Disney theme park. During a typical Twins game, the public concourses are clogged with fans wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere (and buying tons of concessions).
And the park is an architectural marvel -- a 10 acre park sandwiched into 8.5 acres of space at the edge of downtown. The plaza leading to the park is built over a freeway. Some of the stands are cantilevered over adjoining streets and the freeway, as well. While it can't rival the view of Lake Washington from Husky Stadium at UW, the view of downtown from Target Field is pretty impressive.
And the designers have included lots of exclusive places for extravagant fans --- clubs, special seats, even a display case with World Series trophies (yes the Twins have two of those) -- while still ensuring that the average fan has a great time. I will probably still scoff at the idea of outdoor baseball in Minnesota when the temperature dips to 40 in late September or the snow flies in mid April, but for now, I'm convinced this ballpark is a great thing for the Twin Cities and Minnesota.
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