Opening Twins Series at Target Field

Yikes! I can't wait any longer! Here is a mini-preview of the first games at Target Field.

4/9- Twins v Angels @ 3:10
4/11 - Twins v Angels @ 7:10
4/12 - Twins v Angels @ 12:10
4/13 - Twins v Rangers @ 7:10
4/14 - Twins v Rangers @ 12:10

I LOVE BASEBALL SEASON!!

My Target Field Experience

If you recall (and if you don't, its below...) my last post was a foreshadow of my Game 1 adventure at Target Field. Last night was the actual adventure.

The night got off to a rough start as I walked in and they didn't have my name on the list or have a nametag for me. I'm willing to help a guy out, but come on. First you don't have season tickets for me, then you don't have my nametag? Lucky my Type A personality was ready for anything, resulting in me bringing my confirmation email and my Twins Account #.

If that hadn't worked, then my hostile personality would've kicked in and had a meltdown. Fortunately for the gentleman at the table, the confirmation email did the trick.

We (Mara and I) got to the Legends Club just in time to see Dave St. Peter get grilled about the growing payroll and the receding wins. His answers were very political, which is absolutely what I expected, but still interesting to hear. It was kind of like Occupy Target Field - fans giving their opinions on The Man. There were other interesting questions, but one that particularly peeked my interest was a question about 2nd base.

St. Peter THREW Nishioka under the bus. Hardcore. It was brutal. He basically said Nishi would have to earn his spot on the team during Spring Training (duh), but that they fully expect Casilla to be playing at 2nd and will be looking for a fresh player at shortstop. So... basically this guy is willing to go out and break a leg for the Twins (literally) and we won't even grant him support as he attempts to transition. Sure, it was a rough year for him and for everyone. He played terrible and couldn't make simple catches or execute easy throws, but does that mean we give up on him?

If so, then we should have given up on the whole team a while ago.

Dave also talked a bit about moving Justin Morneau off the field and solely into a DH role. Sucks.

Anyway, back to my experience. It was great. The night really turned around after the nametag incident. There was a free ballpark food buffet and beers were only $4.50. The view was amazing with the centerfield screen lit up with Game 1. It was like an oasis in the blacked-out stadium with the Minneapolis skyline to the right. How poetic.

Towards the end of the night we went on a tour of Target Field. Let me tell you... that Champions Club is no joke. It is pretty sweet. When we were just outside the Club, our tour guide told us a story about how when the Yankees are in town, Yankee fans will fly in and purchase Champ Club tickets because they think they are such a deal. Kind of irked me because the tickets are expensive, it doesn't matter what some Yank thinks.

As the tour progressed, we got to see the underground batting cages as well as the Twins clubhouse. Interesting fact: Mauer and Morneau have the two biggest 'cubbies' (or lockers) in the whole place. They are easily twice the size of everyone else's. What is that about? The less you play the more you get? Sounds like something Michelle Bachmann would say.

Anyway, the whole experience was a lot of fun. My only disappointment of the night hinged on a bet that I made with Mara regarding the outcome of the game and the series as a whole. I put $50 on the Rangers winning it all and a beer on the Rangers winning Game 1. At least I still have the $50 to look forward to.

If I remember, I'll post some pictures of the tour and such at a later date.

Game 1 World Series at Target Field

Though I didn't get to have Twins season tickets this past year (huge disappointment), I guess being in the On Deck Circle does have a few perks.

I will be taking advantage of one of those perks this Wednesday as I head to Target Field to watch Game 1 of the World Series in the Delta SKY360 Legends Club!

I get to watch the big game from the comfort of the Legends Club on HD TV screens throughout the club and also on the giant HD scoreboard in center field. The Twins will be giving away prizes such as framed autographed prints and game-used items! Not only that, but there will be a complimentary ballpark fare buffet, a discounted cash bar, and mini-tours of Target Field including the Champions Club and the Twins Clubhouse!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED!

I will let you know how it goes when I'm back to blogging on Wednesday.

GO RANGERS! Which reminds me... I have to get a hat...

Twins-Angels Collaboration

With a win over Texas last night and a Santana no-hitter Angel win over the Indians, it seems as though the Angels and Twins have a sort of 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' collaboration in place. And I like it.

Both teams are trailing the division leaders Texas and Detroit and Cleveland, yet have managed to reduce that deficit due to the losing of their counterparts. Los Angeles downed the Indians when Erwin Santana hurled a no-hitter, giving up only one run. Likewise, the Twins beat the Rangers last night in a nail-biter.

I would like to see this collaboration go further throughout the month of August where the Angels play the White Sox... and the Yankees (even though they are AL East), but since the Twins play at LA in the first week of August, we might need to take a break.

Until then, Angels. If you can't knock down the Tigers, might as well go after the next best thing. Thanks for the relative boost!

As of 07/27 here are the standings:

Its weird how the Yankees are blacked out.

Minnesota Twins Bounce Back to Beat Texas Rangers

Well thank God the Twins came back to beat the Rangers last night. I was watching when the Twins got off to a 3-0 start over C.J. Wilson and when the Rangers, despite my TV-directed profanity, came back to trail the Twins 3-2. Then I took a mini coma and woke up when it was 6-8 heading in to the 6th. I was a little POed.

For the remainder of the game, I was attentive. Especially after we scored in the 6th and were only one run down! Delmon Young began the unlikely rally with a one-out single before the 'Ox in the Batter's Box,' my main man Jim Thome, took over on a pinch-hit double to left field moving Young to third. If you know anything about Thome, you know that is probably only his fourth double all season because, let's face it, he fails to 'pick up the plow' as my old softball coach, Frank Currier would say; Jim Thome is pretty slow. Nishi then reached on an infield error by Elvis Andrus, allowing Young to score and tie the game up.

This is where my roommates cast doubt over my sanity as I shout and clap while my bedroom door is closed. I am emotionally invested in the Twins, probably a little too much.

The stage was set for Joe Mauer, who seems to finally be back in stride with his former MVP self, and Mauer didn't disappoint. Mauer drilled an opposite-field double, which scored pinch-runner Jason Repko and gave the Twins the lead!

Heading in to the bottom 9th, I was slightly nervous when I saw Nathan take the mound. I know, I'm cynical, but the announcers assured me that Nathan is back to throwing his best stuff. My doubts were both justified and unjustified. Nathan gave up a single on the second pitch of the half-inning before Nelson Cruz reached with one out after a fastball grazed his jersey. Nathan rebounded, however, with a strike out to Mitch Moreland on a 3-2 slider and then pinch-hitter David Murphy on a sinker.

The win keeps the Twins within seven games of the first-place Tigers in the AL Central. Keep it up Twins. I will take a nail-biting save over a 14-run loss any day. So would everyone else north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Mason Dixon line for those of you less geographically-inclined.

Vikings Cowboys Weekend

This past weekend was quite an adventure for me. My UST bestie, Samantha Beck, had her cousin, Michael, and his friend, Matt, in town from California for the Vikings Cowboys game. Michael, a Minnesotan at heart and Matt, who might as well be wearing permanent cowboy boots were quite the pair.

However, let me start at the beginning of the weekend. On Friday, around early evening, my neighbors (who you may recall are Augsburg Baseball Players) invited myself, Samantha and her friend Chelsea, and our other roommate to a baseball party. We had planned to take it easy on Friday, given our big weekend ahead of us (set to pick Michael and Matt up at the airport the following day), but of course the sight of backyard games including, but not limited to, a college form of frisbee, bags, and hammerschlagen, we fast became committed to traveling that night to North Minneapolis. For those of you familiar with the cities, you know North Minneapolis is not dissimilar to Compton.

We arrived fashionably late at the house situated in between the Bloods and the Crips, and got our game on. One thing led to another and well, Samantha lost her phone. Go figure. This normally wouldn't have been a huge issue, but without Michael's number, we had zero access to his flight information.

After calling in a few favors, following a few paper trails, and one quick call to Michael's mom, we were set to pick up the boys at the airport. Let our weekend begin!

Being from California, Michael and Matt were adamant on going to White Castle, made famous by the movie "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle". Harold Lee and Kumar Patel are two stoners who end up craving White Castle. On their adventures, they encounter many obstacles including a raccoon and a racist officer. While we did not encounter either of those, we did have our own adventures involving a bilingual cashier and a street race.

Sunday, we all watched the Minnesota Vikings roundup the Cowboys. 'Nough Said.

All in all it was a successful weekend, resulting in me missing 3 out of my 5 classes on Monday.

Oh, PS, someone hacked my bank account this weekend and possibly has my social security number. I blame Compton. Hey, at least Texas beat the Yankees last night.