Navy Seal Leapfrogs on July 3rd!

Armed Forces Day has always been a fun one at the MN Twins. The 2010 Armed Forces Day was no exception. The Navy Seal "Leap Frogs" were here to parachute into Target Field. After several failed practice attempts, due to high winds, it was an all or nothing event! It was pretty windy that day, but they still jumped. Knowing it was coming and seeing the plane fly over, gave me chills! Then it was just wait and watch the crowd react! I remember telling my ushers to be on the lookout incase one of the jumpers crashed into the stands! Thankfully that didn't happen!

Here they come! We couldn't see them yet, but they were on the big screen!


The First jumper landed, sliding from 2nd to 3rd on the grass... pretty sure Larry DeVito was freaking out about the grass! :)



Check out the skyline view on this one.. love it!



This guy crashed into the right field wall just like Michael Cuddyer (or is it Jason Kubel now?), but he was ok!



The last two jumpers... first the POW flag

Then, the American Flag...

They were the only ones who landed close to the target, which in the photo below is lying on the ground behind second base.

The guy carrying the American Flag then placed the game ball behind the mound.

The Leap Frogs jogged off the field, Hi-5ing the fans. It was a great moment!

After the jumpers were safely down, the plane that dropped them buzzed Target Field! I couldn't get a picture, as it was quite the surprise!

Fireworks on the 2nd of July!

One of the things I still love to see at the end of a Twins win, are the fireworks that shoot off of the sign. It's a constant reminder that we do indeed play outside! Holiday weekends can be tough to work, with so much other fun going on, but this year was a little easier- because we had Fireworks as a treat on Friday night! Here is the countdown!



And then the fireworks started!



And then my staff got a little slap-happy! Kickline!


It was really fun to stand back and watch!



Finale!




You can see all of the photos in my Target Field album on Facebook.

Why we built Target Field...

June 30th was one of the days that we built Target Field for. With temps in the 80's and low humidity, Emily and I snuck out of work at 11:00 to race to the park for the 12:10 game. We ran into crazy bus traffic and had to park several blocks away. But, we made it to the park in time for the first pitch.

There is nothing better than a beer and hotdog for lunch while everyone else is working. And to top it off... a Twins Win!

Target Field ranked #1 by ESPN...

A shortened version of the email we got from Dave St. Peter!

Hi Everyone,

Earlier this week ESPN: The Magazine released the publication’s 8th annual Ultimate Sports Standings which ranks all 122 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises in a variety of areas including Stadium Experience, Ownership, Coaching, Fan Relations, Players and Affordability (see criteria and complete rankings below. Note that I’ve highlighted MLB teams in yellow and our fellow Minnesota franchises in green).

I’m absolutely thrilled to report that the Minnesota Twins and Target Field were ranked No. 1 overall (among all 122 teams) in the Stadium Experience category. CONGRATS to each and everyone for your help in shaping America’s premier sports and entertainment experience. It’s quite a statement considering we ranked 114th when playing at the Metrodome a year ago. The Top 10 Stadium Experiences in American Sport according to this survey are as follows:
1. Minnesota Twins – Target Field
2. Green Bay Packers – Lambeau Field
3. Minnesota Wild – Xcel Energy Center
4. Seattle Mariners – Safeco Field
5. Philadelphia Phillies -- Citizen’s Bank Park
6. Milwaukee Brewers – Miller Park
7. San Francisco Giants – AT&T Park
8. Indianapolis Colts – Lucas Oil Stadium
9. Pittsburgh Pirates – PNC Park
10.St.Louis Cardinals – Busch Stadium

In terms of the global survey, I’m also pleased to report that the Twins fared quite well in this survey – ranking 14th overall; 1st in the Minnesota market; and 4th in all of MLB (only behind the Angels, Rays and Rockies).

In terms of global rankings, here is how we compare to recent years:

2010
· Twins – 14th Overall – 4th in MLB
· Minnesota: Twins 14; Vikings 59; Wild 78; Wolves 116

2009
· Twins -- 23rd Overall – 4th in MLB
· Minnesota: Twins 23rd; Wild 66th; Vikings 89th; Wolves 113th

2008
· Twins – 39th Overall – 8th in MLB
· Minnesota : Wild 31st; Twins 39th; Vikings 110th; Wolves 118th

2007
· Twins – 14th Overall – 3rd in MLB
· Minnesota: Twins 14th; Wild 29th; Vikings 119th

CONGRATS to all for your collective efforts in shaping the Twins brand – on and off the field of play!!!!

--------
I'm adding the link to the ESPN site: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings

Squirrels and Postponements... more TF History!

Thank you to Wayne the Twins photog for snapping this one per my request! It was a crazy night! Squirrels loose on the field (I hope SOMEONE got a pic of that!) and a rain delay followed by an official suspended game. What else can you expect from the Yankees?

First Game as a Fan! May 12th!

I hadn't sold my day game tickets yet, so I decided to ask Mom if she wanted to go. SHE DID! :) So I picked her up and we headed down to the park.

We treated the day much like the State Fair-- it's all about the food! And, if you share everything you get to try twice as much. It was cold, so our first stop of the day was the bar. Where my favorite bartender, Paul, hooked us up with some Irish Coffee. I gave mom the Legend's Club tour, and then we went up to see Dave and Jess at the ECC. (should have taken pictures, I guess) It was nearly game time, so we stopped by Tony O's to get a Cuban Sandwich. YUM. Later we got a Krymarcuk's Brat, and some gelato.

Despite the weather, it was a fun day with mom... and oh yeah, the Twins won! :)

First Double Header at Target Field- Sat May 8th

Our first rainout, followed our first Double Header! It was a crazy long day! I worked 13.5 hours and walked something like 23,753 steps! And it was totally worth it- to be there for history, to be there because we get to play outside now! I searched all day for something that I could take a picture of as "proof" of out double header. Finally after game one- I saw the "next game" sign on the board... it said, "next game tonight!"

After the game, we were asked to help clean up! Ok, that's fine, but really? I picked up a couple bags of trash and it was disgusting. I'm really grateful for my education that allows me to not pick up trash for a living. But, I made sure to document the occasion- as it was a part of the "experience" of the double header. Thanks Terri for posing!

And after the trash pick up, a few of us hung out in the press box lobby until we had to start getting ready for game #2! I took this picture of Peg... I think it's cute!

So that's it! The double header was really not as big of a deal that I thought it was going to be. Still it was a memorable day at Target Field!

Historical Weekend Ahead...Friday, May 7th

So, here we go- another Target Field First! After a nearly perfect April, Minnesota weather finally hit us. It's been raining ALL day, and the temperatures are supposed to drop enough to get snow in the Minneapolis area overnight, with up to 3 inches falling just north of the metro.

We'll see about that.

None-the-less... the Twins have called thier first weather related postponement. A rainout! So, while we revel in a random free night off... we prepare for another first: tomorrow's Day/Night double header!

Staffers: I'd love to hear what you did with your random free night.

Tomorrow we bust back out the pedometer and see who makes it through the double header!

Tigers, Rainbows, and Brooms...

The series against the Tigers was a great one! Our first series sweep of the season! There were great games and lots of fun to be had!

For starters, Monday night, I experienced my first Target Field Twins game from my couch! It was very strange to watch the game on TV. It still seems to me that outdoor games are not played at home. I guess I'm just not used to it yet!

Then Tuesday rolled around. Would this be our first rain delay? It did rain plenty during the game, but caused no delay and for the most part the warm temperatures kept fans in thier seats. Check out the clouds as they rolled by Target Field! Thanks to Angela Lillie for the pictures... my camera was in my locker!



Then later, there was a rainbow! SO fun! At one time there was a double rainbow, I'm sure there are photos out there, but I haven't seen any yet.




The rainbow brought the Twins good luck that night. They found the pot of gold in some bottom of the 9th craziness by JJ Hardy! A triple off the wall and scoring on a wild pitch.

The series ended with a day game win. Sweep! sweep! sweep!

My Other Twins Team...

Today was not so much about Minnesota Twins baseball as it was about another Twins team-- The Twin Cities Orthopedic Twins, of the West Metro Miracle League. The Miracle League is basically t-ball for kids with disabilities.

My New Year's Resolution in 2009 was to get more involved in the Community. It made me ponder the question: What are you passionate about? Let's see: cooking?- this seems like it could be expensive and time consuming, what else? I love kids, baseball and coaching. Then I heard that Harmon Killebrew was building a Miracle League field at Bennett Family Park! These are the same fields where I spent my childhood playing softball! I immediately emailed Lisa- the woman (let's call her Miracle Worker) who runs the West Metro Miracle League. She called me back a few days later, and asked me to be a coach. A few weeks later I went to a practice at the Minnetonka High School "dome"... I fought back tears watching the joy on the players and parents faces, and even the High Schoolers who buddied with our players were having fun! I enjoyed every moment of coaching my Rollx Ranger team. By the end of the season, they asked me to be on the Board of Directors. Who could say no, in just a few short months (8 weeks to be exact), these kids had changed me forever.

This year, I'm coaching the Twin Cities Orthopedic Twins. Today was our first game. I'm still learning names, but we had a great time.

The day started out with hugs from TC Bear

Then TC helped out with the player introductions!

It got a little crazy when 4 of our Twins stood on homeplate together!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame is sung during the 7th inning stretch- just like the pros!

The day was filled with smiles! The players and their buddies got treat tickets and were off! See you next Sunday for Mother's Day! :)

Looking back on the Opening Homestand

Today marks a full week removed from a game at Target Field. I am still asked at work EVERY day about the park, and how I like working there. My general response:

It sure is pretty!

We had nearly perfect weather, a couple of cold days, but mostly sunshine, and the one time it rained- people cheered. I have a theory about how lucky we got with the weather. I believe that Mother Nature has smiled on the Twins- she is thankful that we removed the asphault and cement of the Rapid Park Parking Lot- and planted real grass and a few trees (in centerfield). Target Field was LEED certified by Opening Day, and has many wonderful "green" features-- sure to be the topic of an off-week blog.

Of course when we look back on how fun the first week was... we can't help but be excited about how well the team played! Winning each series so far this season (until today!), really added to the whole experience.

We as employees, fans and Minnesotans, were blessed with an amazing April. Keep it up boys!

Target Field Critters arrive!

Last night was the first night for me to have to work all day (I get up at 5am) and then work the game, followed by getting up and going to work the next day (and oh yeah, I'm working again tonight!). The boys gave me a nice quick game that ended at about 9:35.

Unfortunately, we were a little short staffed, and I ended up giving some breaks to my staff, before I could take my own. Finally I got mine (I was sooo hungry!), and ran to the break room about 9:20- I heated my dinner and started eating when Peter said, "oh- it's the top of the 9th"! I tried to finish my peanut butter cup dessert quickly- but it's peanut butter so it only goes so fast. I made it back up to the Legend's club just in time for the 3rd out! Game over!

As I was clearing my ushers out 30 minutes later, they informed me that the Lengend's Club had aquired its first pet. A bat. Then my charming ushers made me go out and look- yuk! He was HUGE! The size of a hamster, just perched on the wall. We named him BC because that's the section he was in.

After viewing BC I text Jess... "there a bat in B-C" , she responded "Baseball or Vampire?" :) it made me chuckle. I took pictures, of course! This was finally an event worth blogging!

Opening Weekend in Review...

After winning a long 3+ hour game on Friday night, the team came back on Saturday for a noon game! The boys won again, but it felt a lot like a night-day double header! I think I left the park about 11:30 on Friday night and was back by 9 Saturday morning! As you can see below- we all kicked off Saturday morning at about the same speed.

My friend Kristen and her husband used my tickets... she promised a posting--Kristen- here's your chance! :)

Sunday was a tough loss. Justin Morneau struck out 3 times with runners on.. OUCH! I think the final score was 10-7... for a minute there in the 9th inning, I thought we were going to pull out a win! But, alas, we did not. I think the boys and the staff were all ready to celebrate Joe Mauer's birthday with a day off on Monday!

First Night Game!

Friday was our first night game! What a thrill! With clear skies and a sunny start, it turned into a breezy, cool, clear evening! The lights of the city in the background... so much fun! Here's what my friends Pat and Eric had to say about the night....

First Night game at Target Field
April 16th, 2010
7:10 Start
Twins vs. K.C. with Baker on the mound.
Twins win 10-3

63 degrees at the start of the game, 53 when it was done. The field is beautiful. Tonya's seats are great, full view of the whole field. Watching night fall on downtown Mpls. was amazing. Watching baseball outside in Minnesota in April was too wonderful for words. Bringing a light stadium blanket would probably have been a good idea. Can't wait to go again!!

Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium cons: Not enough sinks in the ladies room
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium cons: Sun glaring off of the old IDS Tower for half an inning
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium cons: Seats seemed narrow when the big dude was sitting next to me (not Eric)
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball
Stadium pros: Outdoor baseball :-)

Thanks for sharing your tickets Tonya. We had a blast.
Pat

Here are some of the great shots that Pat took from that first night...

The "handshake sign" lights up nicely at night!

Night is falling on Target Field

I snuck up to say hello!

Pat and Eric enjoying the game!


Thanks again Pat for the amazing header for the blog!

Game 3- Twins "shatter" the Sox

So- we made it through 3 full regular season games this season (6 total with the two exhibitions and the Gopher Game) before our first truely fun blogg-able event! This is one of the things that I AM SURE that we will not remember come September.

As to not add to any embarrasement, I will just say this. After the game was over, a few of the staff members (who shall remain nameless) were closing down the pressbox. The weather was humid after our rainy morning, and sunny afternoon, and the window panes on the front of the pressbox were sticking. A slight accidental nudge and bam! Our first shattered window pane! Thankfully the glass is tempured and only a few small shards fell into the media area where no one was working (they were all in the clubhouse postgame), so no one was hurt. I was notified immediately and we got everything under control. It's a big of a shame it happened this way- and not by way of foul ball, but atleast the Maintenance crew will get an idea of what to do before it happens in the middle of a game!

A few other notes: I thought we were going to experience our first rain delay, when I woke up to thunder at 7am. However, just as the first pitch was thrown, the clouds broke up and the sun peaked through! It turned into a steamy 71 degree day at the park. I think we went through about half of the bottle of sunscreen we keep at the desk. And oh yeah... the Twins shattered the Sox 8-0!

Pedometer count: 11600

Game 2-- Things got a little wet!

So today was a not so painful loss to the Red Sox of Boston. We experienced our first game with rain-- I guess that's out of the way now... thankfully there was no delay! When it first started raining, people actually applauded... I guess everyone thinks it's ok if we get a little wet.

I would like to make a point to ALL of the local news and weather people.... have you EVER watched a baseball game? Because, a little rain doesn't stop MLB! So, though I appreciated the forecast, please do not tell people that the rain will delay the game... that's not how it works. PLUS- we are MINNESOTANS, a little rain won't make us melt. :)

Pedometer count: 12300

The Home Opener!

13964. That's how many steps I walked on Opening Day during the hours of 11am when I got to Target Field and 8pm when I finally left. It was an amazing and exhausting day! The weather held out for us, despite a forecast of rain.


My Brother Troy and Nephew Kaden were my Home Opener Ticket Holders. They got there around noon, just as the gates were opening, and took it all in. A BP homerun ball was hit there way, took a bounce off a seat in right field, and hit the guy standing next to Troy! They walked the park and enjoyed some pre-game nachos from Senor Smokes!
Then the festivities began! Alumni Players helped raise the flags of the Championship years. Statues were unveiled, and always my favorite- giant flags were displayed.

I delt with my first (and second) ticket issues of the season, and helped a fan desperate for the Opening Day Homer Hanky. He told me.. "you were clearly born for this job". Wow! It's not like you get to hear that everyday!

In the end, the boys won! Handshakes all around! Maybe the best Monday ever!

Exhibition Game 2- (April 3rd)- aka Jacque Jones Appreciation Day.

Ok, so this one took me a couple of days to get too, but now I'm watching game #3 in Anaheim and I am ready to write!

Exhibition game 2 was pretty amazing. Peter D and I were standing in the sun, in front of the pressbox, and a fly ball was hit. The white ball against the blue sky... Pete turned to me and say, "we work here". It was one of those Magic Moments for me. I guess I had my first one!

Game number two went a lot more smoothly than game 1, it seemed everything we learned on game one paid off. It just seemed less crazy.

I stepped back out into the bowl during Jacque Jones' last at bat. I have always been a fan of Jacque. I love that he truely loves the game... he used to come down to the field and say " I get to play baseball today!". I've always judged players not on thier ability, but on thier personality and love of game. JJ will ALWAYS be at the top of the list. I don't know why the rest of MN loves him so much, but it warmed my heart to see the standing ovation.

I snapped a few pictures for the memory. I don't wish any injury on any of our boys, but I sure would love to see JJ come back up to the Bigs this season!

Exhibition Game 1- Friday April 2nd.

It turns out Mother Nature really does care about baseball! I arrived at the park at 1 pm in drizzle and by 2pm it was just plain raining. Magically it cleared up and we played ball ON TIME, with no rain delay.

My LRT experience was ... interesting. A guy in the seat next to me asked me if I had a nail clipper for his hang nail! Excuse me? Even if I had one, do you let a stranger borrow your nail clipper-- ewh?! On the way home, the nice driver waited for me, or I would have had to wait for quite some time for another train! Thanks Metro Transit Driver!

I can't say that there was anything really to speak of that happened during the game. We did catch a guy and girl stealing beer from a suite at the end of the game! Stuffing it in your purse.. nice work.

I got to see some friends while I was there!

Here I am standing with David and Cindy Meier...MTS friends hanging out behind homeplate.

I also got a call from my mom who said that friends of our family were there... the Asmus'!
Mary Jo and Al have always just been more than just "the people who lived next door" they are family!

As an added bonus to the evening... I got hugs from both Harmon Killebrew and Jack Morris! Yeah, my job... it doesn't suck! :) All in all, despite the Twins loss, it was a really fun first night of Outdoor Baseball!

Pre-game Jitters

My dinner is packed, uniform is ironed, and I am ready to go. Thought I should take a moment to take it all in. Today is the biggest day in MN sports history! It will be short-lived, as the Home Opener on April 12th will take over that designation. But this is the day that we've been waiting for! Outdoor Baseball is back! It's supposed to rain, but I don't think that there is a ticket holder who cares or isn't prepared to deal with it! At least it's not snowing!

I find myself a little nervous. It's the first day on the new job. How will it go? I'm also a little nervous about taking the LRT, but I've done it before so, what's the big deal right? Other emotions include a little heartache... I've wanted to see the players reactions to the field on thier first day of play for a few years now, but I won't be on the field to see it. I think it's going to be tough this year, getting used to being at the park, but not having that connection to the players. I am still excited about this season, my job, and all the joy it will bring to the fans.

Batter Up! It's time for me to go!

Season Ticket Holder Open House

The Full and 40 game season ticket holder open house was held on Saturday, March 20th. It was a cold but sunny day, and I'd given my brother and nephew (Kaden-11) my 2 passes. I had a great time showing them around! It is still so fun to see everyone's reactions for the first time.

Kaden was pretty interested in the whole "hot dog situation", but after a few bites of his foot long, he declared "this Schweigert hotdog is pretty good." He's 11, what does he know about brands of hotdogs? Clearly this was a HUGE deal in MN, it was strange to know that so many people cared.

I ran into several friends that day, who all agreed that the Legends Club and Metropolitan club were pretty remarkable. While in the Legends Club, Brian turned his back to the field, looked around and said- "from this direction you'd never know you were at a ballpark!" As for the Metropolitan - I'm just looking for an excuse to host a party there.

I think my MTS co-worker Jim said it best... "I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole time!"

What is this about anyway?

So, here it is! I decided that the stories and happenings of the inaugural season at Target Field really needed to be captured. This blog is a chance for me to share stories about the fun things that happen at TF, as well as a place for my friends and coworkers to share their stories.

Along with the events that I can share as an employee, I hope that the friends that use my season tickets will share their adventures (and photos) at the park as well.

If you are a ticket user, please email me pictures of you at the game, so I can post them. Add to the fun by writing a comment when the picture is posted.

If you are a fellow employee, it's the same deal, feel free to post comments about any of those memorable events you encounter. I will try to get pictures of you on here too!

To my amazingly creative friend Pat. You are a genius, this blog looks great! Thank you so much for the inspiration and the help.

We are just hours away from the first Exhibition Game at Target Field. I think it's going to be a fun summer!

Win Twins!

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