15 June 2010

on target field

let it be known that i will add 'cards featuring target field' to my list of cards i collect.  it really is a great ballpark and visually pleasing as well.  one of the most recognizable aspects of it (akin to the glove and coke bottle in san francisco) is the 'minny and paul' structure in centerfield.
despite wearing their pants kind of low, these guys are pretty cool.  after a twins home run, the thing lights up and it looks like they are shaking hands.  not quite as entertaining as this commercial, but still a nice touch.

upper deck has actually already featured target field on a card:
too bad they couldn't get an internal shot, but i am guessing this was taken well before the seats were completed.  there's no snow, so it must have been taken last fall.  it's not too often that concrete median barrier is featured on a baseball card...
so, we can go ahead and forget the metrodome, as this should be one of the last cards produced that features a photo taken under it's roof:
i've been to a few games already, including the first rain out in target field history.
here's a 2010 goose joak original of justin morneau using one of the pictures i took at one of the games.
you can kind of tell that the seating is more vertical than it was at the metrodome, so you feel closer to the action.  this photo was taken from the second level with a decent zoom.the views all around the stadium are good, there are a few obstructed seats but plenty of standing room in the concourse, and almost the entire stadium is accessible to anyone with a ticket which is nice.

there are a lot of nice touches around the stadium - the statues of killebrew, carew, and puckett; the gold glove on the plaza; the murals of former players throughout; and even the 1961 - 2009 topps cards screened onto the fence on the north side of the property featuring former and current players.  my favorites - 1965 jimmie hall and 1980 ken landreaux.

it's definitely worth a trip!

2 comments:

BBCDB1 said...

I hear it's the second best stadium, behind Yankees.

I can't wait to have a Juicy Lucy and a Grain Belt. Got tickets for July 18 against the White Sox.

How is the tailgating potential? We're coming in on a beer bus.

gcrl said...

there really isn't any tailgating around target field. the stadium itself sits on the site of what used to be the vikings' official tailgating lot (after much of the old surface lots along washington ave near the dome were converted to condos). what's left of the rapid park lot next to the stadium does not allow tailgating. the city of mpls has been restricting tailgating in general the last couple of years with the new gopher stadium, so you might be hard pressed to find a 'legal' location.