It might have been only an Exhibition game, but it sure felt like Opening Night! You could feel the excitement--from fans, vendors, Twins staff, and I'm sure, the players themselves! The night that Twins fans had long waited for was finally here--outdoor baseball has returned to Minnesota! I thought about that stupid countdown we've sat through the past two seasons at the Metrodome...every game counting down to how games till baseball moved outdoors. Yes, I thought it was stupid! But now, well now, I can see that this stadium is living up to its' hype!
By the luck of the draw, we got tickets to the first exhibition game. At first, I had thought it would be best to go to Saturday's afternoon game--since it would be earlier in the day, it would be possibly warmer...Well, that may turn out to be the case (beautiful now on Saturday!)--Friday night it was cold and windy. Fortunately, the rain stayed away. But even if it had rained, I don't think it would have dampened the spirit of the fans there. It was something special being there that first night.
The crowd let out quite a cheer when the tarp was removed!
Like a good number of fans, we got there early to walk around and enjoy the concourse. I can't describe how much nicer it is than the Metrodome! As you walk around, you can easily look out to the field. The amount of space is incredible!
Here's a shot of the bullpen (each team will be side by side)--
Here's a shot of Section 325 (where we sit)--the third upper deck section from the right!
Don't let that fool you--the view of the field is still awesome! Baby, this place was built for baseball!
And they call them the "Skyline View" seats for a reason--
Part of the festivities of the night included honoring former Twins' Hall of Famers--Hrbek, Killebrew, Olivia, Carew, and of course, Puckett. They were all in attendance, excluding Pucket, who left us all too soon. And they seemed to be just as thrilled as the rest of us to see outdoor baseball return!
That jumbotron screen is incredible! I am going to enjoy sitting so close to it (it is just to our left over centerfield). It helps bring the action from down on the field to us, plus it acts as a great scoreboard!
Finally, it was time to play ball! Here's Morneau and Cuddy running onto the field for the first time! Yes, I know it's a blurry photo...but the wind was blowing so bad at the time that I couldn't hold my camera still!
It was an awesome game...one that it didn't really matter that we lost...it was about enjoying the game! Span was the hero--hitting the first triple and then the first homer. Jacque Jones was warmly received by the crowd--receiving a standing ovation when he came to bat. He was clearly moved by the fans' ovation.
And in the end, the sun struggled to come out for a bit--
Hubby, aka Curveballs, woke up this morning and said, "I want to go to ALL the baseball games at Target Field!"
I couldn't agree more!
